By Gwen L. Robinson
Guest columnist

President Bush's proposal to re-engineer Head Start ("Critics want Head Start system overhauled now," July 11) destroys the multifaceted focus of a program that has worked for nearly 40 years. The massive changes planned are not based on any reputable data or research study. In fact, Bush is not willing to wait for the results of his own research. If children lose ground academically by the third grade, it is not attributable to Head Start. It is attributable to an educational system that has serious flaws. To reallocate Head Start funds to states that have a failing report card in graduation rates, attendance and proficiency-test scores is misguided.

At present, 43 states have education budget deficits. In Ohio, charter schools were created as desperate parents and communities have taken control of their children's education.

One of Head Start's main strengths is its national performance standards, which apply to all 1,800 grantees including the U.S. territories. So whether the program is on an Indian reservation, a farm for migrant workers, in Alaska or Mississippi, it is required to meet the same stringent mandates of those 680 performance standards, in addition to state and local regulations.

The Head Start program already has all the components for the academic-focused model that President Bush is proposing. The program's success is built on understanding how early exposure to positive educational experiences bolsters school readiness. Head Start's holistic, child-focused model ensures that preschoolers are balanced in their social, emotional and cognitive development. Johnny can't learn to read if he's hungry, or sick, living in an unstable home environment or his parents don't understand their critical role in their child's development. Cutting comprehensive services that bolster disadvantaged families means that the literacy gap between the nation's poorest children and their middle-class peers will only widen.

Studies show that Head Start children require less special education later in school; are more likely to graduate from high school; and in many cases, continue on to college.

Bush's proposal ignores the important role parents have in their children's development and fails to demonstrate that his objectives can even be achieved. It is too big of a risk to gamble on the next generation of our children.

The Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency is the largest provider of Head Start services in Southwest Ohio, serving 4,500 children in Hamilton County. The agency has taught thousands more who are now leading successful, productive lives "Head Start helped lawyer improve lot," July 15. And we remain committed to investing in the future of the neediest children in our community.

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Gwen L. Robinson is president and CEO of Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency
• http://www.cincy-caa.org/