Early Childhood Programs: Multiple Programs and Overlapping Target Groups (Fact Sheet, 10/31/94, GAO/HEHS-95-4FS). This report responds to a congressional request for information on early childhood programs--that is, preschool and child care programs for children from birth through age five. In summary, GAO found that in fiscal years 1992 and 1993, the federal government funded more than 90 early childhood programs in 11 federal agencies and 20 offices. Of these programs, 34 were key programs--early childhood programs for which early childhood education or child care is the key to the program's mission. These key programs delivered services to at least two million children below age five and spent at least $3.66 billion in fiscal year 1992. However, data are limited on the exact number of children served and the dollars spent on children below age five. Although these programs have some similarities, they may target different populations, use different eligibility criteria, and provide a different mix of services to children and their families. --------------------------- Indexing Terms ----------------------------- REPORTNUM: HEHS-95-4FS TITLE: Early Childhood Programs: Multiple Programs and Overlapping Target Groups DATE: 10/31/94 SUBJECT: Aid to families with dependent children Disadvantaged persons Children Child care programs Eligibility criteria Preschoolers Head-start programs Educational programs Welfare services Budget authority IDENTIFIER: AFDC/JOBS Child Care Program AFDC Transitional Child Care Program AFDC HHS At-Risk Child Care Program Child Care and Development Block Grant Dept. of Education Chapter 1 Program for Educationally Disadvantaged Children Community Services Block Grant HHS Child Development Associate Scholarship Program Even Start Family Literacy Program Even Start--Indian Tribes and Tribal Organizations Program ************************************************************************** * This file contains an ASCII representation of the text of a GAO * * report. 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We are unable to accept electronic orders * * for printed documents at this time. * ************************************************************************** Cover ================================================================ COVER Fact Sheet for the Chairman, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, Committee on Appropriations, U.S. Senate October 1994 EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS - MULTIPLE PROGRAMS AND OVERLAPPING TARGET GROUPS GAO/HEHS-95-4FS Multiple Early Childhood Programs Abbreviations =============================================================== ABBREV AFDC - Aid to Families with Dependent Children CFDA - Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance ESEA - Elementary and Secondary Education Act FFY - federal fiscal year HHS - Department of Health and Human Services HUD - Department of Housing and Urban Development JOBS - Job Opportunities and Basic Skills OMB - Office of Management and Budget Letter =============================================================== LETTER B-256215 October 31, 1994 The Honorable Tom Harkin Chairman, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Committee on Appropriations United States Senate Dear Mr. Chairman: In recent years, the Congress has recognized the importance of providing preschool programs for disadvantaged children and child care for low-income families to help them attain self-sufficiency. For example, in light of National Education Goal One--which states that by the year 2000 all disadvantaged children will enter school ready to learn--the Congress has consistently increased the budget for the Head Start program in recent years. In addition, the Congress has also created four new child care programs for low-income families since 1988.\1 These preschool and child care programs target children at similar ages, and some may provide similar services. At the same time, these federally funded programs are often designed for different purposes, and some programs may be more comprehensive or costly than others. Currently, federally funded child care and preschool programs are not operating in an integrated system. Previous GAO work in other areas indicates that a patchwork of programs may not provide the most efficient use of resources or provide individuals with needed services.\2 In light of our previous work, you requested that we provide you with information on early childhood programs--that is, preschool and child care programs for children from birth through the age of 5. Specifically, you were interested in (1) the total number of federally funded early childhood programs (excluding Department of Defense programs and tax credits) providing education or child care to children; (2) the budget authority for key programs--that is, early childhood programs for which early childhood education or child care is key to the mission of the program; (3) the number of children served by these key programs; (4) the eligibility criteria for the key programs; and (5) differences in services across key programs. To address your request, we reviewed the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, reviewed previous GAO studies of multiple programs, and surveyed program officials from key programs. We did this analysis to provide you with information to assist in determining the level of federal funding for each of the early childhood education and child care programs in light of caps on discretionary spending. In summary, we found that in federal fiscal years 1992 and 1993, the federal government funded over 90 early childhood programs in 11 federal agencies and 20 offices. Of these programs, 34 were key programs. These key programs provided services to at least 2 million children below age 5 and spent at least $3.66 billion in federal fiscal year 1992.