In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson launched “Mission Head Begin,” a summer time program supposed to assist youngsters from low-income households put together for varsity. Sixty years later, Head Begin has expanded right into a multi-billion program working in all 50 states, serving preschoolers in addition to infants, toddlers and pregnant ladies.
However this system is going through severe challenges, comparable to latest disruptions in federal funding, and cuts amongst staffers who oversee this system. In a latest characteristic story for The Hechinger Report, reporter Anya Kamenetz delved into Head Begin’s unsure future. I requested Anya what she discovered from her reporting. Her responses have been edited for size and readability.
Q: Head Begin is celebrating its sixtieth anniversary this yr, and has persevered by way of each Democratic and Republican presidential administrations. Nonetheless, it appears to be uniquely susceptible this yr. What is occurring that places this system in danger?
A: Quite a lot of the federal workers has been fired. And Mission 2025, which the Trump administration has been following intently, requires eliminating this system altogether. (Editor’s notice: this week, the Division of Well being and Human Providers, which oversees Head Begin, positioned staffers at 5 of Head Begin’s 10 regional places of work on administrative go away.)
Q: Critics of Head Begin say that this system is poorly run and that the cash might be higher spent on the native degree. In response to its supporters, why is Head Begin nonetheless an essential program?
A: This system has at all times been severely underfunded, serving solely a fraction of eligible youngsters. The lapses in high quality that we learn about have come to gentle partially as a result of this system has higher oversight and better high quality requirements than the present patchwork of sponsored, nonprofit and for-profit applications in any other case accessible throughout the nation. Head Begin has been proven to enhance long-term instructional outcomes. As well as, lawmakers are threatening cuts to Head Begin alongside cuts to applications that assist households throughout the board, from meals stamps to Medicaid.
Q: States and native communities are stepping in to broaden their early childhood choices. Did state officers share with you if they’re able to step in ought to Head Begin be minimize or if the funding shifts?
A: Sure, a brilliant spot in my article was that in states like Vermont and New Mexico the place they’ve been dedicated to increasing entry to childcare, they’re intending to maintain this a precedence even when federal funding shifts.
Learn the total story about the way forward for Head Begin.
This story about Head Begin was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, unbiased information group centered on inequality and innovation in schooling. Join the Hechinger publication.
