House Committee on Education and Labor
U.S. House of Representatives

Education Issues

Head Start

Since 1965, Head Start has provided comprehensive early childhood services to low-income preschool children and their families.  Services provided to preschool-aged children include: child development, educational, health, nutritional, social, and other activities. These services are designed to prepare children to enter kindergarten and to improve the conditions necessary for their success in school and life.

In 2007, Republicans played a key role in enactment of the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act, a bipartisan early childhood education reform package designed to close the readiness gap between disadvantaged children and their peers and institute strong protections to ensure program integrity.

The legislation was based in large measure on Republican reforms first proposed in 2005 that strengthened accountability within the program to combat the increasing number of individual financial abuses uncovered by the Committee in recent years.

Press Releases

Democrats Favor New Bureaucracy Over Resources for Head Start Program (June 26, 2008)

Democrats Refuse to Limit Federally-Funded Home Education Services for Illegal Immigrants (June 18, 2008)

McKeon Touts Republican Economic Plan (June 11, 2008)

Please click here for more Press Releases

Fact Sheets

H.R. 1429 Conference Report: Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act (November 13, 2007)

Strengthening the Head Start Early Childhood Education Program (March 14, 2007)

Protecting Employment Rights and Religious Character of Faith-Based Service Providers in the Head Start Program (March 14, 2007)

Dear Colleagues

Help More Children Arrive At Kindergarten Ready to Succeed (November 13, 2007)

Vote YES on the Faith-Based Motion to Recommit (May 2, 2007)

Expand Access to Early Childhood Education (May 2, 2007)

Please click here for more Dear Colleagues

Floor Statements

McKeon Statement on Improving Head Start Act (H.R. 1429) (May 2, 2007)

Committee Statements

Castle Statement: Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Subcommittee Hearing on “Improving Early Childhood Development Policies and Practices” (March 19, 2009)

McKeon Statement: Hearing on "The Importance of Early Childhood Development" (March 17, 2009)

McKeon Statement: Markup of H.R. 3289, the “Providing Resources Early for Kids Act of 2007” (June 25, 2008)

Please click here for more Committee Statements