Early Childhood Education

Early Childhood Education Spending

Last Updated Nov 18, 2008 06:44 AM

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Responding to President Bush’s call for action to improve early childhood education, Republican members of the U.S. House Committee on Education & the Workforce today unveiled legislation that would strengthen the academic components of the federal Head Start program for disadvantaged children and encourage states to maintain or increase funding for early childhood education. The bill - the School Readiness Act of 2003 (H.R. 2210), authored by Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE) - focuses on reducing the “readiness gap” that exists between Head Start graduates and their more affluent peers when they reach kindergarten.

The School Readiness Act would allow states to receive the ability to coordinate Head Start programs with their own early education initiatives in exchange for an agreement not to reduce funding for early childhood education. The bill also includes new provisions to improve Head Start teacher quality, and would keep the program at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS). It would reauthorize the Head Start program through Fiscal Year 2008.

Next