Celebration of Head Start's 30th Anniversary

ACYF Administration on Children, Youth and Families	U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Administration for Children and Families
	1. Log No. ACYF-IM-HS-95-18	2. Issuance Date: 04/06/95
	3. Originating Office: Head Start Bureau
	4. Key Word: Head Start 30th Anniversary

INFORMATION MEMORANDUM

TO: All Head Start Grantees and Delegate Agencies

SUBJECT: Celebration of Head Start's 30th Anniversary

INFORMATION: The 30th Anniversary of the Head Start Program will be celebrated throughout calendar year 1995. The Anniversary will provide local programs with an outstanding opportunity to focus attention on the achievements of Head Start both nationally and at the community level.

The Administration. on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF) will not designate a special month or week in 1995 for the 30th Anniversary Celebration. Instead, programs are encouraged to plan special events and activities throughout 1995 to highlight the importance and success of Head Start for children and their families. For instance, year end activities in May and June or Head Start Awareness Month Celebrations in October serve as special opportunities. Activities should stress the value of early childhood development and parent involvement. The 30th Anniversary also presents an excellent opportunity to emphasize the contribution that Head Start has made to the early childhood field.

ACYF has decided to continue the theme "Head Start: Building America's Future" for the 30th Anniversary. This theme can be used in stories and press releases which focus on the gains made by children enrolled in Head Start and the impact the program has had on families. Programs are encouraged to highlight the upward mobility of the parents and other adults who have participated in Head Start during the past 30 years. The attached Information Kit contains a variety of materials and suggestions that should be helpful in telling the Head Start story during the coming year.

ACYF is interested in learning about local celebrations, so newspaper clippings and other information would be welcome. This information should be sent to: Head Start Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, P.O. Box 1182, Washington, D.C. 20013.

/S/
Olivia A. Golden
Commissioner
Administration on Children, Youth and Families

March 31, 1995

National Head Start Association
201 North Union Street, Suite 320
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
Tel: 703-739-0875 Fax 703-739-0878

NHSA Hotline 703-739-0879

Dear Friends,

I am pleased to have the National Head Start Association join with the Administration for Children, Youth and Families to coordinate a host of activities for the celebration of Project Head Start's 30th Anniversary.

During the past 30 years, Head Start has made enormous contributions to the future of hundreds of thousands of children and families nationwide. In the spirit of unity, let us-parents, staff and friends--show the nation how proud we are of our accomplishments and contributions. Become an active part of the special activities planned to celebrate our anniversary throughout 1995.

Please join us in the excitement of the celebration and let the country know that the Project Head Start family is alive, well, and ready for the changes of the 21st century.

Sincerely,

/S/
Ron Hernidon
President

Head Start 30th Year Anniversary History

Since its birth as a dream to provide low-income children and their families with comprehensive services, to its present state as a national resource that has served over 13 million children, Head Start has grown dramatically over the past 30 years, and changed in many ways. However it has remained remarkably true to its original mission and ideals.

Legislative History

Head Start emerged as a result of a convergence of two major trends--the War on Poverty and research on the effectiveness of early intervention with low income children.

The War on Poverty during the. Lyndon Johnson presidency in the mid-1960's was marked by innovative, national efforts to improve the lives of low income people. With the passage of the Economic Opportunity Act administered by the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) in 1964, a mechanism was created to develop local initiatives, including Head Start, to end poverty.

During these same years, child development experts were studying the effects of early intervention programs on low income children. Such innovators as Susan Gray, Francis Palmer and David Weikart found that the programs could significantly affect the cognitive and socioemotional development of these children (Gray and Klaus, 1970; Palmer, 1983; Weikart, Bond and McNeil, 1978).

Consistent with these findings, the head of OEO, Sargent Schriver, commissioned 14 experts to create a strategy to meet the needs of preschoolers living in poverty. The panel chaired by Robert Cooke, a pediatrician, issued Recommendations for a Head Start Program in February 1965 (Cooke, 1965). The program was designed to enhance the social competence of children through participation in a comprehensive program with health, nutrition, education, social services, and parent involvement components.

