COVERITLIVE.COM

11:54

Fred Barbash-Moderator - Hello all. Lisa Guernsey and Christina Satkowsi of the New America Foundation will join us at 12:30 EDT to talk about developments in early education--Head Start, Early Start, Jump Start and all the rest of the starts....

We invite you to submit questions in advance. For background, take a look at this.

11:55

Fred Barbash-Moderator - Lisa writes: "In 1995, when Early Head Start was introduced, the program started to reach for even younger children -- targeting infants, toddlers and pregnant mothers. With the influx of stimulus money, the number of children and pregnant mothers served by Early Head Start programs is set to nearly double in size -- with money available to serve 117,000 babies and pregnant mothers instead of the 62,000 participating last year.

Could these new growth areas lead Head Start to become known as the program for pre-preschoolers? Are we witnessing the Benjamin Buttonization of Head Start, a program getting younger with each passing year?"

12:29

Fred Barbash-Moderator - Good afternoon (or morning, as the case may be.) Welcome to another joint POLITICO-New America Foundation live reader chat. (Better live readers than the alternative)

With healthcare, the economy and all the rest, critical issues are getting little or no attention in the media. That's why we're so pleased to have Lisa Guernsey and Christina Satkowski from NAF with us to talk about one of those--early education.

Let me begin, Christina, by asking you to briefly describe the interesting work you've been doing there on this subject--and then we have a bunch of questions from readers.

12:30

[Comment From Lisa Guernsey]
Thanks Fred. We've been doing a series of blog posts here to ask the question: What is the Future of Head Start?

12:30

[Comment From Lisa Guernsey]
Obama has made promises about investing more in the earliest years of children’s lives. The question is: Where does Head Start fit in this vision?

12:31

[Comment From Lisa Guernsey]
Many people wonder whether we can make those investments and improve quality and build on what Head Start has already provided ...

12:31

[Comment From Lisa Guernsey]
This will take a lot of collaboration and some creativity. Right now HS is only available to the very poorest of families

12:32

Fred Barbash-Moderator - Here's a question/comment sent in early from: Shira Nahmias, M.A.Special Educator Cooke Center for Learning and Development

--Head Start teachers, directors and especially social workers are a wealth of information for families and care givers. As states start to develop pre-k programs, are they planning on consulting with Head Start teachers or directors? As some one who has served as a special educator at a specific Head Start Program (Harlem Children's Zone), I can speak to the fact that the families served by Head Start feel valued, listened to and that they have a safe place to go as soon as they walk in the door of Head Start.

--I think it is critical not to lose the family centered piece of the puzzle that Head Start so excellently serves.

12:32

[Comment From Lisa Guernsey]
yes, family involvement is a big part of Head Start. And the question is: Would other early childhood programs -- like those being developed by states with state (and not federal) money -- have the same emphasis?

12:32

[Comment From Wangui Njuguna]
Is there a conflict between early learning and early care? In other words, what is the correct balance of kindergarten preparation (emergent reading and math skills) and focusing on the social/emotional?

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