``And I ask tonight for record expenditures for the program that helps children born into want move into excellence: Head Start.``
That`s all President Bush said in his State of the Union address about one of the most popular and successful of the War on Poverty programs. Maybe he didn`t need to say more. Surely members of Congress already know how effective Head Start is.
But the president might have used the bully pulpit of his State of the Union speech to remind legislators that Head Start spending pays off for years in improved school achievement and in decreased need for remedial classes and social programs. He might have emphasized once again that it is less costly in tax dollars and in human terms to help children succeed early on rather than try to make up for failure later.
Bush might have noted that a wealth of neurological research verifies the permanent benefits of early learning. He might have pointed out that Head Start furthers his education goal of making sure all children start school able to succeed. He might even have emphasized how much the future of the nation depends on having a competent, well-educated citizenry.
In his budget proposals, the president did call for increasing Head Start spending by $600 million, to $2.8 billion. That would make room for another 157,206 children, providing places for all 780,000 youngsters who are eligible.
Congress should approve the appropriations, of course. But legislators should understand that Head Start is still too little, too late, to take full advantage of the irreplaceable learning abilities of children and the opportunity to increase their mental competence.
Daily Head Start classes, usually half-day now, should be lengthened to give more time for cognitive activities as well as social learning. And Head Start should be expanded to include younger children: Most programs now concentrate on 4-year-olds, but valuable learning opportunities are wasted by waiting until then. Outreach efforts-such as visiting teachers and child/
parent centers-should be added to help parents do well and enjoy their role as their youngsters` first teachers, starting as early as birth.
Few other federal expenditures would be of so much lasting benefit to the nation. It`s a budget bargain Congress should not pass up.