Since 1965, Head Start has been assisting low-income pre-school children and their parents with a variety of services, including education, health, and nutritional assistance. Currently, nearly one million children participate in the program nationwide. Maine's Head Start program benefits more than 3,800 infants, toddlers, and preschoolers each year. All of our nation's children deserve a level playing field when they enter school, and Maine Head Start agencies have a tradition of collaborating with other groups in the State to ensure that pre-school children have the necessary cognitive and developmental skills to be ready for school.
In Calais, for example, Head Start has joined with the public schools to create an effective program for children ages 3 and 4. This program is housed in the Calais public school and is staffed with teachers from both Head Start and the school system. It is remarkable what this joint project has done for the 40 children who attend the program. It is equally remarkable what the project has done for the school and its pupils. Older students mentor younger children in reading; the school – whose population is shrinking – is able to make full use of its facilities; and teachers and parents learn more about how to prepare children for full-time classroom life.
These are the kinds of important contributions that have become Head Start's signature since its creation nearly 40 years ago. Head Start helps ensure literacy among some of our most vulnerable children. Research has shown that Head Start graduates excel in their kindergarten classes, showing significant gains in vocabulary, letter recognition, writing, and other skills that are the foundation for literacy. Furthermore, Head Start helps to prevent future problems in the lives of its students. According to national studies, nearly every dollar spent on a quality preschool setting results in seven dollars saved in costs down the road: social costs incurred as a result of holding fewer students back a grade, lower special education costs, increased chances of employment, and lower rates of teen pregnancy. Beyond its simple contribution to our school system, Head Start strengthens our social fabric comprehensively years after children have left its care. The mission of Head Start has grown. For its first 30 years, the program focused almost exclusively on serving 3-to-5-year-olds, but since 1995, Head Start has broadened its efforts to include services for children from birth to age 5. Early Head Start, a separately funded program, serves pregnant women and newborns up to age 3.
Head Start programs are the only early care and education programs guided by national standards, but its funding system, awarding grants to local programs, allows a level of flexibility that helps to ensure innovation. In Maine, the 15 grant recipients from Head Start are able to respond to the diverse needs of their communities in tailored and customized ways, all the while making sure that the Head Start ideals of parent and community involvement are preserved and cultivated.
Head Start is made possible through a combination of federal, state, and private money. Nearly one-third of Head Start funding comes from state and private sources, allowing the program to expand the pool from which it draws its pupils. But the overwhelming portion of Head Start funding comes from the federal budget, and that's why support from Congress is so important. Congress has recognized the critical role that Head Start plays in the development of young children, and I am pleased to note that from 1990 to 2002, federal funding for Head Start more than tripled – from $1.6 billion to $6 billion. The Administration will be rolling out its plan to reauthorize Head Start soon. It is my hope that we can continue to build on the record that Head Start has compiled to date.
Head Start's success has been considerable over its nearly four decades. Across Maine and America, parents, teachers, older students, infants, expectant mothers, and above all, pre-schoolers from disadvantaged families have been able to take advantage of the opportunities made possible by this innovative attempt at early education and social attention. I look forward to working on legislation to extend and strengthen the program.