Press Releases

In Case You Missed It, the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO), known as the congressional watchdog, recently released a scathing report on Head Start. According to Head Start’s website, the program “prepare[s] America’s most vulnerable young children to succeed in school and in life beyond school.” Yet, GAO uncovered disturbing reports of abuse and negligence. Specifically, GAO found that Head Start programs under interim management:  

• Lost count of injuries, abuse, and child safety concerns;
• Does not monitor the quality or content of classroom materials; and 
• Does not monitor how taxpayer funds are spent or managed.

The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board called out Head Start for its “serious negligence and fiscal mismanagement,” which are “putting at risk the very children the program claims to help.” 

The editorial concludes: “…the program’s funding keeps growing. Perhaps this is about to change. Michigan Rep. Tim Walberg, chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, reacted to the report on Tuesday, writing, ‘We have an obligation to protect these children and end this gross negligence immediately.’ The GAO wants Head Start to enhance its oversight standards and fiscal accountability. But if it can’t prove its results are worth $12.3 billion, it may be time to make some cuts—or perhaps pass the money down to the states, which are already better equipped for educational oversight.”

Read Chairman Walberg’s statement here.

Read the GAO report here.

Read the Wall Street Journal’s editorial here.