Ron Kind: “That is why I reluctantly rise in opposition to the Head Start bill this evening. The recommended changes are wrong for…”

“That is why I reluctantly rise in opposition to the Head Start bill this evening. The recommended changes are wrong for the children of the Head Start program. The story of Head Start is that it works. It is a highly successful program. Studies have shown for every $1 we invest in children at this age in Head Start programs, we realize $4 to $7 worth of savings down the line. There is not a business person in the country that would not take that deal. According to surveys, 96 percent of the Head Start families express a high level of satisfaction with their Head Start programs because of the quality and the accountability that exists there already. That is probably why there has been such overwhelming opposition to the radical Republican transformation of the Head Start program before us tonight. We have heard the concerns of the block grant proposal that they are recommending without accountability or quality assurances. We have also heard the concerns that the bill would legalize religious discrimination in the Head Start program. What we have not heard this evening is that under their bill they call for a reduction in funding for professional development programs, again affecting the quality of these programs.”