Pillow Power or Not, a Good Call

Good for President Bush! It seems as if he might have listened to the favorable comments his wife, Barbara, made about the Head Start program last week, and has included an additional $500 million for the successful federal preschool program in his budget proposal. Just as important, the President’s proposal targets 4-year-olds, a pivotal age. If Congress approves the request, an additional 180,000 disadvantaged preschoolers may benefit.

The expansion is certainly warranted. Head Start is educationally effective and cost-effective. But the current funding helps fewer than 40% of the eligible 4-year-olds. As the First Lady said last week during a 25th anniversary celebration for Head Start, the nation’s children need more.

The President’s request would boost the Head Start budget to $1.9 billion and allow 70% of the eligible 4-year-olds to participate. This is not full funding for all eligible children, ages 3 through 5, but it is better than the current 20%.

Four is a pivotal age, according to educators, because that’s when children are old enough to flourish in a group setting. They are focused enough to begin to learn. They can benefit immensely from the nutrition and health care provided by the program. The food--the only meals of the day for some poor children--is important because a hungry child can’t learn. The medical and dental care is also key, because a child who is hurting is not eager to learn.

But children learn in Head Start. They make gains in reading and math skills, and once they enter school they are less likely to repeat grades or be assigned to special education classes. They are more likely to finish high school and attend job-training classes or college, according to a long-term study by the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation in Ypsilanti, Mich., and less likely to get arrested, become teen-age parents or wind up on welfare.

Most Head Start children come from welfare families or families at or below the federal poverty line--roughly $10,000 for a single mother with two children. The early intervention can help to break that cycle of poverty. Every $1 spent on quality preschool programs for poor children, according to High/Scope, saves $6 in future social costs.

President Bush’s $500 million request will go a long way towards helping many more poor children get the Head Start they need.