Getting a Head Start
Only 1,412 days to go...
I’ve done a lot of Adam Grant’s so-called “thinking again” over the years.
Take Meritocracy.
I have always been a big fan of meritocracy - I worked for a company that generally promoted from within and it wasn’t unusual for better performers to leapfrog over people with greater seniority. It was a model that I embraced after having worked and seen situations where seniority ruled. I still believe fundamentally in a meritocracy, but my views have softened a bit through the years because I’ve come to understand that some of the better performers have had advantages that are unique.
David Brooks wrote an article in The Atlantic that I think is worth sharing: How the Ivy League Broke America: The meritocracy isn’t working. We need something new.
After the meritocrats took over in the 1960s, we got quagmires in Vietnam and Afghanistan, needless carnage in Iraq, the 2008 financial crisis, the toxic rise of social media, and our current age of political dysfunction… In short, under the leadership of our current meritocratic class, trust in institutions has plummeted to the point where, three times since 2016, a large mass of voters has shoved a big middle finger in the elites’ faces by voting for Donald Trump.
It’s a long article, but I found it illuminating and it gave me a lot to think about.
My sibs and I have often said, that we won the parent lottery. We had parents who were solid, kind, generous, principled, consistent, hard working and parented in harmony with each other. Conflicts were settled rationally and calmly with little drama. Both of my folks had grown up in relatively modest homes, but had done well in school and in work, because they studied hard and had great work ethics.
My dad was a reliable breadwinner, my mother was fabulous homemaker, who quit working after my brother was born. She made us terrific, healthy meals and we sat down as a family to eat dinner at night in the dining room by candlelight. We slept in clean sheets, lived in a clean house and wore clean clothes. The older I have become, the more I understand how rare these kind of families are.
The Donna Reed Show (which ran from 1958-1966) was my reality TV. I had a dad who worked as a doctor, a mother who volunteered and a brother who could be annoying… and eventually a little sister was added to the family. My parents even looked a bit like Donna Reed and Carl Betz.
Because my parents had worked hard, they acquired the means to move us to a lovely suburb with superb public schools. During my two years of public kindergarten we played, fingerpainted, colored, had stories read to us, learned our colors, sang songs, and never saw or wrote on a single ditto sheet - ever. In other words, our teachers focused on us learning social skills rather than academic. Thank God!
The next eight years were terrific where we had not only dedicated teachers drilling us in academics, but daily PE classes and twice-weekly music, art, and library classes, where we could explore and develop in mind, body and spirit; creatively as well as academically. I learned to recognize all the instruments in a symphonic orchestra, worked with clay and paint and in the winter even went ice skating for gym class. I was taught civics and geography and how to write cursively. I learn memorization skills through a “geography baseball,” the multiplication table, and reciting poetry.
There were no away sports or tutors. I didn’t have much homework — just science projects and book reports. Homework was “my work.” My parents rarely got involved with it. Girl Scouts on Mondays. Playing with friends the other days. We biked around town or walked — we were never chauffeured anywhere really. Instead of having obsessed helicopter parents, ours practiced free-range parenting.
My high school experience was the not the easiest because the school was considerably larger than my elementary school, and who really likes high school anyway? But I had an excellent education, none the less.
Did I win the parent lottery or what? I was given every opportunity to succeed in a meritocratic system.
Have you ever seen this video?
After I saw this video, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was one of those kids, who had a head start in the race. I was one of the lucky ones.
But what about all the other kids way back at the starting line?
Given my experiences working at a BIA boarding school, I developed less than positive feelings about the Federal government’s involvement in education. Sometimes, I do wonder about the role of the Department of Education and whether it is an effective organization. But there is one educational program, that I do feel good about.
Why? Because I met Terri.
Terri was this young staff person working on one of my client projects. She was eager and did excellent work. Though, she didn’t work directly for me, I would discuss client issues, etc. with her. Over time we started having personal conversations. I learned that Terri was born to a 15-year-old teenager. Her mother was actually younger than I was, which really shocked me. Terri was raised in relative poverty in a single parent home. Eventually, she graduated from high school and got a full scholarship to Purdue. She beat all the odds and statistics that you read about. I was amazed and asked her how she was able to succeed in such a spectacular way.
Her answer was immediate and simple: “Head Start. It changed my life.”
