Order Code RL30952
Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
Head Start: Background and Funding
Updated February 5, 2003
Alice Butler and Melinda Gish
Domestic Social Policy Division
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

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Head Start: Background and Funding
Summary
Head Start is a federal program that has provided comprehensive early
childhood development services to low-income children since 1965. Services
provided to preschool-aged children include child development, educational, health,
nutritional, social and other activities, intended to prepare low-income children for
entering kindergarten. The program is administered by the Administration for
Children and Families of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Unlike many other social service programs, federal Head Start funds are
provided directly to local grantees, rather than through states. Programs are locally
designed, and are administered by a network of about 1,500 public and private
nonprofit agencies. In FY2001, Head Start funded enrollment for 905,000 children.
Head Start was last reauthorized in 1998 (P.L. 105-285) for fiscal years 1999-
2003, and is due to be reauthorized this year. Alongside his FY2004 budget request
(which asked for $6.8 billion for Head Start), President Bush has proposed to give
states the option to administer the program, provided they supply a plan that
sufficiently explains how Head Start will be coordinated with other preschool
programs to foster comprehensive, high quality preschool programs. The budget also
conveys the Administration’s plan to transfer federal responsibility for the Head Start
program from HHS to the Department of Education.
The Head Start program has received increases of varying levels over the past
two decades (see Table 1). Most recently, the program was funded at $6.538 billion
for FY2002, up from $6.2 billion in FY2001, and $5.267 billion in FY2000.
In his FY2003 budget, the President requested $6.668 billion for Head Start (of
which $1.4 billion would become available in FY2004). Congress has not yet passed
a Labor/HHS/Ed appropriations bill for FY2003, but has continued funding for
programs, including Head Start, through a series of continuing resolutions. The
omnibus appropriations bill (H.J.Res. 2) that was approved by the Senate and is now
in conference, includes $6.668 billion for Head Start, and exempts the program from
across-the-board rescissions proposed for other discretionary programs.
Program performance and the long-term impact on children, particularly with
respect to educational attainment, continue to be areas of focus and concern. The
1998 revisions to the Head Start Act increased the amount of new appropriations that
must be used for quality improvement activities, at least through FY2003. In part,
the law requires HHS to develop specific education performance standards, and
establishes teacher and staff training related to these standards as a priority use of
quality improvement funds. In addition, the 1998 amendments to Head Start
mandate and reserve funds for additional studies on the program’s impact.

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Contents
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Head Start Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Funding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Eligibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Participation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Early Head Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
President’s Head Start Proposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1998 Reauthorization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Long-Term Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Coordination with Child Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Task Force to Promote Pre-reading and Pre-math Development in
Head Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
List of Tables
Table 1. Head Start Funding: FY1989-FY2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Table 2. Estimates of Head Start Populations and Percent Served, FY2001 . . . . 6
Table 3. Head Start FY2002 State Allocations (Estimates) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

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Head Start: Background and Funding
Overview
Head Start is a federal program that has provided comprehensive early
childhood development services to low-income children since 1965. The program is
administered by the Administration for Children and Families of the Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS). Head Start, last reauthorized in 1998 (P.L. 105-
285) for fiscal years 1999-2003, is due to be reauthorized this year. Alongside his
FY2004 budget request (which asked for $6.8 billion for Head Start), President Bush
has proposed to give states the option to administer the program, provided they
supply HHS and the Department of Education with a plan that sufficiently explains
how Head Start will be coordinated with other preschool programs to foster
comprehensive, high quality preschool programs. The budget also conveys the
Administration’s plan to transfer federal responsibility for the Head Start program
from HHS to the Department of Education. (For more details see President’s
FY2004 Budget Request and President’s Head Start Proposal, later in this report.)
The Head Start program has received increases of varying levels over the past
two decades (see Table 1). Most recently, the program was funded at $6.538 billion
for FY2002, up from $6.2 billion in FY2001, and $5.267 billion in FY2000.
In his FY2003 budget, the President requested $6.668 billion for Head Start (of
which $1.4 billion would become available in FY2004). Congress has not yet passed
a Labor/HHS/Ed appropriations bill for FY2003, but has continued funding for
programs, including Head Start, through a series of continuing resolutions. The
omnibus appropriations bill (H.J.Res. 2) that was approved by the Senate and is now
in conference, includes $6.668 billion for Head Start, and exempts the program from
across-the-board rescissions proposed for other discretionary programs.
Head Start Program
Services. Head Start provides comprehensive early childhood development,
educational, health, nutritional, social and other services to low-income preschool
children and their families. These services are intended to prepare children to enter
kindergarten and to improve the conditions necessary for their success in later school
and life. Head Start strongly emphasizes the involvement of families and the local
community to assure that programs are responsive to the unique needs of each
community. Since flexibility in local program design and operation is encouraged,
there is wide variation across the country in how Head Start services are delivered
(e.g., center-based, home-based, or some combination), as well as in local program
costs, sponsoring agencies, and coordination arrangements with other social service
programs. In general, Head Start operates a part-day program during the school year,