Head Start began that summer, as an eight-week effort, serving over 500,000 children. In the subsequent years it was converted from a summer to a school year program so that by 1970 virtually all programs offered Head Start services on a nine-month basis. In 1969, Head Start was moved from OEO to the Office of Child Development in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW). HEW later became the Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of Child Development became the Administration on Children, Youth and Families. Head Start has remained in this organizational structure since that time.

Building the Head Start Program over 30 Years

Head Start was implemented on a remarkably wide scale for a demonstration program. In 1965 its budget was $96.4 million for 561,000 children in primarily summer programs. Funding and children served grew steadily in the late 1960's although the conversion to full-year programs and some funding cut-backs decreased the total children served in the early '70's.

During the mid-to-late 1970's, funding gradually increased, and by 1979, the Head Start budget had reached $680 million. The program again continued to expand in the 1980's to a funding level of $1.2 billion in 1989 serving over 450,000 children. In 1967 the Head Start Policy Manual was developed to serve as guidelines for Head Start programs. In 1970 The Parent Involvement Guidelines, 70.2 was added and became the strong statement for the important role for parents in the program.

The Human Services Reauthorization Act in 1990 dramatically increased Head Start funding. The Head Start Reauthorization Act of 1994 passed with bipartisan support proposed additional increases. The 1995 appropriation is $3.53 billion to serve 752,000 children.

Developments and Innovations in the late 1960's and early 1970's

Head Start has served as a national laboratory for child and family development programs. In the late 1960's and 1970's new service initiatives included the Parent Child Centers (PCCs) and Parent and Child Development Centers (PCDCs), Child and Family Resource Programs (CFRPs), and Home Start. The Parent Child Centers and Parent Child Development Centers served children from birth to age three and their parents with comprehensive programs to promote child development and parenting skills. Today there are 106 PCCS.

The Child and Family Resource Program was a precursor of the family support programs of today, serving families with children from birth to age 8 with a range of services. Home Start demonstrated alternative ways of providing Head Start services to young children in their own homes, and led to the development of the home-based option in Head Start.

Also during this period Project Developmental Continuity was initiated to assure that children moving from Head Start to the public schools would be well assimilated.

The Department of Education developed the Follow Through program to sustain the positive effects of Head Start after children entered school. Head Start's Planned Variation studies were conducted to examine the effectiveness of different curricula.

Period of Improvement and Innovation

From 1972 to 1977 the period of "Improvement and Innovation" exemplified the experimental and dynamic nature of Head Start. A variety of new initiatives aimed to improve Head Start services.

The passage of the Education of All Handicapped Children Act in 1972 required Head Start to include children with disabilities as ten percent of its total enrollment. Resource Access Projects (RAPs) were created soon thereafter to assist programs in serving these children. As of FY 1993-94, of the children Head Start served, 13 % had disabilities.

Also in 1972, the Child Development Associate training and credentialling program was developed to create more highly qualified teachers and teacher aides. Over the years approximately 64,000 people have earned the CDA.

In 1974, the Head Start re-authorizing legislation called for the development of program standards to ensure that programs were acting in accordance with Head Start principles. Standards and practice guidelines for Education, Health, Social Services, and Parent Involvement were created. Revisions to the national system of training and technical assistance were made to support quality improvements and innovation.

Innovations in the late-1980's and 90's

A second wave of improvement and innovation began in the late 1980's and 90's. Demonstration projects included the Comprehensive Child Development Program, the National Head Start/Public School Transition Project, and the Family Service Centers. The 90's have seen an increased interest in quality improvements and an emphasis on Head Start as a family support program.

