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REMARKS BY:	DONNA E. SHALALA, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
PLACE:		35th Anniversary of Head Start, Washington, D.C.   
DATE:		April 26, 2000

There's an old saying: "People are judged by their actions, not their intentions. We may have a heart of gold, but so does a boiled egg."

When it comes to Head Start, actions really make a difference. Whether it's children learning their numbers and letters, or moms and dads working hard so their children can have a better life.

Helen Taylor has made a difference. She's been incredibly effective as an advocate, teacher, and leader for Head Start. She speaks with total conviction from her lifetime of experience on the frontlines. Her expertise and her integrity have built an extended family of supporters for Head Start - from HHS, to the White House, to the Congress. Helen has changed the lives of more children in more communities than ever before in the history of Head Start.

*** But she's couldn't do it alone. I'm extremely proud of my entire Head Start team at HHS - Olivia Golden and her staff are deeply committed to the welfare of children. But you should also know that from our budget office headed by John Callahan to the OMB director, Jack Lew, to Gene Sperling at the National Economic Council, to Bruce Reed at the Domestic Policy Council, to the President and Vice President. Head Start has many loving friends.

I'm proud of all of you. NHSA is the kind of advocacy group that really does put children first. You've worked hard with us, hand in hand, even when it hasn't been easy. And you agreed with our commitment to enforce high standards for program quality - Even when it meant replacing programs that had longstanding relationships with your organization. I've never known a group that was as clear as you have been about policing yourselves.

I'm also proud of the children, parents, teachers, and graduates of Head Start that I've met in my travels across the country. People like Dr. Angel Taveras, who first graduated from Head Start, and later from Harvard University, cum laude. He is now a candidate for Congress from Rhode Island. Or Rev. Jaine Ryder-Howard, who began as a Head Start volunteer parent. She later became a visionary force behind one of the most successful Parent Child Centers in rural California. Or the Head Start kid in Texas who when I asked what's your favorite part of Head Start, he replied honestly, "SNACKS."

These are the children, some grown now with their own families, who've turned this program into one of the greatest success stories of the 20th century.

It's hard to believe that 35 years have passed since this nation made a great promise to its children. We promised that all children could benefit from a "head start" on learning the simple, but basic things that many American children take for granted. We've kept our promises. But by no means was success handed to us on a silver platter. We worked hard for it, and we earned it. And now at the start of the 21st century, Head Start has really come of age.

I must admit that I'm a little nostalgic. This is the last national Head Start conference for this Administration. This is the last time I will speak with you as Secretary of Health and Human Services. So let's reflect together on some of our accomplishments.

Since the beginning of this Administration, we've more than doubled the size of the Head Start budget - from 2.2 billion dollars in 1992 to 5.3 billion dollars in 2000. This year's budget was an increase of 607 million over Fiscal Year 1999. And for next year, we're asking for an additional one billion dollars for Head Start - the single largest increase in the history of the program.

This new funding will keep us on track to reach President Clinton's goal of serving one million children in Head Start by 2002. And doubling the number of infants and toddlers enrolled in Early Head Start, which serves as a model for other early childhood interventions.

But this Administration never just wanted Head Start to be big. We wanted it to be the best. That's why, right from the beginning, quality has been a central focus of our vision for Head Start. Early on, I formed an Advisory Committee on Head Start Quality and Expansion. This bipartisan group said that expansion was critical, but quality must be Head Start's first priority.

That's why we've invested a half billion in quality improvements for Head Start programs across the country. For example, annual salaries for Head Start teachers have increased from $14,600 in 1992 to almost $21,000 dollars this year. This investment has helped Head Start retain staff at much higher rates than other community-based child care centers. And, 80 percent of all teachers in Head Start programs have five or more years of experience.

There is more to do. We can't run a successful program, or cope with its problems, if people are not held accountable for what they do. That's why together we've also improved and updated performance standards to ensure that each program delivers quality services.

Of course, we didn't just raise standards by sitting around a table in Washington guessing about what they should be. We went around the country and talked to many of you on the frontlines about what it would take to make a better program - a great program. We used up-to-the-minute research from the nation's premier early childhood experts. And, working together with all of you, we got out the message to Head Start grantees: Most of you are doing fine, but if you fail, we'll close you down.

Now we're taking the next step of building an "outcomes-oriented accountability system" in each local program to pinpoint what works - and what needs improvement. The most recent FACES survey conducted by my Department found plenty of evidence that our investment is paying off. Classroom quality is consistently good. Head Start children make significant progress on a wide range of developmental outcomes -including health, vocabulary, numeracy, and social skills. And they continue to progress in kindergarten.

Achieving our objectives in any one of these major areas - expansion, quality, accountability, or research - would be cause enough for celebration. It is doubly remarkable when you consider that Head Start has achieved all of these objectives during just the last 7 years.

