A leap for early learning New state funds mean more children can attend Head Start preschool.

Byline: Anne Williams The Register-Guard

Every year, thousands of children in poverty languish on Head Start waiting lists throughout Oregon, their parents and guardians hoping for a slot in the federal preschool program.

In Lane County, home to an estimated 1,550 eligible children, those lists typically have at least 100 names, sometimes as many as 300.

In the next two years, though, those lists will shrink substantially.

With prodding from Gov. Ted Kulongoski, the state Legislature earmarked $39 million in the 2007-09 biennium to expand the Head Start program, an increase of about 68 percent. It should be enough to serve 75 percent to 80 percent of children whose family income - $20,650 a year for a family of four - meets eligibility guidelines.

"We're absolutely thrilled that the governor and the Legislature considered high quality, early education for kids a high priority," said Swati Adarkar, executive director of the Portland-based Children's Institute, a nonprofit education research group that helped lead a campaign - backed by business, philanthropic and education groups - to fully fund Head Start. "At the same time, we know that we need to reach all kids who are likely to start (kindergarten) behind, but this helps us get a good part of the way there in terms of kids in poverty."

Statewide, an additional 1,700 children will be added to Head Start rolls this fall, and another 1,300 to 1,400 next fall. The program already serves about 9,800 children, nearly 800 of them in Lane County.

The infusion of funds has set off a wave of hiring that will continue through next summer. Head Start of Lane County, one of 29 such agencies in Oregon, will hire enough new teachers, aides, family advocates, supervisors and support staff to serve another 75 children this fall and another 100 to 200 in the fall of 2008, bringing total enrollment to around 1,000.

"(Next year's) will be a bigger process as we determine where children are most underserved in Lane County," said Karen Hamilton, program director for Head Start of Lane County, which runs classrooms at 15 sites throughout the county and also serves children at eight private preschools.

It's daunting to sort out which positions to add and where to place new classrooms, but it's a task Head Start officials relish, she said.

"It's very exciting," she said. "It really opens up a whole new realm of possibilities."

Created in 1965, Head Start is a comprehensive developmental program for low-income 3- to 5-year-olds. It offers educational, nutritional, social/emotional, physical and mental health services, and also provides some social services to parents.

Bonnie Hylton of Springfield said Head Start has been a lifeline, providing her with invaluable referrals and support in addition to serving her children.

A single mom whose life was in turmoil, she moved with her four children from Salem to Eugene a year ago, looking for a fresh start. Signing up with Head Start was near the top of her to-do list.

Thanks largely to her circumstances - a single mother of four, working full time and living in a motel - she was able to get a slot for 4-year-old Tre'von right away at Springfield's Village Head Start. The boy's little sister, Jada, will start today, her third birthday.

"When he first started, he couldn't speak very well," she said of Tre'von, who spent his morning "choice" time Tuesday happily moving through a variety of hands-on activities, most of them involving dinosaurs - this week's educational theme. "He's been in speech therapy, and the speech therapist says by the time he starts kindergarten he'll be speaking perfectly."

Hylton said her older children, 11-year-old Malik and 7-year-old Akil, are still reaping the benefits of Head Start.

"They're both in the highest reading group at school, and they've gone through a lot," said Hylton, a hairdresser.

Head Start assesses children on its waiting list, Hamilton said, ensuring that "the neediest of the needy" get in first. But given the eligibility requirements and the proven link between poverty and school readiness, that still leaves hundreds of children who would benefit out in the cold.

With the additional funds, Hamilton said, the agency may be able to serve more families whose income levels slightly exceed the guidelines.

Hamilton said the agency doesn't anticipate having any trouble filling the 30-plus positions it expects to add in the next two years, despite the fact that full-time, top-scale, year-round Head Start teachers earn about $32,000 a year - far less than their counterparts in the K-12 realm.

Until now, Head Start of Lane County has received about 75 percent of its funding from the federal government and 25 percent from the state. For the next biennium, that breakdown will be closer to 50-50.

Laurie Danahy, an early childhood specialist with the state Department of Education, said Oregon's investment signals a shift in attitude about pre-kindergarten, one that has been under way in other states and is gaining national momentum. Research has found that a child's early years - from birth to age 5 - are critical for brain development.

Studies also have linked high-quality preschool programs - including Head Start - with higher student achievement, better graduation rates, a reduced risk of getting involved in juvenile crime and even a stronger economy.

"I've been in early childhood for over 25, almost 30 years and this is one of the most exciting times I've seen," said Danahy, who helped prepare a staff recruitment package for Head Start programs. "There has been a lot of research out there that was circulated within the field that we just didn't get out in the public."