Just For Parents

           
A Newsletter from NHSA’s
Government Affairs Division

May 2005

Please circulate this document to all Head Start parents

On May 5, 2005, House Bill 2123 (Head Start’s Reauthorization) was introduced. While this bill is a vast improvement over the bill that we all successfully opposed in recent years — with no block grants to states — NHSA and many in the Head Start community have serious concerns over key points in the bill as introduced. We are pleased that the House Republicans and Democrats have solicited our input and are working together to try and come up with a bill that everyone can support.  We don’t know yet if that will happen, and we cannot support the bill as it now stands, but we are hopeful that, in the end, the bill will be one we can support.

We thought it would be helpful to outline our key concerns with the bill as it now stands. The major issues of concern include: re-competing most Head Start programs; increasing teacher qualifications but adding no additional funding for it; and, perhaps of greatest interest to you, eliminating Policy Councils, thereby drastically reducing the role of parents in shared decision making in Head Start programs. 

Continue reading for more information on each issue. 

Parent Policy Councils

House Bill 2123 recommends that a cornerstone of the Head Start program – parent involvement and shared decision-making – be reduced to a simple advisory committee with little or no decision-making authority. This bill in its present form is unacceptable to Head Start parents, their involvement in the educational process of their children, and undermines the family values that Head Start promotes. 

Re-competing Almost all Head Start Programs

Currently the language used in House Bill 2123 is such that all programs could be forced to re-bid (or “re-compete”) for its grant every five years. The Bill states that if a program has no deficiencies and meets all requirements, that program would receive priority status (would not have to re-compete). If a program has just one deficiency or fails to meet a list of 19 items any time over a five-year period, it would lose its priority status and would have to compete for its grant. The definition used for “deficiency” does not distinguish between major and minor infractions and would destabilize many programs because their status would be in limbo every five years.

No Additional Pay for Head Start Teachers, But Degrees Are Required.

This bill demands that 50 percent of Head Start teachers have at least an A.A. degree or better in order for programs to keep their priority status and not have to re-compete. This demand presents a problem in particular for rural programs where fewer degreed teachers are available because of the lack of colleges and universities in the community. In addition, the bill requires that half of all Head Start teachers nationally have a B.A. degree by 2010. However, it does not include any additional funds to increase these teachers’ salaries once they have degrees. The Head Start community supports providing quality teachers in the classroom, but we also realize that Head Start teachers should be paid a fair wage for their continued education and proven work.

Stay tuned for progress in negotiations and a possible Call for Action

Don’t forget our parent monthly conference calls which take place on the third Wednesday of each month at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time. The next parent call will take place on May 18 at 8:30 p.m. EST. The number for the call is 1-(888) 457-6338 and the pass code is 5722#.

Visit our Web site www.nhsa.org for the latest conference information and to get your copy of the Just for Parents newsletter (English and Spanish).