mr. chairman , i yield myself such time as i may consume . 
mr. chairman , the individuals with disabilities act and the 1998 head start act simply required head start programs to reach out to families who have children with disabilities . 
including children with disabilities in head start programs can be a rewarding experience for all involved : children , parents , and of course head start employees . 
but the linchpin for success with inclusion is proper training of employees to care for the children 's unique needs . 
however , the underlying legislation i think perhaps can be strengthened in this area . 
my amendment would simply do that . 
how ? 
include families who have one or more children with disabilities in the list of training course subjects the secretary is directed to provide for head start training employees so they can cope with that . 
i know firsthand , personally , both the victories and pitfalls of families who have dealt with children with learning disabilities . 
i know the worry and concern parents feel when they entrust the most precious being in their lives to the care of a stranger . 
head start personnel need to be trained , my colleagues , to mitigate these many concerns , and of course to provide meaningful guidance when a family faces a new challenge . 
so families with children with disabilities need support . 
proper training of head start employees will enable them to anticipate possible challenges , evaluate the current difficulties that they may or may not have , and will educate the employees in current strategies and resources which are available to parents . 
for parents ' piece of mind , it is imperative that those individuals caring for their children are simply equipped to handle any situation that may arise in that classroom . 
if not convinced , they will not send their child to the head start program , which would deprive the child from needed preparation for school . 
now , for head start teachers , training will equip them with the necessary tools , of course , to be successful . 
many human resources studies show the most common cause for dissatisfaction with a job is when employees feel ill equipped to meet the goals that are expected of them . 
now this dissatisfaction is compounded for educational professionals , because when they fail to meet their goals , they feel they have failed the child . 
with proper training , teachers will feel empowered . 
they will have greater understanding of the underlying issues causing difficulty for that child and will be armed with a strategy to help them so they can ultimately succeed . 
training can make that experience teaching children with disabilities a positive one instead of a negative one . 
now , there was a teacher who did not feel properly trained , for example , to teach a child with disabilities . 
when required to include a student with disabilities in her classroom , she then received the necessary training to do it . 
as a result , and this is a good clear example , this is what she said . 
`` ronnie is truly my most favorite student and my greatest accomplishment. '' now that is a learning disability student . 
bear with me here . 
`` thanks to him , i can not wait to get to school every morning to see what he has learned today . 
thanks to him i feel proud to be a teacher again . 
on november 3 , 2001 , i never thought anything good could come out from having him in my class . 
little did i know that he would be a great blessing for which i will always be thankful. '' our children deserve effective teachers . 
children with a disability generally do not respond well to change . 
we all know that . 
school is an enormous change that needs to be adequately prepared for . 
when starting school , they enter that simple , unknown world that scares them . 
many of the expectations are new . 
directions from the teachers do not make sense . 
they feel out of control themselves and they feel sort of helpless . 
teachers can ease that child 's anxiety , see when they are feeling overwhelmed , and simply provide support , and , more importantly , guidance . 
they are also able to give children specific strategies to handle these feelings , their feelings on their own , so that they in turn will feel more in control . 
by attending head start programs staffed with trained professionals , children will experience less stress , be more comfortable with their peers , accustom themselves with the behavioral expectations of classrooms , and learn strategies to deal with the inevitable distractions that are in a school setting . 
these are vital skills for them to learn at any time . 
and by learning them before beginning school , they will be better focused , more and better equipped to learn . 
mr. chairman , i urge my colleagues to support my amendment . 
provide head start employees with the training they need to support families and children with disabilities . 
mr. chairman , i reserve the balance of my time . 
