Bill Clinton: -The law directs that 60% of new money appropriated to Head Start will go to improving quality in the program that prepares children from low-income families to start school. Previous rules directed 75% of any new Head Start money toward adding more children. About 800,000 children now receive benefits from the preschool program, which is newly authorized for $35 billion over five years. -Head Starts grant budget exceeded the one billion dollars, and the number of children assisted is a little more than nine million (2003). In September of 1995, under the Bill Clinton administration, the first Early Head Start grants are given and in October of 1998, Head Start was reauthorized to expand to full-day and full-year services.

Lilian Katz: -"As you consider whether to move a child into formal academic training, remember that we want our children to do more than just learn how to read and write; we want them to learn in such a way that they become lifelong readers and writers. If we push our children to start learning these skills too far ahead of their own spontaneous interest and their capacity, we may sacrifice the long-range goal of having them enjoy such pursuits."