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although some local Head Start programs coordinate with other programs to provide
all-day care.
Funding. Federal appropriations for Head Start substantially increased during
the 1990s, tripling from the FY1990 level of $1.552 billion to the FY1999 level of
$4.658 billion, and quadrupling from FY1990 to the FY2002 level of $6.538 billion.
These increased appropriations have been used both to expand the number of
children served and for quality improvement activities.
Table 1. Head Start Funding: FY1989-FY2002
($ in billions)
Year
Authorization
Appropriation
Year
Authorization
Appropriation
1989
1.332
1.235
1996
ssan
3.569
1990
1.552
1.552
1997
ssan
3.981
1991
2.386
1.952
1998
ssan
4.347
1992
4.273
2.202
1999
ssan
4.658
1993
5.924
2.776
2000
ssan
5.267a
1994
7.660
3.326
2001
ssan
6.200b
1995
ssan
3.534
2002
ssan
6.538c
Source: Table prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) based on data from the Head
Start Bureau.
ssan=such sums as necessary.
a Of the $5.267 billion, $3.867 billion was available for FY2000, and $1.4 billion was available for
FY2001.
b Of the $6.20 billion, $4.800 billion was available for FY2001, and $1.4 billion was available for
FY2002.
c Of the $6.538 billion, $5.138 billion was available for FY2002, and $1.4 billion became available
in FY2003.
Unlike some other federal social service programs that are funded through the
states, HHS awards Head Start funds directly to local public and private nonprofit
grantees. Grantees must contribute a 20% nonfederal match, which may be in cash
or in-kind, unless they are granted a waiver. No more than 15% of a grantee’s total
program costs may be for administration. Funds are awarded to about 1,500 grantees
at the discretion of HHS from state allocations determined by a formula in law.
However, before these state allocations are made, the law contains a series of set-
aside provisions that reserve funds for specified activities.
Under the 1998 Head Start amendments (P.L. 105-285), up to $35 million of
total Head Start appropriations is reserved annually for transition-to-school grants;
up to $5 million is reserved annually for national research on the impact of Head
Start; and $12 million in FY1999 and such sums as necessary thereafter is reserved

