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Summary

Head Start is a federal program that has provided comprehensive early childhood development services to low-income children since 1965. Services provided to preschool-aged children include child development, educational, health, nutritional, social and other activities, intended to prepare low-income children for entering kindergarten. The program is administered by the Administration for Children and Families of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Unlike many other social service programs, federal Head Start funds are provided directly to local grantees, rather than through states. Programs are locally designed, and are administered by a network of about 1,500 public and private nonprofit agencies. In FY2001, Head Start funded enrollment for 905,000 children. Head Start was last reauthorized in 1998 (P.L. 105-285) for fiscal years 19992003, and is due to be reauthorized this year. Alongside his FY2004 budget request (which asked for $6.8 billion for Head Start), President Bush has proposed to give states the option to administer the program, provided they supply a plan that sufficiently explains how Head Start will be coordinated with other preschool programs to foster comprehensive, high quality preschool programs. The budget also conveys the Administration's plan to transfer federal responsibility for the Head Start program from HHS to the Department of Education. The Head Start program has received increases of varying levels over the past two decades (see Table 1). Most recently, the program was funded at $6.538 billion for FY2002, up from $6.2 billion in FY2001, and $5.267 billion in FY2000. In his FY2003 budget, the President requested $6.668 billion for Head Start (of which $1.4 billion would become available in FY2004). Congress has not yet passed a Labor/HHS/Ed appropriations bill for FY2003, but has continued funding for programs, including Head Start, through a series of continuing resolutions. The omnibus appropriations bill (H.J.Res. 2) that was approved by the Senate and is now in conference, includes $6.668 billion for Head Start, and exempts the program from across-the-board rescissions proposed for other discretionary programs. Program performance and the long-term impact on children, particularly with respect to educational attainment, continue to be areas of focus and concern. The 1998 revisions to the Head Start Act increased the amount of new appropriations that must be used for quality improvement activities, at least through FY2003. In part, the law requires HHS to develop specific education performance standards, and establishes teacher and staff training related to these standards as a priority use of quality improvement funds. In addition, the 1998 amendments to Head Start mandate and reserve funds for additional studies on the program's impact.

Related Legislation:
• S.1999
• H.J.RES.2

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