Urge Your Republican Representative to Oppose Religious Discrimination and Block Grant Funding in the Head Start Reauthorization Bill (H.R. 2210)

July 18, 2003

THE ISSUE AT HAND

The House of Representatives is preparing to vote on H.R. 2210, the “School Readiness Act,” which will reauthorize the Head Start program. There are two major provisions in this bill that NASW opposes: 1) H.R. 2210 authorizes federally funded religious organizations that host Head Start programs to discriminate against Head Start teachers and parent volunteers based on their religion; and 2) Title II of the bill establishes an eight state demonstration program which will allow states to use Head Start funds for state and local early childhood programs without the requirement that they meet the Head Start Performance Standards established by the Head Start Act. (Please refer to the “background” section of this alert to read more about these provisions.)

The House was scheduled to vote on H.R. 2210 on July 18. However, the Republicans pulled the bill from the House calendar because they do not have enough votes to pass the bill in its current form. It is expected that the Republican leadership and Administration will use the next several days to pressure moderate Republicans into confirming that they will vote in favor of the bill before bringing it back to the floor for a vote early next week (probably Tuesday).

ACTION NEEDED

Everyone represented by a Republican needs to call, fax, or e-mail your Representative to express your opposition to H.R. 2210. It is especially important that the following Republicans hear from their constituents (NASW expects that they will receive the most pressure from the Republican leadership: Rep. Leach (IA) 202-225-6576, Rep. Shays (CT) 202-225-5541, Rep. Foley (FL) 202-225-5792, Rep. Boehlert (NY) 202-225-3665, Rep. Greenwood (PA) 202-225-4276, Rep. Houghton (NY) 202-225-3161, Rep. Kolbe (AZ) 202-225-2542, Rep. Kelly (NY) 202-225-5441, Rep. Nancy Johnson (CT) 202-225-4476, Rep. Kirk (IL) 202-225-4835, Rep. Sweeney (NY) 202-225-5614, Rep. Gilchrest (MD) 202-225-5311, Rep. Simmons (CT) 202-225-2076 

You may contact your Representative by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. If you would like to send an e-mail or fax, please refer to the letter posted on Congress Web: https://www.socialworkers.org/advocacy/grassroots/congressweb.asp

Sample Phone Script

As a constituent and member of the National Association of Social Workers, I am calling to request that Representative ______ vote “no” on the Head Start reauthorization bill. Not only will this bill repeal civil rights protections, but Title II of the bill will also jeopardize the comprehensive social services currently being provided to children in Head Start programs. In addition, it ignores the importance of children’s emotional and social development to academic achievement. Thank you.

If you make a phone call, please let NASW know at abradford@naswdc.org

BACKGROUND

Repeal of Civil Rights

NASW is very supportive of the Head Start programs administered by religious organizations, and of the fact that these centers are run without discriminatory hiring practices. In a letter written by Reps. Hinojosa (D-TX) and Grijalva (D-AZ) to their colleagues, they go so far as to state, “No religious organization participating in Head Start has requested this ability to discriminate, and many openly oppose using federal dollars to discriminate against teachers or parents.” However, H.R. 2210 seeks to repeal the non-discrimination laws as they pertain to Head Start teachers and volunteers. If H.R. 2210 passes, thousands of Head Start teachers could lose their jobs, and tens of thousands of parent volunteers could lose their privilege of serving as volunteers in the classrooms. Additionally, countless parents could be blocked from climbing the ladder out of poverty that has already taken thousands from being a parent volunteer to being a trained and paid Head Start teacher ¾all of this could happen because an individual’s religious beliefs are not the same as those held by his or her federally-funded employer.

Title II Provisions

Title II of the bill establishes an eight state demonstration program, which will allow states to use Head Start funds for state and local early childhood programs without the requirement that they meet the Head Start Performance Standards established by the Head Start Act. Title II does not guarantee that children and their families will continue to receive the range and intensity of comprehensive services now provided. At best, it requires services as extensive as those offered in Head Start only for the same number of children receiving Head Start in the base year. However, children who are added under the state program have no such assurances of receiving the same range and delivery of services.

In addition, Title II limits attention to children’s cognitive, physical, and social development, while ignoring their emotional development and motivation to learn. A child’s social and emotional development is the foundation of early literacy, but Title II of H.R. 2210 treats social development only as it pertains to classroom behavior.

For more information, please contact Ann Bradford, NASW Government Relations, at abradford@naswdc.org or (202) 336-8237.