ABSTRACT
In a critique of the articles by Valor a Washington and Ura Jean Oyemade, one of the originators of Head Start points up the accomplishments of the program, takes note of some of its limitations, and assesses the prospects for Head Start in the current era of conservative fiscal policy. Ignoring Head Start's "evolutionary" nature, neither Washington nor Oyemade give sufficient credit to the part Head Start plays as a national laboratory for early childhood intervention. Head Start remains essentially a collection of locally run, autonomous programs. Washington and Oyemade praise this aspect of Head Start but ignore its price in terms of quality control. In fact, in the early '70s it was decided that Head Start parents ought to have primary authority in determining the nature of local programs. Head Start planners felt that all parents could gain by learning about the nature of the developing child.
