News broke last month that the federal Head Start program might be eliminated in next year’s congressional budget. Officials later changed course, but as the federal government searches for new ways to cut spending, it’s likely that Head Start could be on the chopping block again in the near future. That would be disastrous for hundreds of thousands of our country’s poorest children and their families in both rural and urban communities, and a major step in the wrong direction for our efforts to reduce crime and poverty in our nation.
Since 2021, concerns about crime have grown among both Republicans and Democrats. In a recent poll, nearly 60% of people said reducing crime should be a top priority for the president and Congress. Another poll last year found that 75% of people still said the issue of crime was extremely or very important to their vote in the presidential election, and it was among Republicans’ top five issues.
Given the direct relationship between poverty and incarceration levels, there is a critical need for programs such as Head Start that help low-income families pull themselves up by their bootstraps and out of poverty. In America today, children have the highest official poverty rate compared to any other age group. Over 16% of our young people live below the federal poverty line. In parts of Portland, Oregon, where Albina Head Start is located, 1 out of every 4 children is in poverty.
While people across the political spectrum tend to agree that our government should focus on rooting out financial waste, it’s crucial that we save the Head Start program because it is one of the most cost-effective federal programs, particularly when it comes to preventing crime and keeping people out of the criminal justice system in the first place.
Often run out of churches, schools, and other early education facilities, the Head Start and Early Head Start programs focus on one of the most vulnerable segments of our population: pregnant women and children aged 0-5. In parts of rural America, Head Start is the only early childhood education provider there is.
And for cities such as Portland that have experienced their own struggles to address crime over the years, the need for a smart investment in our youth is especially critical.
According to a study published by the Council on Criminal Justice, researchers found that children of parents who went to Head Start programs were roughly 50% less likely to engage in criminal activity, including arrest or incarceration. That’s a remarkable crime prevention statistic, and it’s noteworthy given that experts have projected annual economic losses and government costs generated by crime as high as $194 billion in recent years.
Researchers also found that children of parents with access to Head Start were 18% more likely to graduate from high school, 34% more likely to enroll in college, and 35% less likely to become teenage parents.
While Head Start’s yearly budget is $12 billion, it’s important to understand that figure, which is a small fraction of a percent of the total federal budget, in context. The program’s cost is minuscule compared to other budgetary line items, such as Social Security ($1.5 trillion) and net interest on debt ($878 billion). Compare it to NASA’s expenditures: The entire annual Head Start budget would only cover the cost of two to three Space Launch System rocket launches, which carry a price tag of $4.1 billion per launch.
ARIZONA, WASHINGTON, COLORADO, OTHERS URGE CONGRESS TO FULLY FUND HEAD START
Head Start is a good investment that makes our country better. Some of America’s brightest stars might never have achieved their potential without the help of Head Start. The list of famous Head Start program participants is long and truly a source of inspiration for impoverished children in our land of opportunity. It includes names such as basketball superstar Shaquille O’Neal, comedian Chris Rock, Rhodes Scholar and Paralympic medalist Bonnie St. John, football legend Deion Sanders, actor Danny Glover, former Girl Scouts CEO Anna Maria Chavez, former Ford Foundation CEO Darren Walker, and many more.
It’s imperative that lawmakers understand the unintended consequences of dismantling a relatively inexpensive program that tackles multiple systemic problems at once. We must save the Head Start program to prevent the next generation from becoming the victims and perpetrators of crime and injustice.
Ronald D. Herndon is the director of Albina Head Start and a former board chairman of the National Head Start Association. Tom Potter was the chief of the Portland Police Bureau from 1990 to 1993 before serving as the mayor of Portland from 2005 to 2009.