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for other research, demonstration and evaluation activities, including longitudinal
studies.
Also of total Head Start appropriations, the Secretary must reserve 13% for use
in the following priority order:
! Indian and migrant Head Start programs, and services for children
with disabilities;
! payments to outlying territories, not to exceed one-half of 1% of the
total annual appropriation. The territories include Guam, American
Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands,
Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau;
! training and technical assistance (not less than 2% of the total annual
appropriation, of which at least $3 million must be related to family
literacy);
! discretionary payments made by the Secretary, including the costs
(other than federal salaries) of local program monitoring and
correcting deficiencies and conducting proceedings to terminate
Head Start grantees; and
! payments for research, demonstration and evaluation activities.
Of remaining Head Start appropriations (after reserving the amounts described
above), “regular” Head Start funds are allotted among states according to the
following formula, which was established in the 1998 amendments:
! each state first receives an amount equal to the amount received by
grantees in that state for FY1998, and any amounts available above
the FY1998 level are distributed proportionately among states on the
basis of the number of children under 5 years old whose family
income is below the federal poverty line.
Although the amounts allocated according to the above formula are actually
distributed directly to local grantees, the Secretary may use a portion of these funds
to make grants to the states, to foster collaboration within the state among Head Start
and other activities designed to benefit low-income children and families. These
state collaboration grants typically range between $100,000 and $200,000 per state.
(See Table 3 at the end of this report for estimated state allocations for Head Start
for FY2002.)
President’s FY2004 Budget Request. The Administration’s budget for
FY2004 (released February 3, 2003) requests $6.816 billion for Head Start (of which
$1.4 billion would be advance appropriated for FY2005). The Administration states
that in FY2004 almost 923,000 children will receive Head Start services, including
62,000 in Early Head Start. Budget documents also state that the increased funding,
coupled with the President’s proposed changes allowing states to administer Head
Start in coordination with other preschool programs, will enable the program to
maintain current service levels and increase enrollment by up to 10,500 children.
The budget explains that “in order to improve coordination between Head Start and
other Federal, State, and local programs affecting pre-school children, the President
plans to move responsibility for managing the Head Start program from the

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Department of Health and Human Services to the Department of Education.”1 It
proposes that this transition begin in 2004, with the Department of Education
assuming full responsibility for the program in 2005.
FY2003 Labor/HHS/Education Appropriations. Fiscal year 2003 funding
for the Departments of Labor, HHS, and Education is currently being provided
through a continuing resolution, while an omnibus appropriations bill (H.J.Res. 2)
is in conference. The omnibus legislation, as agreed to in the Senate, would fund
Head Start at a level of $6.67 billion in FY2003. Unlike many other discretionary
programs that would be subject to an across-the-board rescission, Head Start would
be exempted.2
Congress has passed a series of continuing resolutions (CRs) extending funding
for programs, including Head Start, into FY2003. Prior to the CRs, the Senate
Appropriations Committee approved its version of a Labor/HHS/Ed bill (S.
2766/S.Rept. 107-216). The Committee’s proposed funding level for Head Start was
$6.870 billion for FY2003. The House introduced a version of its FY2003
Appropriations bill (H.R. 5320) for Labor/HHS/ED. There was no committee action,
and the bill requested the same funding level for Head Start as that proposed by the
President in his FY2003 budget.
President’s FY2003 Budget Request. The Administration’s FY2003
budget included a $130 million increase for Head Start, which would bring it to
$6.667 billion. Of that total, $1.4 billion would be advance appropriated for FY2004.
Similar to the FY2002 budget document, the FY2003 budget called for making
school readiness – pre-reading and numeracy skills – Head Start’s top priority.
Moreover, the Administration expressed support for a plan to move Head Start to the
Department of Education as part of the program’s reauthorization in 2003, and
highlighted that HHS and ED had formed a task force to assess ways to improve
Head Start and facilitate the transfer between agencies. The budget also maintained
support ($75 million) for ED’s Early Reading First program, to help prepare young
children to read in existing preschool and Head Start programs.
FY2002 Funding. On January 10, 2002, H.R. 3061, the bill making FY2002
appropriations for the Departments of Labor, HHS, and Education, was signed into
law (P.L. 107-116). It included $6.538 billion for Head Start, of which $5.138 was
available in FY2002, and $1.4 billion in FY2003. The FY2002 total Head Start
appropriation exceeded the FY2001 level ($6.2 billion) by $338 million. It also was
greater than the amount requested by the President in his FY2002 budget ($6.32
billion). The Administration had asserted that its proposed increase would be used
to maintain current services and enrollment levels. Despite the Administration’s
intent to reverse the practice (which began in FY2000) of advance appropriating
funds for Head Start, the FY2002 appropriations bill reserved $1.4 billion of the
$6.538 billion appropriated to become available in FY2003. The advance funding
1 See Fiscal Year 2004 Budget of the U.S. Government: Analytical Perspectives, p. 251.
2 H.J.Res. 2, as amended and passed by the Senate, included S.Amdt. 188 (offered by
Senator Dodd), which exempts the Head Start funding from rescission.

