ABSTRACT
Politics and Head Start. The linkage of these words conjures up images of congressional hearings, heated debates, federal budget battles, and newspaper headlines. Indeed, as is well known by policy-makers, children’s advocates, human service workers, educators, and many in the general public, since its inception during the Johnson Administration’s War on Poverty in 1965, the program has experienced highly public periods of controversy, uncertainty, and change. Despite periodic challenges to the program, however, over the past thirty-four years Head Start has typically led a “charmed life” (Skerry, 1983). Never has this been more true than today, for despite this era of conservative fiscal policy and welfare reform, this enduring holdover of the War on Poverty remains alive and kicking, serving more children and families than ever before. Since its inception, over sixteen million American children have been enrolled in the program; in fiscal year 1997 over $3.8 billion was expended to provide educational and social services to a record 793,809 children and their families (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1998). And in October of 1998 Head Start was once again reauthorized by Congress for another five years.
