|
| President's
Signing Statement | HHS Head Start Fact Sheet
| ACF
Head Start Fact Sheet |
| IDA Fact Sheet | Head
Start Bureau | ACF
LIHEAP web page |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 27, 1998
Contact: ACF Office of Public Affairs (202) 401-9215
PRESIDENT CLINTON SIGNS
LEGISLATION THAT STRENGTHENS
HEAD START AND PROVIDES CRITICAL SUPPORT FOR AMERICA'S FAMILIES
Today, President Clinton signed into
law bipartisan legislation that strengthens and expands Head Start services
for America's families, promotes promising Individual Development Accounts
to help more low-income families achieve self-sufficiency, and renews
the Low- Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Passed by Congress at
the President's urging, the Human Services Reauthorization Act of 1998
provides critical support for America's families.
STRENGTHENS HEAD START. This
legislation builds on the President's commitment to improve and expand
Head Start. Under the President's leadership, Head Start has become
America's premier early childhood development program, ensuring that
low-income children start school ready to learn.
- INCREASES INVESTMENTS IN HEAD START.
The new legislation builds on the President's commitment to getting
Head Start services to more children while also improving quality.
Under the Clinton Administration, funding for Head Start increased
by 68 percent, and enrollment has increased by over 200,000 children,
reaching 830,000 children this past fiscal year. Because the President
fought for and won a funding increase of $313 million for FY 1999,
Head Start will continue to expand, moving toward the goal of serving
one million children.
- DOUBLES THE EARLY HEAD START PROGRAM.
This legislation adopts the President's proposal to double the percentage
of Head Start funds directed to Early Head Start by 2002. In 1994,
President Clinton created Early Head Start, expanding the program
to reach low-income families with children aged three and under and
to pregnant women. In FY 1999, funding for Early Head Start will total
nearly $340 million.
- ENSURES QUALITY IN HEAD START.
The new legislation builds on the President's commitment to enhance
the quality of Head Start; it promotes school readiness and family
literacy, improves staff training and credentialing, and increases
the funds set aside for quality improvements. The Clinton Administration
has invested in improving Head Start services, attracting and retaining
high quality teachers, and ensuring the safety of Head Start centers.
In 1996, the Department of Health and Human Services set new Head
Start performance standards, and has since monitored Head Start programs
against these standards, provided staff training and technical assistance,
and closed 100 programs unable to meet them.
ESTABLISHES INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT
ACCOUNTS TO PROMOTE SELF-SUFFICIENCY. Since 1992, President Clinton
has supported the creation of Individual Development
Accounts (IDAs) to empower individuals to save for a first home,
post-secondary education, or to start a new business. The passage of
this legislation effectively completes the President's 1992 community
empowerment agenda. The legislation creates a five-year, $125 million
demonstration program to establish IDAs for more than 50,000 people.
Each dollar saved by a low-income family in an IDA would be matched,
providing an incentive to build assets. The final budget agreement included
$10 million to get this program off the ground.
LOW-INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM (LIHEAP) KEEPS THE HEAT ON AND CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITIES.
After threats from some in Congress to eliminate this critical support
for the elderly and low-income families, President Clinton successfully
fought to fund the program that provides heating and cooling assistance
to over five million households across the nation. The bill signed today
also extends the Community Service Block Grant programs, providing states
and organizations support on economic development, social services and
other needs for low-income communities.
###
Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials
are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.
Back to Top
The page was last updated:
October 22, 2003
|