mr. chairman , i appreciate the gentlewoman yielding me this time . 
at a time when our country is grasping with how to deal with ongoing gaps in wealth , poverty , and education , we must recognize that head start is a critical component to helping those children at a disadvantage get on a more equal ground . 
as we know all too well , the achievement gap that continues to plague our country has early roots , and the sooner we can help young people gain valuable skills , get good nutrition , and provide them with a comprehensive early education , the better chance we have of improving their future . 
while this bill does strengthen the program for the over-900 children served , there are still far too many children starting kindergarten at great disadvantage . 
in my state alone , nearly 20 , 000 students benefit from head start ; but we know that over half a million children in new jersey are eligible and never get a chance to get on that equal footing . 
it is those children we must think of as we seek to improve this bill . 
i am relieved we are debating a bill that does not produce devastating effects on this program , but instead keeps it intact and provides a number of improvements . 
but i hope the end product will reflect those efforts and will not end up poisoning the bill by repealing civil rights and discrimination protections . 
if for over 30 years religious institutions have not had a problem providing head start services , why would the congress of the united states now sanction and permit discrimination and violate civil liberties ? 
it is simply not in the national interest , and it is the wrong action and the wrong lesson to teach our children . 
in this bill we are asking more from our early childhood educators , yet we are not providing them with more . 
we must be realistic about the challenges this creates . 
the estimated cost for half of all head start teachers to earn a bachelor 's degree by 2008 , as the bill calls for , is an estimated $ 2 billion over 5 years . 
we need to work to attract talented individuals to continue to enter the field , not make it harder for them to stay in it . 
