MARKING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF HEAD START

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, 50 years ago today, President Lyndon B. Johnson announced from the White House Rose Garden that enrollment would begin for an early childhood education program called Project Head Start.

For the last half century, Head Start has been more than just an education program. It not only includes quality preschool but also critical support services, including family engagement, health services, and good nutrition. Studies have found that children in Head Start do better academically, have better behavior, and better health status than their peers. The program also saves more money than it costs by reducing teen pregnancy, high school dropouts, and the likelihood of incarceration.

Madam Speaker, we know that Head Start works. As we mark the occasion of 50 years of one of the most successful early intervention programs, let us recommit ourselves to the ideal that all of our children have access to quality preschool education, like Head Start.