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component has been used as a budgetary mechanism to spread out the obligation of
funds for the program, without having programmatic impacts.
FY2001 Funding. The FY2001 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 106-
554) appropriated $6.2 billion for the Head Start program. Of this amount, $4.8
billion was available for FY2001, and $1.4 billion became available in FY2002.
Eligibility. As authorized by law, HHS regulations require that at least 90%
of children enrolled by each Head Start grantee must come from families with
income at or below the official federal poverty guideline ($18,100 for a family of four
in 2002) or from families receiving welfare assistance. Up to 10% of the children
may be from families whose incomes exceed the poverty guideline. Regulations also
require grantees to reserve at least 10% of their slots for children with disabilities.
Head Start is authorized to serve children at any age prior to compulsory school
attendance; however, most children are 3- and 4-year-olds. Until recently, only a
small proportion of Head Start projects served children under age 3. However, a new
Head Start program providing services to infants and toddlers was established by the
1994 reauthorization.
Under the 1998 amendments, a child who has been determined to be low-
income and who is participating in Head Start may continue to be considered low-
income for another program year. The 1998 amendments also provide grantees with
additional flexibility in determining family income and therefore, eligibility for
participation. Specifically, the amendments authorize grantees to consider family
income during the 12 months before the month in which an application is submitted,
or during the calendar year before the calendar year in which an application is
submitted.
Participation. Data from HHS show funded enrollment for Head Start in
FY2001 to have totaled 905,235 children (of whom over 60,000 were under age 3).3
This is an increase from the FY2000 level of 857,664 (including about 45,000 infants
and toddlers in Early Head Start), and the 826,016 total from FY1999. It should be
noted that “funded enrollment” refers to the number of Head Start “slots” that are
funded, not the total number of children served throughout the year (accounting for
turnover), which is higher. As stated in the FY2004 budget, the Administration
foresees almost 923,000 children receiving Head Start services in 2004 (of which
62,000 will be in Early Head Start).
3 Additional program data can be found on the HHS Head Start Bureau’s website
[http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/hsb/research/factsheets/02_hsfs.htm]

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Table 2. Estimates of Head Start Populations
and Percent Served, FY2001
(number in thousands)
Population
Economically
FY2001
Percent
Age
March 2002
eligible 2001
Enrollment
served
Under 3
11,738
2,406
63
3%
Age 3
3,818
740
317
43%
Age 4
3,977
741
489
66%
Age 3-4
7,794
1,481
806
54%
Age 5 and above
7,813
1,441
36
3%
Source: Table prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) using data from the March
2002 Current Population Survey (CPS). Estimates of economic eligibility are based on the percentage
of children living in families with annual income below Federal Poverty Income Guidelines or in
families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), in 2001. Head Start enrollment
estimates are based on data and estimates from HHS.
Early Head Start. Early Head Start (EHS) was established in the 1994
reauthorization legislation (P.L. 103-252), to serve infants and toddlers who are
generally too young to participate in the regular Head Start program. The law
requires that a portion of Head Start’s total appropriation be set aside to fund the
EHS program. For FY1998, Congress earmarked more than was required by law for
EHS, and the statutory set-aside was increased in the 1998 amendments to Head
Start. One of the few legislative changes sought by the Clinton Administration,
during the 1998 debate on Head Start, was an increase in the EHS program. The
current law EHS set-asides are: 7.5% in FY1999, 8% in FY2000, 9% in FY2001,
and 10% in each of FY2002 and FY2003.
The first EHS grants were awarded in September 1995, and totaled $47 million.
In FY2000, $421 million was used to support nearly 600 projects in all 50 states, the
District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. These projects served approximately 45,000
low-income families with children under the age of three.
EHS grantees must design programs which respond to the strengths and needs
of individual families with services including education, in and out of the home;
home visits, especially for families with newborns and infants; parent education,
including parent-child activities; comprehensive health services, including services
to women during and after pregnancy; and ongoing parental support through case
management and peer groups. All programs must conduct an assessment of
community resources and needs and must ensure the recruitment and development
of high quality staff.
In addition to increasing EHS appropriations, the 1998 amendments also require
that an EHS research and evaluation plan be developed to identify successful
program models and variables contributing to program outcomes and to lay
groundwork for future longitudinal studies. If interim and final reports on the EHS
research are not submitted to Congress by certain dates, or if the research identifies