Demonstration Programs

Comprehensive Child Development Program: In 1988, Congress authorized the Comprehensive Child Development program which was designed as a 5-year demonstration program to provide comprehensive, integrated, continuous support services to low-income families with infants. Services for families include early childhood development/early intervention and child care; parent education and training; case management; and assistance in securing health care, income support, and housing. Twenty-four of the new programs were funded in 1989-90. Ten more programs were funded in 1992-93 with a special emphasis on the provision of services to families with substance abuse problems. Preliminary evaluation results submitted to Congress in 1994 indicated positive program effects for children and parents.

Family Service Centers: A new initiative to promote family self-sufficiency began with the funding of the first of three waves of Family Service Center (FSC) projects in 1990. The FSCs encourage the achievement of self-sufficiency by addressing the needs of Head Start families facing illiteracy, substance abuse, and unemployment.

National Head Start/Public School Transition Project: "The National Head Start/Public School Transition Project" was authorized by Title I of the Human Services Reauthorization Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-501). This project is designed to determine whether providing educational, health, social services, and parent involvement services to children through the third grade would help to maintain benefits achieved during the regular Head Start years. Currently, 32 projects are funded and a major evaluation is underway to determine the overall effects of the program.

New Directions for the 21st Century

Secretary Donna Shalala identified the expansion and improvement of the quality of Head Start as one of her early priorities and formed a special advisory committee to make recommendations for a renewed Head Start. The Report of the Advisory Committee on Head Start Quality and Expansion was issued in December of 1993. The Committee's recommendations build upon Head Start's history and respond to challenges of the world today. The recommendations are designed to implement three broad principles to:

Ensure that every Head Start program can deliver on Head Start's vision by striving for excellence in serving both children and families. Excellence will be achieved through focusing on staffing and career development, improving the management of local programs, reengineering federal oversight to improve accountability, providing better facilities, and strengthening the role of research.
Expand the number of children served and the scope of services provided in a way that is more responsive to the needs of children and families. The Committee recommended a more strategic approach to expansion that balances quality and serving additional children, with a greater sense of responsiveness to family needs and community resources. This will involve enhancing family services, increasing parent involvement, promoting full day and full year services, and serving families with infants and toddlers.
Encourage Head Start to forge partnerships with key community and state institutions and programs in early childhood, family support, health, education, and mental health, and ensure that these partnerships are constantly renewed and recrafted to fit changes in families, communities, and state and national policies. This effort should include continuity and coordination with schools, linking with other federal, state and local resources, encouraging partnerships with the private sector, and linking Head Start with other national initiatives such as National Service.

One of the Committee's major recommendations was for further study of the development of an initiative to serve children under age 3. In 1994, the Advisory Committee on Services for Families with Infants and Toddlers was convened to develop recommendations for "Early Head Start." Beginning in 1995, 3 % of Head Start funds will be used to start new programs serving infants and toddlers and their parents in family-centered, community-based programs offering high quality, continuous, culturally-sensitive, comprehensive services.

In 1994 with broad bipartisan support, Congress passed the Head Start Act to reauthorize, expand and improve the program. The legislation required the development of quality standards including the revision of the Performance Standards, development of performance measures, and improvement in monitoring of local programs. It authorized the implementation of family centered programs for infants and toddlers and the development of a renewed training and technical assistance initiative. It also established new standards for classroom teachers and family service workers, and developed a category of mentor teachers and staff fellowships. The legislation also required the development of a continuing program of research, demonstration and evaluation to improve the quality of the program and disseminate new ideas.

The new direction for Head Start proposed by the Quality and Expansion Committee and reiterated in the legislation provides a vital impetus for Head Start as it moves into the 21st century. These principles will shape the changes to make Head Start an even better program. while reaching out to other parts of community to improve the services for all children in the United States, especially our most vulnerable.

For More Information on Head Start:

Cooke, R. (1965). Recommendations for a Head Start Program by a Panel of Experts. Washington: Office of Economic Opportunity.

Greenberg, P. (1969). The devil has slippery shoes. New York: Macmillan.