\3 However, data are limited on the exact number of children served and the dollars spent on children below age 5. Although these programs have some similarities, they may target different populations, use different eligibility criteria, and provide a different mix of services to children and their families. -------------------- \1 These four programs are (1) Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)/Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) Child Care, (2) AFDC Transitional Child Care, (3) At-Risk Child Care, and (4) the Child Care and Development Block Grant. \2 Multiple Employment Programs: National Employment Training Strategy Needed (GAO/T-HRD-93-27, June 18, 1993), Multiple Employment Training Programs: Conflicting Requirements Hamper Delivery of Services (GAO/HEHS-94-78, Jan. 28, 1994), and Multiple Employment Training Programs: Most Federal Agencies Do Not Know If Their Programs Are Working Effectively (GAO/HEHS-94-88, Mar. 2, 1994). \3 You requested that we provide data on numbers of children served and budget authority for federal fiscal year 1992. OVER 90 EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS FUNDED ------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :1 In fiscal years 1992 and 1993, over 90 early childhood programs in 11 federal agencies and 20 offices were funded by the federal government (see section 1). For example, the Department of Education had six offices that funded childhood programs, and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had two offices that funded such programs. Of the programs identified, we defined 34 as "key"--that is, education or child care were key to the mission of the program. Examples of key programs are HHS' Head Start program, which provides education and developmental services to young children, and the Department of Education's Chapter 1 program, which provides preschool education to young children. The remaining programs either allowed early childhood activities to be funded as one of many activities or supported the provision of early childhood activities. An example of a program that allowed early childhood activities is HHS' Community Services Block Grant. In this program, grantees could have used funds to provide early childhood activities, but these activities were not funded through a separate line item. Further, early childhood activities were not key to the mission of this program. An example of a program that supported the provision of early childhood education or child care is HHS' Child Development Associate Scholarship program, which provides funding for the training of early childhood teachers. AT LEAST $3.66 BILLION AUTHORIZED FOR KEY EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS ------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :2 In federal fiscal year 1992, the 22 key programs that could provide data on dollars targeted to children from birth through the age of 5 had budget authority of $3.66 billion. The remaining key programs were unable to provide data on children from birth through the age of 5. However, these programs had total budget authority of $3.71 billion for children of all ages, some of whom were birth through the age of 5. (See section 2.) KEY EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS PROVIDED SERVICES FOR AT LEAST 2 MILLION CHILDREN ------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :3 The 18 key early childhood programs that were able to provide data on the number of children served from birth through age 5 reported a combined total of 2 million children served in fiscal year 1992. The remaining key programs were unable to provide data specifically on children from birth through age 5. However, eight of these programs provided services to over 900,000 children of all ages. The total number of children served by these programs may be overestimated because some programs may have provided services to the same children. For example, a 3-year-old with a disability may receive services under the Department of Education's Special Education--Preschool Grants (Section 619) as well as under Special Education--Grants to States (Part B). MULTIPLE PROGRAMS TARGET DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN ------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :4 Of the key programs we identified, 13 targeted economically disadvantaged children from birth through age 5. As a result, one disadvantaged child could potentially have been eligible for as many as 13 programs (see section 4 and fig. 1).\4 However, many programs reported serving only a portion of their target population and maintaining long waiting lists. Further, in 1990 (the most recent year for which comprehensive data were available) most disadvantaged preschool-aged children did not participate in any type of preschool program.