Given its success, you may not be surprised to hear that Head Start is already well known around the world. I recently was asked to talk about Head Start to a group of international leaders at the World Bank. They wanted to know what they could do to improve the lives of children in their countries. And they knew that Head Start offers the most comprehensive guide of any program in the United States.

So I gave them my version of Six Lessons for Children to Grow By. And today, I'd like to share it with all of you. You know them - because you live them. The first, and perhaps the most important lesson is: The Earlier Intervention Begins the Better

. Anyone who has ever watched a toddler knows that a baby learns through its environment, by experimenting with language, and playing with whatever is close at hand. That's why we created Early Head Start for the most critical years of learning - infancy through age three. Because we must transform our national vision for infant and toddler care just as Head Start transformed how we think about quality for preschoolers.

Brain research has demonstrated that what happens during the infant and toddler years is absolutely critical to a child's later development. Visual stimulation, touching, talking, and emotional support all help an infant's brain to grow.

In one long-term study of poor children, half were assigned to high quality day care from infancy to age 5. The other half received only nutritional supplements and visits from social workers. As these children grew older, the group assigned to high quality day care were more successful in almost every measurable way.

I emphasize the word quality. Because that's Lesson Two: Quality Counts. There's just no question about it. I've already told you how proud I am of our efforts to invest money in staff and quality enhancement, our updated performance standards, and tough enforcement.

We've been equally demanding on our federal staff. We've delivered on all our goals. And we've continually raised the bar of quality with no expansion in the federal staff. Let me be clear: Our goal is excellence - plain and simple.

I'm very proud, and you should be too, that at the end of last year, Head Start received the highest score of any government agency - or private company - in customer satisfaction. We even surpassed Mercedes- Benz and BMW.

Lesson Three is the logical extension of lesson two: Quality Early Childhood Education Begins With Training. Today, every Head Start teacher is required to earn a Child Development Associate credential. And by 2003, we want at least a majority of Head Start teachers to have a 2 or 4 year degree in early childhood education.

Over the past 2 years, we've targeted 340 million dollars for staff development and staff salaries. We set this goal because research tells us that well-trained staff is more successful in working with young children - and to encourage teachers to continue to learn and meet an even higher standard.

Which brings me to Lesson Four: Parents Must be Involved and Accommodated. Head Start parents express a high level of satisfaction with Head Start. I believe that's because we listen to parents. We learn from parents. And we encourage parents to stay involved. That has been true since the earliest days of the program - and it's the key to Head Start's success. But keeping parents engaged and involved is not enough.

We must also accommodate their changing needs. When Head Start began, there were far fewer women in the workplace - and far fewer single parent families. The program has evolved. Now we're expanding hours. Being flexible with hours. And even moving early childhood education programs into the workplace. We're also encouraging Head Start centers to partner with quality childcare programs.

We need to create more top-quality programs that enable children to have the full Head Start experience throughout the entire day. We've also learned the importance of keeping parents connected to the communities in which they live. That means being culturally sensitive, working with community leaders, and keeping as much decision-making as possible at the local level.

Lesson Five: Integrate Early Childhood Education With Other Needs

. As you know, we've expanded access to health insurance to millions of children from low-income working families. But we need to do even more to find and enroll eligible children. The way to locate children who are eligible for SCHIP or Medicaid health insurance is to go where children are - in Head Start programs or child care centers.

That's what I mean by integrating services, making sure that nurses talk to the teachers. That teachers talk to staff. And that everyone talks to parents.

Which brings me, finally, to Lesson Six: Make Early Childhood Education a National Laboratory and Catalyst for Change. You may recall the Kevin Costner movie several years ago called, "Field of Dreams." It was about a farmer who is told to build a baseball field in a cornfield. The most famous line in the movie was, "If you build it, they will come."

Well, I have an updated version of that line for early childhood development: Build it and change will come. Head Start has been a national laboratory and catalyst for change since its founding. It has transformed how we think about, educate, and care for young children.

This is an historic time for all of us who've made Head Start the nation's pre-eminent early childhood development program. We've turned 35 years old, and we've started doing some very grown-up things. But we know this job isn't finished.

We must continue to forge new partnerships. To serve our children well, we have to do a more thorough job of linking Head Start with other programs. We must make Head Start accessible for more children and families. This means offering more full-year, full-day programs to meet the needs of working parents.

We must continue to expand Early Head Start programs across the country. We must be ready to meet the demands of one million children in Head Start by 2002. We must continue to monitor quality and demand the highest degree of accountability. We must provide a seamless system of support for children. And most important, we must pour all that we are into our daily work with children and families. That means our heads and our hearts.

Every Head Start child is a work in progress. So is the program. We work for years to cultivate the full potential of each child. And in the midst of this effort, we marvel at the miracle of how each child develops as a unique creation, a delight to appreciate, a gift to the future. Yes, we've learned much about how to help very young children grow up smart and healthy.

I've learned a lot from all of you, from the parents you work with, and of course from our wonderful children. Know that wherever I go, I will always be your friend and your advocate. Have a wonderful conference.

Thank you.

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