WASHINGTON, DC — In an effort to provide more children with improved access to quality pre-school programs, the U.S. Senate tonight unanimously passed a bipartisan bill to reauthorize the highly successful Head Start program for another five years. The Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act, includes key provisions authored by U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), and authorizes increased funding levels for Head Start from $6.9 billion in the current fiscal year to $7.3 billion in FY 2008, $7.6 billion in FY 2009, and $7.9 billion in FY 2010. The bill also reforms and strengthens oversight and quality control of the program's operations. Head Start provides early childhood development services to low-income children up to age five and helps prepare them for school.

"Head Start is an extraordinary program that has helped shape the lives of low-income kids in Rhode Island and throughout the nation for over thirty years. This critical legislation reauthorizes the Head Start Act for the first time in nearly a decade and strengthens our commitment to ensuring that more children receive comprehensive early education supports and services," stated Reed, who helped craft the legislation as a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. "I am particularly proud that this bill will expand Head Start to include thousands more children in Rhode Island and across the country."

Head Start programs in Rhode Island include free part-time and full-day preschool programs to income-eligible children. In addition to educational instruction, kids enrolled in the program receive healthy meals and snacks, social services, and access to on-site health care. According to the latest Rhode Island Kids Count Factbook, in 2006 over 2,400 children throughout the state benefited from these Head Start programs.

Senator Reed was a conferee who helped negotiate the bill's final language. He authored a key provision that would increase the income eligibility requirements to allow children living below 130 percent of the federal poverty rate (approximately $26,800 for a family of four) to qualify for the program. He also championed an initiative that will give Head Start parents decision-making authority within the governing structure of the program through their participation in the Parent Policy Council. Reed also succeeded in including language in the bill to improve coordination and partnerships between grantees and school and public libraries. This program will help children foster a love of reading, assist in literacy training for Head Start teachers, and support parents and other caregivers in literacy efforts.

"Increasing income eligibility to 130 percent of poverty gives struggling families who are just above the poverty line the opportunity to participate in the program and finally puts Head Start on the same level as other means-tested programs," noted Reed. "This legislation also establishes the Parent Policy Council as a decision-making authority in the program. Strong parent involvement in a child's early education and development has been a key tenet of the Head Start program since its inception, and is one of the primary reasons for the program's continuing success."

"The Head Start community is deeply appreciative of Senator Reed's initiative to increase our eligibility guidelines to 130% of poverty, allowing the inclusion of Rhode Island children from very low income working families," stated Rhode Island Head Start Association Director, Lynda Dickinson. "We are extremely proud that Senator Reed has provided the leadership that will ensure the continued participation of low income parents in the governance of Head Start. He has always been, and remains, a true champion of low income children and their families."

The U.S. House and Senate reauthorized the legislation on Wednesday. Now that Congress has passed the bill, it must be sent to the President to be signed into law. However, yesterday the President vetoed the Labor-HHS-Education bill, which includes critical funding for Head Start.