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News Release

STATEMENT BY TOMMY G. THOMPSON
Secretary of Health and Human Services
Regarding Passage of the School Readiness Act of 2003 (H.R. 2210)

I congratulate the House Education and the Workforce Committee for its action today in approving the School Readiness Act of 2003. It has been my pleasure to work with Chairman John Boehner and Subcommittee Chairman Mike Castle on this legislation, and I thank them for their dedication and their clear vision of the need to build on Head Start's success and make it an even better program. I hope the full House will move quickly to consider this bill.

For nearly two generations, the Head Start program has helped disadvantaged children and their families, providing comprehensive preschool services. Today, as we reauthorize the program, we want to protect this capacity. But at the same time, we want to make improvements to help Head Start children be truly school-ready when they enter kindergarten. Data show that children served by this program indeed get a head start -- but that's still not the same as an equal start. These children still lag far behind their more advantaged peers when they enter school. They deserve better.

President Bush wants all of America's children to have the opportunity to enter school ready to learn. The legislation passed by the committee today, like the President's proposals, will help us achieve that goal. It incorporates into Head Start the best of what is known to work in helping children develop cognitive skills, and it establishes new goals and standards for quality and teacher experience. It provides for ongoing evaluation of each Head Start center and provides for assistance to centers that need more help. It also establishes a pilot program for up to eight states to coordinate Head Start programs in their statewide pre-school systems.

My Department's June 9 report, "Strengthening Head Start: What the Evidence Shows," makes clear that Head Start children are still lagging in school readiness. I join President Bush in urging both chambers of Congress to move decisively to build on our Head Start base and aim higher toward equal opportunity for all of America's children.

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The "Strengthening Head Start" report is on the Web at: http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/StrengthenHeadStart03/index.htm.

Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

Last Revised: June 19, 2003