“Father Of Head Start” Warns of Dangers of Dismantling Head Start

Edward Zigler, Ph.D., the man widely known as the “father of Head Start,” was recognized recently with an award at the National Head Start Association’s 30th annual national training conference. In accepting the honor in recognition of his four decades of pioneering work in early childhood education, Dr. Zigler cautioned that White House and Capitol Hill proposals to dismantle Head Start and turn it over to the states are “ill conceived and unjustified.”

Dr. Zigler is Sterling Professor Emeritus of Psychology and director of the Center in Child Development and Social Policy at Yale University. Professor Zigler is often referred to as the “father of Head Start” due to his leadership role as a member of the National Planning and Steering Committee of Project Head Start. Dr. Zigler’s talk emphasized “that Head Start is clearly successful in achieving its primary mission, which is to prepare at-risk children for school … There is a real and palpable danger to children if you throw out the comprehensive services, parental involvement and community focus of Head Start in trade for an exclusive, cognitive and literacy focus. Learning is not a purely cognitive exercise; to learn, children need to have good physical and mental health and have families whose needs are met.”

Dr. Zigler added: “I see none of the needed focus on these non-literacy issues in the ill-conceived proposals now being circulated to hobble Head Start. Instead, I see a waiving of standards in exchange for the promise that such standards will be instituted within two years, which is an astonishing approach to stewardship of federal tax dollars. I have researched the question of whether or not the states can do a better job of running Head Start. We compared state-run preschools to Head Start as it exists today and found the latter a clear winner in almost every category. At this time, Head Start will be a better program if it is in the federal government rather than up to 50 other places. Quality improvements have become a major reality in recent years and the effect of the improvements is increasingly visible. One example of the improvements is the recent thrust to improve pre-literacy skills through curricula and teacher training.”

National Head Start Association President Sarah Greene said, “Edward Zigler occupies a special place in the pantheon of America’s outstanding system of early childhood education. Among his many other accomplishments, he founded Head Start, helping the program to get up on its feet and grow. But he also has been a demanding father, refusing to simply give the program he helped to create a ‘pass.’ This dual role as Head Start’s father and its toughest critic has deepened and enriched the contribution made by Dr. Zigler to the betterment of the lives of literally tens of millions of children over the last 38 years. We salute him and vow to redouble our efforts to make certain that his outstanding legacy is not destroyed by this Congress.”

The National Head Start Association warned last week that a House bill introduced in May 2003 to dismantle Head Start, would cause serious damage to the program by turning it over to states, of which only three have any track record with providing Head Start’s comprehensive services. Such proposals would make a “dead end” of Head Start in five years or less, due, in part, to the plan’s reliance on budget-deficit crippled states that currently are slashing funds for early childhood development and education.#

Name:- E-mail: City: State: Comments:

Education Update, Inc., P.O. Box 20005, New York, NY 10001.
Tel: (212) 481-5519. Fax: (212) 481-3919.Email: ednews1@aol.com.
All material is copyrighted and may not be printed without express consent of the publisher. © 2003.