05.18.15

Scott Statement on the 50th Anniversary of Head Start

 

WASHINGTON – Committee on Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA), issued the following statement on 50th Anniversary of the Head Start program, which has granted millions of children access to high quality preschool:

“Fifty years ago today, President Lyndon B. Johnson announced from the White House Rose Garden that enrollment would begin for an early childhood education program called “Project Head Start” as part of his Great Society and War on Poverty programs.

                                                                                                  

“For the last half century, Head Start has been more than just an education program. It has helped generations of disadvantaged families and young children break through class barriers in school and life through a holistic approach that includes high quality preschool and critical support services, including family engagement, health services and good nutrition.

“Studies have found the children in Head Start have better language, literacy and math skills, better teacher-child interactions, stronger social-emotional skills, and greater access to health and dental care than their peers.  Investments in high-quality early learning programs like Head Start generate economic returns of $8 for every $1 spent, by reducing the teen pregnancy rate, high school dropout rate, the likelihood of incarceration, and more.

 

“We know that Head Start works. As we mark the occasion of 50 years of one of the most successful early intervention programs, let us recommit ourselves to ensuring that all of our disadvantaged children have access to quality early education programs.”

 

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