Head Start Proposal Aims to Turn Up Heat on Lagging Programs

There are some new, proposed rules for Head Start Programs coming from the US Department of Health and Human services. Low performing programs may soon have to compete for funding. The goal is to get the message out that "programs need to increase their quality and grantees will be held accountable." Head Start is a program for low income students, to give them access to resources and instruction before kindergarten so that they will be on track with their more well off peers. The program is designed to increase equity in education. The new proposed rules make sense when you examine the goal of the program. If a program is not adequately preparing students for school, then it is not effectively creating equity. I could foresee these proposed rules becoming official soon, since the executive director of the Head Start advocacy group hails the rules as, "tough but fair." 

This article was personally relevant to me for two reasons. First, I have a daughter in Head Start, and as a parent I am happy to see that these programs are closely monitored. I would like my child to learn academic skills that will prepare her for kindergarten. If the Head Start program she attends couldn't provide her with those skills, then it should compete for funding and create an improvement plan.

Secondly, I currently work as part of a team managing a federally funded 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant. There has been discussions about also making  these grants competitive in the future. I agree competitive grants drive programs toward improvement and growth, but I fear it would create more work for those who run the programs. I wouldn't want to spend less time with my students and more time preparing for a grant application process. I also wonder if a competitive process would make it more difficult for small districts with high poverty to compete. There would need to be different scales for measuring success based upon student enrollment and a multitude of other issues.