Lombardi, J. (1990). Head Start: The nation's pride, a nation's challenge. Recommendations for Head Start in the 1990's. Young Children, 45(6), 22-29.

National Head Start Association. (1990). Head Start: Nation's Pride. (videotape). Alexandria, VA: NHSA.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (1993). Creating a 21st century Head Start: Final report of the Advisory Committee on Head Start Quality and Expansion. Head Start Bureau.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (1994). The statement of the Advisory Committee on Services for Families with Infants and Toddlers. Head Start Bureau.

Zigler, E., & Styfco, S. J. (Eds.). (1993). Head Start and beyond. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Zigler, E., & Muenchow, S. (1992). Head Start: The inside story of America's most successful educational experiment. New York: Basic Books.

Zigler, E., & Valentine, J. (Eds.). (1979). Project Head Start: A legacy of the War on Poverty. New York: Free Press.

SUGGESTIONS FOR LOCAL EVENTS FOR THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF HEAD START

The 30th Anniversary provides programs with an unusual opportunity to focus attention on the achievements of Head Start at the community level. Activities should stress the importance of early childhood development, parent education, and participation. Use the occasion to highlight areas where the community needs to expand or improve services for young children.

Some of the following suggestions may be helpful:

Ask your Mayor or County Executive to issue a proclamation declaring May 18th as Head Start Day in your area.

Hold a community-wide celebration to pay tribute to the many individuals, organizations, public agencies, and businesses that have provided support to Head Start. Certificates of appreciation are available by writing:

Head Start Publications Center
P.O. Box 26417
Alexandria, VA 22313-04167
FAX: (703) 683-5769

Schedule an open house at one or more of the Centers. A model classroom could be set up, with parents and staff acting as hosts and some of the children participating. Invitations could be sent to the Mayor, local officials, State legislators, business, civic, and professional leaders, and others who have played a significant role in programs for children in your community.

Sponsor a Training Workshop some time during 1995 that addresses appropriate educational activities for young children and invite day care directors, church nurseries, kindergarten teachers, and staff from the Department of Playgrounds and Recreation. This would be an opportunity to share your Head Start experience and knowledge about early childhood education.

Plan an activity that describes the special services that are being Provided for disabled children. A meeting or seminar on "The Effects of Mainstreaming" might be helpful to the other organizations that provide services for disabled children (e.g., Easter Seal Society, Association for Retarded Children, United Cerebral Palsy Association). Don't forget to include local pediatricians, psychologists, and other professionals who work with young disabled children.

The 30th Anniversary event would be a good time to highlight the health services that are provided by Head Start, particularly the number of children that have received immunizations through Head Start during the past 30 years. Use the occasion to alert the whole community to the necessity of immunizations. Such an activity could be jointly sponsored by the Health Department and the local Medical Society.

Host a special event for the kindergarten and first grade teachers who will have Head Start children in their classrooms next year. Head Start parents should help plan and host the meeting.

If your program is multicultural, use the 30th Anniversary to call attention to the new emphasis on multicultural preschool education activities in Head Start and other programs for young children.

An event could be planned to point out career opportunities in the child care field. Paraprofessionals working in Head Start could play a special role by describing their training and experiences to students enrolled in vocational high schools and similar programs. Such an event could be co-sponsored by local colleges that offer degrees in early childhood education.

If your program does not have a Speakers' Bureau, 1995 would be a good year to organize one. The speakers should include Head Start parents, staff, and volunteers. Speakers should be prepared to describe the services provided by Head Start, the many ways that local organizations can assist the program, and the unmet needs of young children in the community.

Make 1995 the year that Head Start assumes a leadership role in bringing together all local groups that are involved in early childhood education and child care programs. Such a group could meet regularly and strive to improve services for young children throughout the community.

Be sure that your Head Start program is properly listed in the local telephone directory. Make sure that community groups, parents, and potential volunteers know how to reach you.