I worked with head-start for a little bit as a lifeguard in Mississippi. It was a nightmare - my experience led me to believe it was just government babysitting for brats. The parents took little interest in the lives of their kids - in a lot of cases.
That's why Pres. Bush wanted some testing to be part of Head Start, so it would be more educationally developmental and not so much baby-sitting. He has to choose his battles and has done quite a good job on those that are most important to the nation.
I used to take my little children to the park with their sand toys, and the Head Start children from the neighboring preschool would come to the park and play and descend on the toys like hungry locusts.
I felt sorry for them. All this wasteful government spending, billions of dollars or whatever, and they can’t spare some for some $.99 Wal-Mart shovels?