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deficiencies, additional funds earmarked for EHS in FY2003 will be used for
program improvements, rather than for program expansion.
President’s Head Start Proposal. On February 3, 2003, alongside release
of the President’s FY2004 Budget, the Administration issued a press release
announcing the President’s proposal to make changes to the Head Start program.4
The Administration states that the top goal of the Head Start reauthorization this year
should be to improve both Head Start and other preschool programs to ensure that
children are prepared to enter kindergarten. The President believes states should
have the opportunity to administer the program, provided they demonstrate how Head
Start will be coordinated with other preschool programs and services to emphasize
developing skills and behaviors including language development; pre-reading skills;
numeracy; and social and emotional competence, while meeting state-established
accountability standards.
Under the President’s proposal, interested states would submit a plan for the
approval of both HHS and the Department of Education, in which they outline: state
preschool goals and activities; a state accountability program; an explanation of how
the current level of enrollment of Head Start eligible 3- and 4-year olds will be
maintained (if not exceeded); information regarding the most recent year’s spending
on Head Start and state preschool programs, and assurances that this level will be at
a minimum maintained; plans for assuring professional development for staff; and
the plans for coordination of programs and funding (state and federal) for the purpose
of promoting school readiness. Programs specifically mentioned are: Head Start,
Early Head Start, Title I preschool, the special education preschool program (IDEA),
state-funded preschool, and the Child Care and Development Block Grant. The press
release does not explicitly mention the planned transfer of the program from HHS to
the Department of Education, however, as stated above, this proposal is included in
the FY2004 Budget.
History of the Proposed Transfer of Head Start to the Department
of Education. During his 2000 Presidential campaign, President Bush proposed
moving the Head Start program from HHS to the Department of Education as part
of an effort to prioritize the education (school-readiness) component of Head Start
over the health, nutrition, and social service components of the program. The
President proposed a Reading First reform agenda aimed at making pre-reading and
numeracy skills Head Start’s top priority. By also supporting an early childhood
reading initiative in the Department of Education, along with a reading program
focused on children in kindergarten through second grade who are at risk of falling
behind, the President’s goal is to ensure that young children participating in existing
preschool and Head Start programs are able to read by the time they reach third
grade.
Many Head Start advocates believe that the Head Start program should remain
in HHS. Because Head Start offers a wide variety of services beyond traditional
education, there is concern that transferring the program to the Department of
4 For additional information, the press release from the Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) is available at [http://www.dhhs.gov/news/press/2003pres/20030203.html]

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Education could restrict Head Start to a narrow, classroom program, without the
broad set of human services currently provided. Opponents of the shift further
suggest that moving the program from an agency where children receive
comprehensive services, to one focused on education, would compromise the
parental and community action strengths of Head Start. An aide to the President
assures that the proposed move is not intended to interrupt any of the social service
components, but to stress the most important part of Head Start, which the President
believes is literacy development. The President has described the proposed move as
consistent with his priorities, and hopes that moving the program to the Department
of Education will increase the chances of making every child a proficient reader by
third grade. President Bush is relying on research findings which show that children
taught pre-reading and math skills in preschool, enter school ready to learn reading
and mathematics. Some of those in favor of keeping Head Start in HHS argue that
Head Start already currently focuses on getting children ready for school, including
readiness in language and early literacy.
There is a history of proposed transfers of the Head Start program. In 1978,
President Carter proposed to transfer Head Start to the Department of Education.
Edward Zigler, a noted architect of Head Start, was one of the most ardent opponents
of the transfer, for the reasons cited above. While the Reagan Administration tried
to include Head Start in a block grant, up until now, no president since Carter had
recommended a transfer of Head Start to the Department of Education. Based on
past history, it is likely that the Bush Administration will face tough opposition as
this issue is debated in the 2003 reauthorization.

