Reid, Ensign want Head Start change

Suzanne Struglinski

Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2003 | 9:34 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and John Ensign, R-Nev., introduced a bill Tuesday that would require federal Head Start funding to be based on population figures that are no more than two years old.

If approved, the change could bring more Head Start funding to the state. The current system relies on older data and does not take the growing population into consideration, the senators said.

"In a typical state maybe it's not a big deal," said Christine Brady, community relations officer for the Equal Opportunity Board, which runs Head Start programs in Las Vegas. "But for our state there are so many people, so many families coming a month. This is thousands of people that aren't going to be considered."

Brady said using census numbers from the 2000 count now or three years from now would not provide funding that is commensurate with the population growth.

Head Start is a federal education program designed for children under 5 years old who meet certain low-income requirements. There are 17 centers in the Las Vegas Valley; a new facility opened in Henderson on Sept. 2. Reid visited the new center last month.

Brady said a new center in the Spring Valley area of southwest Las Vegas is slated to open by the end of the year.

According to Nevada officials, 2,951 children and their families took part in Head Start in the 2001-2002 program year, a figure that represents only 23 percent of the state's income eligible children.

Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., has a similar bill pending in the House.

She also offered an amendment to the Head Start reauthorization bill that would have included an additional $50 million for states with rapidly growing populations of people who meet Head Start criteria, such as Nevada. This could have brought an additional $1 million to the state, based on recent census figures. However, it was not considered on the House floor.