June 24, 2003

TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Dear Representative:

On behalf of the 1.4 million members of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), I am writing to urge you to oppose H.R. 2210, the badly misnamed "School Readiness Act of 2003." This bill dramatically endangers the future of millions of low-income children by threatening the Head Start program with funding cuts and the elimination of federal standards.

Since 1965, Head Start has successfully provided services and resources to working families in order to increase the school readiness of our nation’s youth. As a result, Head Start has fostered early childhood development in nearly 20 million children. Without leaving a single child behind, Head Start has helped provide the educational, nutritional, and social needs of America’s families.

The unparalleled success of the program has led to the creation of political considerations preventing a direct attack on the program and its participants. In fact, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was so concerned about the perception of damaging the program that a directive was issued to the staff of the Head Start programs reminding them they are prohibited from lobbying or encouraging Head Start families from lobbying Congress. In other words, they want to gag those who know the program best or benefit from it, and prevent them from informing their elected officials of their concerns about H.R. 2210 and its devastating effect on Head Start.

It is clear, however, that the real impact of H.R. 2210 is to dismantle Head Start by turning control of the program over to states, with no guarantee that Head Start’s performance standards will be maintained and vigorously enforced in a state-administered program.

As a result of the growing government deficits—federal, state, and local—the need to reduce expenditures are being felt at every level. States are presently curtailing spending on numerous programs, and funding for early childhood development programs has not been exempted. Turning control of Head Start over to states places the programs at risk of falling victim to state budget cuts, and puts them in competition with other programs that benefit working families. In addition, the proposal also eliminates minimum standards in teacher education, class size, and teacher-to-student ratios. This will inevitably lead to less

quality, overcrowded classrooms, and teachers with little or no teaching credentials. It would make the Head Start program a pale imitation and insufficient successor to the program that has provided so much to so many.

For these reasons, I strongly encourage your opposition to the so-called "School Readiness Act of 2003." Enacting this legislation will deny a large portion of America’s youth the quality learning experiences that will foster their early childhood development. As a result, millions of at-risk children would be left unready to learn in school.

Sincerely,

Douglas H. Dority

International President