1998 Reauthorization. Although Head Start has traditionally enjoyed
widespread support, the program has not been without criticism. Concern has been
expressed about the quality of services and the program’s potential for sustaining
positive effects over the long-term. The 1998 amendments to Head Start, included
in the legislation reauthorizing the program in 1998, continue to emphasize the need
for quality improvement.
The new law (P.L. 105-285) increased the amount of new appropriations that
must be used for quality improvement activities, at least until FY2003, and slows
down the pace at which the program can expand. The law requires HHS to develop
specific education performance standards, and establishes teacher and staff training
related to these standards as a priority use of quality improvement funds. The law
encourages payment of higher salaries for staff with higher levels of education and
training, and requires every Head Start classroom to have a teacher with
demonstrated competency to perform certain functions related to school readiness
and child development. The legislation also requires that, by September 30, 2003,
half of all Head Start teachers nationwide must have at least an associate, bachelors,
or graduate degree in early childhood education or development, or in a related field
with experience teaching preschool children. According to HHS program
information data, this requirement was met in the 2002 program year, reaching just
over 50% – up from 37% holding a postsecondary degree in 1999. The law further
requires HHS to develop results-based performance measures, and to review the
effectiveness of individual programs in meeting those measures.

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Long-Term Benefits. During the 1998 reauthorization of Head Start, several
congressional committees expressed interest in a rigorous evaluation component for
Head Start. While there is widespread agreement that Head Start produces
significant short-term gains, there continues to be disagreement over the program’s
long-term benefits. Several studies in the 1980s and early 1990s found a “fade-out”
of Head Start benefits for children during their later school years, but some
researchers have questioned whether this apparent fade-out was due to the children’s
preschool experience or the poor quality of the schooling they later received. A 1995
report by the Packard Foundation presents evidence that high-quality early childhood
education for low-income children, including Head Start, does produce long-term
educational, economic, and societal gains. Head Start programs included in the
review generally showed significant favorable effects on grade retention and special
education placement. Multi-service Head Start programs did not fare as well as
better-funded public preschool programs in overall effectiveness measures, although
the report noted that Head Start participants tend to be more disadvantaged, so that
comparisons could be affected by preexisting conditions.
GAO published a Head Start literature review in 1997, in which it concluded
that an extensive body of literature exists, but the research is inadequate to draw
conclusions about the impact of Head Start on a national basis (Head Start:
Research Provides Little Information on Impact of Current Program, HEHS-97-59,
April 1997). GAO noted that most of the studies were on cognitive outcomes and
did not evaluate such program components as nutrition or health-related services.
Moreover, the quality of some of the research was poor and none of the studies used
a nationally representative sample that would enable conclusions to be drawn about
the national program. However, GAO pointed out that HHS currently has a variety
of research and evaluation activities underway that will eventually produce
information about the program’s impact.
The 1998 amendments to Head Start mandate and reserve funds for additional
studies on the impact of Head Start. The law also requires all Head Start agencies
to coordinate with the local education agency and community schools, to develop
procedures for the transition of Head Start children into kindergarten and elementary
school. The law also requires HHS to provide technical assistance to Head Start
programs to help ensure school readiness of children and to promote family literacy.
Coordination with Child Care. Particularly in light of welfare reform
requirements instituted in 1996, which have caused more parents to work or
participate in training activities, Head Start is working to respond to the needs of
families for full-time child care. In recent years, HHS has used some of the Head
Start expansion funds to build partnerships with child care providers to deliver full-
day, full-year services. The 1998 amendments also were intended to encourage
collaboration between child care and Head Start and to promote the development of
unified early education and child care plans that will increase the availability of full-
time services. The law authorizes the Secretary of HHS to provide supplemental
collaboration funds to states that undertake such unified planning or other innovative
collaborative initiatives.
The 1998 amendments also direct the Secretary to identify barriers to
collaboration and to develop a mechanism for resolving programmatic conflicts, and