\5 Figure 1: One Disadvantaged Child Eligible for Many Programs (See figure in printed edition.) The current "system" of multiple categorical programs with firm eligibility cutoffs may lead to disruptions in services from even slight changes in the child's family status.\6 For example, a child who lived in a family of four with an annual income of $14,335 at the beginning of the year\7 might be eligible for many of the programs; however, if the family moved or if family income or work status changed slightly, the child might not continue to be eligible for any of the programs. -------------------- \4 Some of these programs have additional criteria. For example, Even Start--Indian Tribes and Tribal Organizations requires that the child be Native American. \5 See Poor Preschool-Aged Children: Numbers Increase but Most Not in Preschool (GAO/HRD-93-111BR, July 21, 1993). \6 See Child Care: Working Poor and Welfare Recipients Face Service Gaps (GAO/HEHS-94-87, May 13, 1994). \7 The Office of Management and Budget defines poverty as families of four with an annual income below $14,335. Many programs use this as an eligibility cutoff. This annual income would also place a child below 75 percent of the median state income in some states. SIMILAR SERVICES PROVIDED FOR MANY KEY EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS ------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :5 In fiscal year 1992, 31\8 of the 34 key early childhood programs provided education/child development for young children, and 27 of the 34 provided child care, health referral, and social services referral.\9 However, fewer programs provided temporary care, dental services, and direct health services. (See section 5 and fig. 2.) Figure 2: Services Provided by Key Programs (See figure in printed edition.) -------------------- \8 The Family Resource and Support Program did not exist until federal fiscal year 1993. For this program, data are provided for federal fiscal year 1992. \9 Information on the services provided by these programs was obtained from program officers in response to a GAO questionnaire asking program officers about categories of services. Program officers indicated that variability exists within these categories. KEY PROGRAMS DIFFERED IN COMPREHENSIVENESS OF SERVICES ------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :6 Key early childhood programs varied in the comprehensiveness of the services they provided. While 8 programs provided 11 or more early childhood services, 6 programs provided 3 or fewer early childhood services. Head Start, the Comprehensive Child Development Centers, the Even Start Family Literacy Program, and Even Start--Indian Tribes and Tribal Organizations each provided or funded 11 or more services. By contrast, programs such as AFDC/JOBS Child Care, the Child Care and Development Block Grant, and AFDC Transitional Child Care each funded three or fewer early childhood services, according to the data available for these programs.\10 (See section 5.) -------------------- \10 These programs did not collect data on all services provided. ---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :6.1 We did not request written agency comments on this fact sheet. We did, however, discuss the draft with agency officials, who generally agreed with the way in which we characterized the data. They provided technical comments on the data, which we have incorporated as appropriate. We will send copies of this fact sheet to agency officials and to other interested parties. We will also make copies available to others on request. If you have any questions about this fact sheet, please call me on (202) 512-7014. Major contributors are listed in appendix II. Sincerely yours, Linda G. Morra Director, Education and Employment Issues OVER 90 EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS EXIST IN 11 FEDERAL AGENCIES ============================================================ Chapter 1 From our review of the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance,\11 our review of the literature, and our discussions with agency officials, we identified 93 federal programs that provided some type of early childhood education or child care assistance (see fig. 1.1). Our definition of "programs" includes those that provide grants, scholarships, agency child care activities, and preschool programs. Of the 93 programs, we defined 34 (identified with an asterisk) as "key." Where applicable, we include the common name of the program. We also include, where applicable, an identification number for programs listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, which describes all domestic assistance programs. For additional detailed information on the objectives, types of assistance, uses and restrictions, examples of applicant eligibility, and examples of beneficiary eligibility for all programs, see the catalog. Figure 1.1: Agencies That Provide Early Childhood Education/Child Care Programs (See figure in printed edition.) (See figure in printed edition.) ACTION 1. VISTA (72.003) Total: 1 program DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 1. Child