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1 1 (December 5, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govbeyv0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Head Start: Overview and Current Issues The Head Start program has provided comprehensive early childhood education and development services to low- income children since 1965. The program seeks to promote school readiness through the provision of educational, health, nutritional, social, and other services. Most Head Start participants are three or four years old, but since 1995 a growing number of infants, toddlers, and pregnant women have been served in Early Head Start (EHS) programs. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) administers the Head Start program. HHS awards funds directly to local grantees. Programs are run by about 1,600 public and private nonprofit and for-profit grantees. The grantees must comply with detailed federal performance standards. Programs operate in all 50 states (plus the District of Columbia), 5 territories, and Palau. Funds also go to American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) programs. In general, regulations specify that children must be ages 0- 2 to be eligible for EHS (pregnant women are also eligible). For Head Start, regulations specify that children must be at least three years old, but may not be older than minimum compulsory school age (which varies by state). Children and pregnant women are eligible if their family income does not exceed the federal poverty level, if their family is receiving public assistance, or if a child is homeless or in foster care. In addition, up to 35% of children served by each grantee may have income between 100% and 130% of the poverty line, provided these children are not prioritized over those who are living below the poverty line or who meet other categorical eligibility criteria. Up to 10% of children served by each grantee may exceed the income limits altogether. The Head Start Act was last reauthorized in December 2007 by P.L. 110-134. This law authorized appropriations for each of FY2008-FY2012. Though this authorization has lapsed, funding has been provided in each year since (see Table 1). In addition to annual appropriations, the program occasionally receives supplemental funding, including $95 million (post-sequester) in FY2013 for needs arising from Hurricane Sandy, $650 million in FY2018 for needs arising from hurricanes Maria, Irma, and Harvey, and $55 million in FY2019 for needs arising from various disasters. In FY2018, there were funded enrollment slots for 887,125 children and pregnant women. About 81 % of the slots were for Head Start and 19% were for EHS (see Table 1). The term funded enrollment refers to the total number of slots - n'a', mm mppm qq\ , q I aS 11LULANJILiN, Updated December 5, 2019 that were funded, not the total number of children served during the year (which would be higher due to turnover). Table I. Funding and Enrollment, FY2012-FY2020 Fiscal Funding Head Start EHS Year ($ billions) Enrollment Enrollment FY2012 7.969 842,931 113,566 FY2013 7.573 + 0.095 796,953 106,726 FY2014 8.598 810,581 116,694 FY2015 8.598 791,886 152,695 FY2016 9.162 758,127 157,476 FY2017 9.225 731,325 168,049 FY2018 9.839 + 0.650 717,947 169,178 FY2019 10.063 + 0.055 not avail, not avail. FY2020 not avail, not avail, not avail. Sources: Budget justifications and the FY2015 Head Start Program Fact Sheet. Funding (nominal $) reflects rescissions, transfers, and sequestration, where applicable. FY2013, FY2018, and FY2019 show annual and supplemental funds. EHS enrollment includes EHS-Child Care Partnerships starting in FY2015. Final FY2019 enrollment is not yet available. Full-year funding for FY2020 has not yet been enacted. Under law, Head Start and EHS grantees (including AIAN and MSHS grantees) generally receive the same base grant each year, if total appropriations are sufficient. Typically, grantees must contribute a 20% nonfederal match (cash or in-kind) to receive their full award. The law also generally reserves the same dollar amount or share of funds each year for state collaboration grants and program set-asides (e.g., training/technical assistance, research/evaluation, and costs associated with program monitoring and corrective actions). If total appropriations decrease from the prior year, the law generally calls for all grantees to receive proportionate reductions. If total appropriations increase, the law lays out several steps to determine how the new funds should be allocated. Depending on the size of the increase, new funds may go toward cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs), program expansions, and/or quality improvement activities. In recent years, however, annual appropriations acts have tended to target funding increases toward specific activities rather than distributing new funds via the statutory formula. Most often, these acts have prioritized COLAs for existing grantees and new slots for EHS programs (via conversions of existing Head Start slots into new EHS slots and by dedicating funds to EHS expansions and EHS partnerships with local child care providers). These priorities have ~fl:O~

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