Res. No. 259 Title Resolution calling upon the President of the United States, George W. Bush, and the Congress to increase the funding for the Head Start program. Body By Council Members Seabrook, Baez, Barron, Boyland, Clarke, DeBlasio, Dilan, Felder, Fidler, Foster, Jennings, Liu, Monserrate, Nelson, Perkins, Recchia, Reyna, Rivera, Sanders, Serrano and Vann; also Council Members Addabbo, Gioia and Quinn Whereas, According to the report entitled Head Start Quality, Performance, and Outcome: The Real Story (the "Real Story report") issued by the National Head Start Association, "[S]ince its founding in 1965, the Head Start program has been successful at providing comprehensive child development and family support services to more than 18 million low-income preschool children and their families"; and Whereas, Head Start is a federally funded program administered by the Department of Health and Human Services; and Whereas, According to the fact sheet entitled About Head Start (the "Head Start fact sheet") issued by the federal Administration for Children and Families, "Head Start and Early Head Start are comprehensive child development programs which serve children from birth to age 5, pregnant woman and their families"; and Whereas, The Head Start fact sheet states that the overall goal of the Head Start program is to increase the school readiness of young children from low-income families; and Whereas, According to the report entitled Give Your Child a Head Start issued by the federal Administration for Children and Families, children who enroll in Head Start receive a half-day or in some cases full-day center based program that includes a variety of educational activities; and Whereas, According to the Head Start fact sheet, the 1994 reauthorization of the Head Start program established a new Early Head Start program which served over 55,000 children in Federal Fiscal Year 2001; and Whereas, The Head Start fact sheet also states that the Head Start program which initially served 56,000 children in 1966 has grown to serve 905,235 children in 2001; and Whereas, Head Start also provides services to adults, including classes in child rearing, English as a second language and job training; and Whereas, According to the Real Story report, "[R]esearch has unequivocally demonstrated that Head Start makes immediate positive differences in the lives of families and children"; and Whereas, The Real Story report found that Head Start children are better prepared to learn and have higher self-esteem and social behavior at school entry; and Whereas, According to the Real Story report, children who attend Head Start receive intellectual and life-skill benefits that last beyond the third grade; and Whereas, Head Start has never been properly funded, as demonstrated in a 1996 National Head Start Association ("NHSA") report which found that years of neglect followed by an injection of new funds brought the Head Start program back to the funding level of 1971; and Whereas, According to the NHSA Head Start currently serves approximately only three of five eligible children; and Whereas, The NHSA indicates that Head Start also needs an increase in funding to better ensure that its programs are housed in adequate facilities and participating teachers receive adequate salaries; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the President of the United States, George W. Bush. and the Congress to increase the funding for the Head Start program. P.S. LS# 485