The following article was selected from the Internet Edition of the Chicago Tribune. To visit the site, point your browser to http://chicagotribune.com/. ----------- Chicago Tribune Article Forwarding---------------- Article forwarded by: Cayata Dixon Return e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Article URL: http://chicagotribune.com/news/local/article/0,1051,SAV-0105200366,00.html ---Forwarded article---------------- Head Start reformers say program has lost its way By Ray Quintanilla As a line of groggy children filed into the Greater Garfield Head Start program at 7 a.m., they were oblivious to the burgeoning national debate taking place about the future of the nation's leading preschool program for low-income families. The 14 children took seats at a small table for the most important part of the day: a good breakfast and time to give the staff an opportunity to look them over for signs of abuse or neglect. To some, scenes like this suggest Head Start spends too much time addressing a child's social needs instead of preparing them to learn how to read once they enter the primary grades. Now President Bush wants the first major overhaul of Head Start in about three decades, a move that he contends is designed to elevate the importance of pre-reading skills among the program's goals of ensuring children are safe and eat nutritious meals. Head Start's proponents suggest any reform should not end the delivery of social services to poor children, such as immunizations and health screenings, because that could jeopardize the health of thousands each year. But in an interview last week, Education Secretary Roderick Paige, who has emerged as the president's point man on early-childhood issues, said Head Start has lost its way. He once again called for reform that would end the program's "mission creep" away from literacy. "Its priority has to be getting children prepared to read, rather than a lot of the other stuff. I feel like the program has gotten away from its original objective," said Paige, a former superintendent of Houston public schools. In Chicago, public-school officials complain privately that children coming out of Head Start programs often don't know enough. They have already begun working to institute reforms of their own. One widely reported federal study into Head Start raised concerns about the level of teaching taking place at some sites. It concluded that many children who complete Head Start have little mastery of the alphabet. This has prompted some experts to suggest Head Start needs a controversial method of teaching called Direct Instruction, which uses scripts for how a teacher and a pupil interact. That's the only way to ensure every child is being taught, they suggest. A gloomy picture The Washington, D.C.-based Heritage Foundation paints a much more dismal picture. Although Head Start has spent billions of dollars, the amount of children in the inner cities who do not read at grade level has soared, said Krista Kafer, an education policy analyst for the group. Cheritta Smith, the Greater Garfield Head Start program's head teacher, said her center is heavy on social services because many of her 3- and 4-year-old pupils are needy. Some need immunizations, clothes or referrals for free dental care, she said. "After we meet their personal needs, the rest of the day is guided by a simple philosophy: find a way to teach through play," she said. Instruction has to be given in the form of a game or children aren't going to respond, she said. Some early-childhood development experts agree and suggest a strong push toward literacy in 3- and 4-year-olds can have pitfalls. "You have to be careful with how much you ask small children to digest," said Joan McLane, a professor of child development at the Erickson Institute in Chicago and author of the book "Early Literacy." McLane, who has done extensive research into how small children learn, said the Garfield site may have the right idea, though teachers could spend more time on additional learning activities. "The health-care component of Head Start is very valuable and it would be a shame to see that diminished," McLane said. "If a child isn't healthy, you can't expect that child to read." Head Start is primarily known for providing impoverished children with hot meals, health care and social activities. Parents often serve on local policymaking boards and attend workshops on child care and nutrition. $5 billion program It costs $5 billion annually to enroll 857,000 children in Head Start across the nation. Chicago has 18,000 children enrolled at more than 500 sites. At least half of them are private homes that enroll children under the age of 3. At the Garfield site in Logan Square, parents begin dropping off children at 7 a.m. Half of the 41 preschoolers have parents who found employment under the federal welfare-to-work initiative. Some children won't be picked up until 5:30 p.m., officials say. Garfield's teachers say they spend about 90 minutes per day reading to children, talking to them about the alphabet or playing games designed to spark a child's appetite for learning. This time can include playing with lettered blocks, cutting pieces of paper for arts projects or drawing. The remainder of the day is reserved for eating, sleeping, playing outside, or addressing social or medical concerns, school officials say. "I don't know how you can find more time in the day to do both," said Smith, who is working toward her bachelor's degree in education. "Teaching is hard to do when you have a child who comes to you with bruises on his face and the parent tells you the child is just making up stories about being abused," Smith said. "It would be a pleasure to spend more time on learning." Gudelia Alonso, a parent volunteer at the site, said she's seen dramatic progress in her daughter Karla since the girl started at the preschool a year ago. She has also been referred to a variety of social services, from dental care to medical checkups. "Karla now tries to write her name," said Alonso, a recent immigrant from Mexico. "She's a happy child and she draws these cute little pictures of animals and things." Reform is cheered Chicago Board of Education officials privately say they welcome changes in Head Start. Officials there complain sites overseen by the city's Department of Human Services are little more than "baby-sitting services" for the poor. For public schools to post long-term academic growth, children entering the primary grades must be better prepared to begin the basics of reading, says schools chief Paul Vallas. The Chicago Public Schools system recently launched its own Head Start sites. Armando Almendarez, the system's chief officer for language culture and early-childhood education, said teachers in his Head Start programs must be state certified and hold bachelor's degrees. "We are also different in that our children are learning all the while they are there, by promoting socialization and intellectual growth," Almendarez said. "And we assess by talking with the children to make sure they are learning." ---------------------------------------------------- This is the CPS Mathematics Teacher Discussion List. To unsubscribe, send a message to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For more information: <http://home.sprintmail.com/~mikelach/subscribe.html>. 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