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to provide technical assistance related to the provision of full-day, full-year services.
In addition, factors to be considered in awarding Head Start expansion grants, under
the 1998 amendments, include the applicant’s ability to coordinate with other
community child care providers and preschool programs to provide full-day, full-year
services. Moreover, the law authorizes Head Start agencies to charge fees for
extended-day services provided to children, if necessary as part of a collaboration
with another agency.
Task Force to Promote Pre-reading and Pre-math Development in
Head Start. On July 26 and 27, 2001, the Bush Administration held a two-day
White House Summit on Early Childhood Cognitive Development. According to the
Administration, the summit was created to highlight the early learning activities that
parents and educators can use to prepare young children for school, based upon
research presented at the summit. The summit also served as the vehicle to announce
the Administration’s new initiative to create a task force to promote pre-reading and
pre-math skills, two of the goals outlined for Head Start in both the President’s
FY2002 and FY2003 budgets.
Education Secretary Rod Paige, and Health and Human Services Secretary
Tommy Thompson plan to create an interagency task force to use research on early
reading and math skills development in Head Start and other federal preschool
efforts. Secretary Paige stated that the new task force would include senior
Education and Health and Human Services department officials, joined by
researchers on early childhood learning and development. According to HHS
Secretary Tommy Thompson, one of the primary goals of the task force will be to
develop programs and resources for Head Start and preschool programs that will
build on the research of science-based early learning methods proven to be effective.
Another goal of the task force, as presented at the summit, will be to examine
strategies to infuse early learning into Head Start and to help families and child care
providers. In addition, the task force will be charged with reviewing the budget and
governance structure of Head Start and other programs to analyze their efficiency in
meeting their academic goals. Secretary Thompson believes the task force is an
opportunity to strengthen the quality of Head Start and other preschool services. The
new initiative also aligns with the President’s early childhood reading initiative
proposed in the Administration’s FY2002 budget, and funded in the FY2002
appropriations bill at a level of $75 million.

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CRS-11
Table 3. Head Start FY2002 State Allocations (Estimates)
State
Amount
State
Amount
Alabama
$100,947,000
Nevada
$19,355,000
Alaska
12,283,000
New Hampshire
13,054,000
Arizona
94,450,000
New Jersey
126,712,000
Arkansas
60,467,000
New Mexico
48,388,000
California
799,391,000
New York
419,957,000
Colorado
65,129,000
North Carolina
131,280,000
Connecticut
50,509,000
North Dakota
16,597,000
Delaware
12,467,000
Ohio
239,148,000
District of Columbia
24,451,000
Oklahoma
76,072,000
Florida
248,753,000
Oregon
57,731,000
Georgia
159,480,000
Pennsylvania
220,606,000
Hawaii
22,304,000
Puerto Rico
228,119,000
Idaho
21,242,000
Rhode Island
21,510,000
Illinois
262,239,000
South Carolina
78,995,000
Indiana
89,825,000
South Dakota
18,455,000
Iowa
49,930,000
Tennessee
112,909,000
Kansas
47,368,000
Texas
452,153,000
Kentucky
104,381,000
Utah
37,787,000
Louisiana
135,394,000
Vermont
13,228,000
Maine
26,102,000
Virginia
94,724,000
Maryland
75,570,000
Washington
97,219,000
Massachusetts
105,035,000
West Virginia
49,225,000
Michigan
227,484,000
Wisconsin
87,819,000
Minnesota
69,047,000
Wyoming
11,339,000
Mississippi
157,653,000
Virgin Islands
10,031,000
Missouri
114,130,000
Outer Pacific
15,155,000
Montana
19,963,000
American Indian
180,502,000
Nebraska
33,870,000
Migrant Programs
259,424,000
Source: Table prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) based on the Department of
Health and Human (HHS) Budget Justifications for FY2003.
Note: State allocations do not include funding for technical assistance ($166 million) and Research,
Development and Evaluation ($20 million). Total FY2002 Head Start funding= $6.5 billion.

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