DeLauro Honors “Father of Head Start,” Yale’s Dr. Edward Zigler

WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) today joined the National Head Start Association’s 50th anniversary conference to pay tribute to New Haven native Dr. Edward Zigler, recognized as the “Father of Head Start.” DeLauro is the senior Democrat on the subcommittee responsible for funding the departments of education, and health and human services.

The below remarks are as prepared for delivery:

“Good afternoon. It is an inspiration to see so many dedicated professionals and parents gathered here to celebrate Head Start! You are on the front lines of this program that has given millions of disadvantaged children a fair chance in life. Let me recognize our hosts, the National Head Start Association. For more than four decades, you have acted as a megaphone for the generations of families who have benefited from Head Start, not to mention the millions who will enjoy its benefits into the future. And let me tell you – we hear you loud and clear on Capitol Hill!

Fifty years ago, Sargent Shriver, one of the architects of the War on Poverty, hand-picked a brilliant young academic from Yale, Edward Zigler, to serve as the leading expert tasked with designing the program that became Head Start.

President Johnson spoke of this project as opening ‘a new war front on poverty.’ He said, ‘We set out to make certain that poverty’s children would not be forevermore poverty’s captives.’
Professor Zigler soon became known as the ‘Father of Head Start,’ and with good reason.

Father Zigler, as I will call him, has advised every President since 1964, whether Democrat or Republican, on early childhood development. President Nixon appointed him to lead the office that has become the Administration for Children and Families. Simply put, nobody has done more to advance Head Start. He is rightly one of the most celebrated residents of our mutual home town of New Haven, Connecticut!

Even today, it is difficult to overstate how audacious, how revolutionary Professor Zigler’s vision really is. Head Start brings together everything that matters most to young children – education, health, emotional wellbeing, nutrition, social services. Instead of treating children as isolated individuals, Head Start embraces whole families, involving parents in making sure their kids are ready to learn.

Head Start is without question the most effective early childhood development program our country has ever developed. It has served 30 million children and counting. We know that our Head Start graduates are less likely to need special education services, to be held back a grade, or to get into trouble with the law. And they are more likely to go to college and have professional careers. Head Start graduates are tomorrow’s doctors, scientists, teachers, engineers, and political leaders.

That is why this program is so close to my heart, both professionally and personally. From watching my own grandchildren, playing with them, reading to them, I know just how formative the earliest of experiences can be.

Since I became the senior Democrat on the Committee responsible for funding Head Start, the program’s budget has grown by nearly $1.4 billion, or 19 percent. I could not be more proud of the role I have played in making those increases a reality.At the same time, we know, and Professor Zigler knows, that it is not enough. We need to make an even bigger commitment. We need to bring the benefits of full-day, year-round services to the young children whose need is greatest. President Obama’s budget is a step in the right direction, with an additional $1.5 billion.

We must provide this support, not only because it is the right thing to do but because it is essential to our future as a nation. As Professor Zigler has written, ‘If every child is a national resource, then every child’s welfare is a national responsibility.’ And, I would add, a national priority.

There is simply no better way to spend our education dollars than to fund early childhood development. Head Start means so much to the children and families it serves. When I visited Seneca Falls, New York last year, I saw a charming poster in a storefront window. It had a picture of a dinosaur with the slogan, “Save Head Start from Extinction!” And the kids had put their names and handprints on it.

Professor Zigler’s own handprints can be found on everything we do for American children. Without question, he is the greatest advocate for early childhood development this country has ever produced. He stands among the titans of post-war American public policy. His gifts to the United States do not stop with Head Start. He helped give our country family and medical leave, assistance with childcare, Zero to Three, and, with Jim Comer, the CoZi initiative. But his greatest legacy is the stars – too numerous to name – who trained at Yale under his tutelage.

That is why Professor Zigler is one of my heroes. I have always been proud to count him as a constituent, a mentor, and a friend. Thank you, and congratulations!”


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