Press Releases

WASHINGTON Senators Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) joined Children’s Defense Fund President Marian Wright Edelman today on a media conference call vowing to fight Bush Administration plans to dismantle Head Start in its budget and tax war on poor children. The Children’s Defense Fund and Senators Kennedy and Dodd believe in improving and expanding Head Start and Early Head Start to serve all needy eligible children. The Bush Administration proposes to dismantle Head Start by eliminating its national standards and requirements for comprehensive services that have made the program a success, block granting the program and moving it to the Department of Education.

Senator Edward Kennedy highlighted that Head Start must be protected from “state flexibility” where states that are already cutting existing preschool programs and facing the worst fiscal crisis since World War II are in no position to ensure Head Start’s comprehensive services.

“To abandon Head Start to the 50 whims of this country is a major step back for the children of this country,” said Kennedy. “We have worked too hard to make Head Start a success. The President’s plan would abandon this progress and be an enormous step backward.”

Senator Christopher Dodd noted that Senators from both side of the aisle will oppose the President’s clear effort to turn back the clock on Head Start’s progress and to dismantle the program that helps poor children.

“This is an effort to dilute and destroy the program. The Administration is going the wrong way on this issue demonstrating that this is not a priority,” said Dodd. “If the Administration wants to pursue this battle, they are in for a hell of a fight. There are a lot of Republicans in the well that would join us to protect Head Start.”

Marian Wright Edelman said that the cost of the Administration’s new tax cut on stock dividends alone could pay could pay to expand and improve Head Start for every preschool child who needs it and pay for health insurance for all uninsured children in America.

“We want every child to reach their full potential. It’s a matter of priorities, choices, and values,” said Edelman. “Head Start could be improved and made available for every eligible child who needs it with the money the Administration proposes spending on the stock dividend tax cut. Having poor children subsidize tax cuts for the wealthy is unacceptable.”

Only three in five preschoolers currently eligible for Head Start are served. Only three percent of eligible infants and toddlers get Early Head Start during their years of crucial brain, emotional, and social development. Since 1965, Head Start has helped over 20 million children build the confidence and skills they need to succeed in school and to become the leaders, taxpayers, and productive citizens of the future. Head Start is unique in its comprehensive approach to supporting children and families by offering early education, health care, social services, and nutrition services, while emphasizing parent involvement and support and building upon the strengths of local communities. This approach has represented a formula for success for decades. Head Start programming must be reauthorized by Congress this year.

# # #

The mission of the Children's Defense Fund is to Leave No Child Behind and to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. CDF provides a strong, effective voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby, or speak for themselves. We pay particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities. CDF educates the nation about the needs of children and encourages preventive investment before they get sick, into trouble, drop out of school, or suffer family breakdown. CDF began in 1973 and is a private, nonprofit organization supported by foundation and corporate grants and individual donations. We have never taken government funds.