and Adult Care Food Program (10.558) 2. Food Distribution (Food Donation Program) (10.550) 3. Food Stamps (10.551) 4. Special Milk Program for Children (10.556) 5. State Administrative Expenses for Child Nutrition (10.560) 6. Summer Food Service Program for Children (10.559) Total: 6 programs APPALACHIAN REGIONAL COMMISSION 1. Appalachian Child Development* (23.013) Total: 1 program DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 1. Bilingual Education* (84.003) 2. Children and Youth with Serious Emotional Disturbance (84.237) 3. Early Education for Children with Disabilities (84.024) 4. Education of Handicapped Children in State-Operated or -Supported Schools* (Chapter 1, ESEA\12 Handicapped) (84.009) 5. Education for Homeless Children and Youth-- Grants for State and Local Activities* (84.196) 6. Educational Research and Development (84.117) 7. Even Start--Indian Tribes and Tribal Organizations* (84.258) 8. Even Start--Migrant Education* (84.214) 9. Even Start--State Educational Agencies* (Even Start Family Literacy) (84.213) 10. Federal Pell Grant Program (84.063) 11. Federal Perkins Loan Program (formerly National Direct Student Loans) (84.038) 12. Federal Family Education Loans (formerly Guaranteed Student Loans) (84.032) 13. Federal, State, and Local Partnerships for Educational Improvement* (Chapter 2, State Block Grants) (84.151) 14. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (84.007) 15. Federal Work-Study Program (84.033) 16. First Family School Partnership (84.212) 17. Follow Through* (84.014) 18. Grants to States for State Students' Incentives (84.069) 19. Migrant Education--Basic State Formula Grant Program* (84.011) 20. National Workplace Literacy Program (84.198) 21. Native Hawaiian Family-Based Education Centers* (84.209) 22. Native Hawaiian Special Education* (84.221) 23. Rehabilitation Services--American Indians with Disabilities (84.250) 24. School Dropout Demonstration Assistance (Dropout Prevention Program) (84.201) 25. Services for Children with Deaf-Blindness* (Services for Deaf-Blind Children and Youth) (84.025) 26. Special Education--Innovation and Development (Research and Demonstration Projects in Education for the Disabled) (84.023) 27. Special Education--Infants and Toddlers* (Part H Special Education) (Not in catalog; identified by Department) 28. Special Education--State Grants* (Part B Special Education) (84.027) 29. Special Education--Preschool Grants* (Section 619 Special Education) (84.173) 30. Special Education--Regional Resource and Federal Centers (84.028) 31. Special Education--Severely Disabled Program (Program for Children with Severe Disabilities) (84.086) 32. State Program Improvement Grants* (Chapter 1) (84.218) 33. Training in Early Childhood Education and Violence Counseling (84.266) 34. Vocational Education--Basic Grants to States (84.048) Total: 34 programs GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION 1. Donation of Federal Surplus Personal Property (39.003) Total: 1 program DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 1. Abandoned Infants* (93.551) 2. Adoption Opportunities (93.652) 3. Child Abuse and Neglect Discretionary Activities (93.670) 4. Child Abuse and Neglect State Grants* (93.669) 5. Child Abuse and Neglect State Prevention Grants* (93.672) 6. Child Care for Families At Risk of Welfare Dependency* (At-Risk Child Care) (93.574) 7. Child Development Associate Scholarships (93.614) 8. Child Welfare Research and Demonstration (93.608) 9. Child Welfare Services Training Grants (93.648) 10. Child Welfare Services--State Grants (93.645) 11. Community Services Block Grant--Discretionary Awards (93.570) 12. Comprehensive Child Development Centers* (93.666) 13. Comprehensive Residential Drug Prevention and Treatment Projects for Substance-Using Women and Their Children* (Comprehensive Residential Drug Treatment Projects) (93.937) 14. Emergency Community Services for the Homeless (93.572) 15. Emergency Protection Grants--Substance Abuse* (93.554) 16. Family Resource and Support Program* (93.580) 17. Family Support Payments to States--Assistance Payments* (AFDC\13 Transitional Child Care) (93.560) 18. Family Violence Prevention and Services (93.671) 19. Grants to States for Planning and Development of Dependent Care Programs (Dependent Care Planning and Development) (93.673) 20. Head Start* (93.600) 21. Head Start-HUD*\14 (not in catalog; identified by Department) 22. Homeless Families Support Services Demonstration Program (Family Support Centers) (93.578) 23. Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training* (AFDC/JOBS\15 Child Care) (93.561) 24. Payments to States for Child Care Assistance* (Child Care and Development Block Grant) (93.575) 25. Refugee and Entrant Assistance-- State-Administered Programs (93.566) 26. Refugee and Entrant Assistance-- Discretionary Grants (93.576) 27. Social Services Block Grant* (Title XX) (93.667) 28. Temporary Child Care and Crisis Nurseries* (93.656) Total: 28 programs DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT 1. Community Development Block Grants/Entitlement Grants (14.218) 2. Community Development Block Grants/Small Cities Program (14.219) 3. Emergency Shelter Grants Program (14.231) 4. Lower Income Housing Assistance Program (Section 8 New Construction/Substantial Rehabilitation) (14.182) 5. Supplemental Assistance for Facilities to Assist the Homeless (McKinney Act) (14.236) 6. Supportive Housing Program (Transitional Housing) (14.235) Total: 6 programs DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 1. Indian Child Welfare Act--Title II Grants (15.144) 2. Indian Education--Assistance to Schools (15.130) 3. Indian Social Services--Child Welfare Assistance (15.103) 4. Family and Child Education* (FACE) (not in catalog; identified by Department) Total: 4 programs DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE 1. Cuban and Haitian Entrant Resettlement Program (16.201) 2. Part D--Juvenile Gangs and Drug Abuse and Drug Trafficking (16.544) Total: 2 programs DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 1. Employment and Training Assistance-- Dislocated Workers (17.246) 2. Job Corps* (Not in Catalog) 3. Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) (17.250) 4. Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers (17.247) 5. Native American Employment and Training Programs (17.251) 6. Senior Community Service Employment Program (Older Worker Program) (17.235) 7. Women's Special Employment Assistance (Women's Bureau) (17.700) Total: 7 programs SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION 1. Business Development Assistance to Small Business (59.005) 2. Small Business Investment Companies (59.011) 3. Small Business Loans (59.012) Total: 3 programs Grand total: 93 programs -------------------- \11 Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget (Washington, D.C.: Dec. 1993). \12 Elementary and Secondary Education Act. \13 Aid to Families with Dependent Children. \14 Department of Housing and Urban Development. \15 Job Opportunities and Basic Skills. KEY EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS' FEDERAL FISCAL YEAR 1992 BUDGETS ============================================================ Chapter 2 This section lists federal fiscal year (FFY) 1992 budget data, sorted from smallest to largest, for key programs. Table 2.1 reflects agency responses to our questionnaire. Table 2.1 Early Childhood Programs' FFY 1992 Budgets Early Early childhood childhood ratio to total budget, FFY Total budget, budget Program name 1992 FFY 1992 (percent) -------------------------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- Chapter 1, ESEA Handicapped \a \a \a Family Resource and Support \b \b \b Even Start--Indian Tribes and \c $1,050,000 \c Tribal Organizations Child Abuse and Neglect State \\c 5,367,000 \c Prevention Grants Emergency Protection Grants-- \\c 19,518,000 \c Substance Abuse Child Abuse and Neglect State \c 20,000,000 \c Grants Education for Homeless Children \c 25,000,000 \c and Youth Even Start Family Literacy \c 70,000,000 \c At-Risk Child Care \c 332,285,348 \c AFDC Transitional Child Care \c 78,182,054 \c AFDC/JOBS Child Care \c 359,796,765 \c Title XX \c 2,800,000,000 \c ================================================================================ Subtotal for programs that \d $3,711,199,167 \d cannot break out early childhood budget Native Hawaiian Special $10,000 450,000 2.22 Education Migrant Education--Basic State 270,279 308,298,000 0 Formula Grant Services for Children with Deaf- 600,000 13,000,000 4.62 Blindness Appalachian Child Development 752,563 38,700,000 1.94 Native Hawaiian Family Based 800,000 2,800,000 28.57 Education Centers Job Corps 856,298 919,533,000 0.09 Abandoned Infants 1,333,333 12,557,000 10.62 Even Start--Migrant Education 2,000,000 2,673,690 74.80 Chapter 2, State Block Grants 2,620,000 435,000,000 0.60 Family and Child Education 2,985,898 420,400,000 0.71 Comprehensive Residential Drug 3,500,000 10,300,000 33.98 Treatment Projects Head Start--HUD 4,000,000 10,000,000 40.00 Follow Through 5,500,000 8,600,000 63.95 Bilingual Education 8,100,000 225,407,000 3.59 Temporary Child Care and Crisis 10,987,000 11,055,000 99.38 Nurseries Comprehensive Child Development 20,000,000 46,800,000 42.74 Centers Special Education--State Grants 159,342,000 1,854,185,895 8.59 (Part B) Special Education--Infants and 175,000,000 175,000,000 100.00 Toddlers (Part H) Child Care and Development Block 200,000,000 731,900,000\d 27.33 Grant Special Education--Preschool 320,000,000 320,000,000 100.00 Grants (Section 619) Chapter 1 537,972,848 6,134,240,000 8.77 Head Start 2,201,800,000 2,201,800,000 100.00 ================================================================================ Total $3,658,430,219 $17,593,898,75 \d 2 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: Data are estimates provided by agency personnel in response to a GAO survey. \a Did not respond to GAO questionnaire. \b Program did not exist in FFY 1992. \c Data not provided either because data were not available for FFY 1992 or because program did not collect such data. \d Not applicable. \e FFY 1991 funds authorized to be spent over 2 years. NUMBER OF CHILDREN SERVED, FEDERAL FISCAL YEAR 1992 ============================================================ Chapter 3 This section lists the number of children served by key federal programs, sorted from smallest to largest number served, in federal fiscal year 1992. Table 3.1 reflects agency responses to our questionnaire. Table 3.1 Number of Children Served in FFY 1992