Head Start Can Take the Lead

At the National Head Start Leadership Institute last week, we were pleased with both the quality of speakers and timely topics related to the ARRA funds and the Early Learning Challnge grants. During the Institute several key topics were brought up that have implications for the children and families served by Head Start.

Our belief is that we are at another critical juncture in the field of early childhood. After years of apathy and lack of funding, the presidential administration has placed renewed attention on the immense impact the first years of a child’s life have on his or her future success. This success has both long range academic and social benefits for the individual, our local communities, and our nation. These issues reach well beyond the public school systems or the Head Start community.

The current influx of new funds may bring a shift as to which organizations and educational entities are responsible for the oversight, education and care of young children. National, state or local appointed policymakers with only rudimentary understanding or experience in early childhood development, learning environments and disadvantaged communities may become the overnight decision makers for how early childhood programs must be structured, and how outcomes and measures should be implemented.

We may also see pedagogical shifts in learning environments that must support the development of our nation’s most vulnerable young children. For example, proponents of the skill & drill, testing environment currently favored in public education to collect data may believe that collecting data in the same manner for early childhood outcomes will justify the allocation of financial resources. So long as the data can be interpreted to show the outcomes that they hope to achieve, the end justifies the means. If the current system of “local state control” of public education remains as is—with the added responsibility of proving early childhood funding “works,” we may see an unintended consequence. This “means to an end” philosophy could create an inhospitable climate that does not support what early childhood educators know about developmentally appropriate practices, healthy child development, and educational expectations.

Evaluating outcomes in early childhood and implementing best practices under intense levels of scrutiny is not new to the Head Start community. Their insight and experience with this challenge could serve as a guide to help bridge the schism in public programs between the world of data outcomes and meaningful learning experiences using developmentally appropriate practices. We hope various public program and associations seek the valuable input of the Head Start community. The dedicated educators from the Head Start community are an inspiration.