On July 13, a U.S. House budget subcommittee adopted a proposal to dramatically slice up the Head Start program — making over 800,000 of our country’s most vulnerable children victims of the ongoing budget battles in Washington, D.C. According to national experts, roughly 80,000 Head Start children could be dropped from the program on Oct. 1 — 1,379 just in the state of Washington.
One Head Start program that would be directly affected is the Head Start grantee at Lower Columbia College in Cowlitz County. The program serves 271 preschool-age children, about 18% of whom are experiencing homelessness. Because of the tremendous work of Head Start, 11 families have acquired permanent housing while enrolled despite living in a community sorely lacking affordable housing.
The director of the program told me that if she had to cut 6% from her budget (the number the House subcommittee adopted), she would have to eliminate space for 17 children this fall.
So why is the House targeting high-needs 3-and-4-year olds? Honestly, it’s hard to say. In Washington, D.C., facts often get lost to political brinkmanship. But if facts matter, the answer is clear: Congress should be investing more in high-quality early education programs like Head Start, not trying to cut them.
Decades of studies have found that for every $1 spent on Head Start, taxpayers see a return of upward of $7 because children are more ready for kindergarten, graduate high school and college at higher rates, and stay out of prison. A new paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research estimates that the government makes 9% per year for at least 30 years for every child it puts through Head Start, due solely to savings on public assistance and higher earnings from participants.
During the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, Head Start provided early learning and child care to the children of essential workers including nurses, military service members, and farm and supermarket workers. One notable example is the Denise Louie Education Center in Seattle, which did not close at all so parents who had to be at work could get child care.
Right now, Head Start programs are dealing with an influx of children who have experienced high levels of trauma. Many young children have never been in any kind of formalized learning environment, which has led to significant mental health issues and serious delays, especially when it comes to social emotional skills. Recent numbers from Washington State’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families found that preschool-age children have seen about a 17-point increase in learning delays this past fall compared to entry before the pandemic began.
Head Start continues to face substantial challenges in recruiting and retaining qualified staff as programs struggle to pay competitive wages. Nationally, nearly 20% of staff positions are unfilled.
Most Head Start teachers make $20,000 less than the average kindergarten teacher in Washington state. Compensation for the early childhood workforce ranks in the lowest 10% of professions. These proposed federal cuts will both reduce the number of children that can be served and make adequate wage increases impossible to afford.
There is some hope. The Senate Appropriations Committee, led by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., is recommending a small increase for Head Start. But right now, Head Start programs and the children and families they serve are caught in a partisan political fight as they wait for Congress to come to an agreement on the budget. This work must be done immediately so that all Head Start children can return to classrooms in a matter of weeks.
Head Start’s proven, crisis-tested work unlocks the doors to opportunity for children and families across our nation. Congress should acknowledge and reaffirm this basic principle and properly fund this critical program.
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