The Head Start program, a federally funded early childhood education initiative, was launched in 1965 as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s "War on Poverty." It was designed to provide comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and their families. Early childhood experiences are crucial because they lay the foundation for a child's cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development. Positive interactions, sensory stimulation, and nurturing environments help form strong neural connections that support learning and problem-solving.
Early childhood experiences shape a child's future, influencing their ability to learn, socialize, and succeed. Investing in nurturing environments, quality education, and supportive relationships during these early years has lifelong benefits, not just for individuals but for society as a whole.
Head Start is actually handled by Health and Human Services and not the DOE. Head Start centers aren’t run by the government, but depend on its funding to keep their doors open. The federal funding goes to local day care centers that provide food, health checkups, and education for the country’s poorest children from birth to age five. All the funding that Head Start programs receive comes in the form of reimbursements to the centers for costs that they’ve already taken on for rent, supplies, and payroll.
Head Start has served over 37 million children since its inception. Studies show mixed long-term academic effects, but it has been linked to higher high school graduation rates, better health outcomes, and reduced crime rates among participants. The program has often faced funding challenges, political debates, and periodic calls for reform. But despite its challenges, Head Start remains a crucial early intervention program for children from low-income families, providing not just education but also health, nutrition, and family support services.
Terri was a success story. And there have been others:
U.S. Representative Loretta Sanchez – The former congresswoman from California was a Head Start student.
Senator Ben Ray Luján – The U.S. senator from New Mexico has credited Head Start for helping shape his early education.
Julián Castro – The former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and San Antonio mayor attended a Head Start program.
Darren Walker: Currently serving as the president of the Ford Foundation, one of the largest philanthropic organizations globally, Walker was among the first cohort of children to benefit from the Head Start Program.
Shaquille O’Neal – The legendary NBA player and sports analyst attended a Head Start program as a child.
Trump's administration has proposed significant changes to the Head Start program; specifically, eliminating the Head Start program, asserting that it does not provide sufficient value. This proposal has raised concerns about the potential impact on nearly 800,000 children and parents who rely on Head Start's services, as well as the possible loss of approximately 250,000 jobs associated with the program.
In January, the administration issued a memorandum that temporarily paused the disbursement of federal grants and loans, including those for Head Start. This pause led to operational challenges for several Head Start programs, with some centers facing closures due to funding disruptions. Although the administration clarified that the funding freeze was not intended to affect Head Start, many programs continued to experience difficulties accessing federal funds, resulting in temporary closures and uncertainty among staff and families.
Children who attend quality early childhood education programs (like Head Start) enter school with better pre-reading, math, and social skills. Early exposure to structured learning environments fosters curiosity and a love for learning. Studies show that positive early childhood experiences lead to higher educational attainment, better career opportunities, and improved mental and physical health.
Meeting Terri was a game-changer for me. She got a head start and eventually progressed within my firm through meritocracy. One wonders what her life would have been without Head Start. The statistics aren’t great.
While I’m sure there are probably flaws in the program, I believe in Head Start. Getting a head start in life, like I did, can change the trajectory of your life. It seems like a pretty small price to pay, to help these children break the cycle of poverty and become productive members of society, just like Terri.
After all, #FOTUS got a head start; so did Betsy DeVos, Robert Kennedy Jr. and Elon Musk.
Thought for the day…
“Our Congress passes laws which subsidize corporation farms, oil companies, airlines, and houses for suburbia. But when they turn their attention to the poor, they suddenly become concerned about balancing the budget and cut back on the funds for Head Start, Medicare, and mental health appropriations.”
~ Coretta Scott King
Must Read Article:
An Angry Little Boy on a Great White Horse
Unlike the truly magnanimous, Trump is a leader who doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He believes that there are tens of thousands of 160-year-olds getting Social Security benefits, but that’s fictional. He says South Korea is protectionist toward the United States, but we signed free trade deals in 2007 and 2012. He said that he would lift tariffs on Canada when opioid death rates fell, but they were already falling sharply. A truly magnanimous leader would be embarrassed to be so ignorant, not proud of it… His addiction to approval is voracious and he refuses criticism, even when it is meant to be helpful, from his own supporters. Such a man lives with the secret fear that he might in fact be ordinary or insignificant.
Quote of the day:
“The economy appears to be gagging on the uncertainty created by the haphazard economic policymaking happening in DC… Tariff wars, DOGE cuts to jobs and government programs and agencies, and deportations are sowing confusion, which puts a pall on investment, hiring and spending. Even the Fed says it has put interest rate policy on hold until it gets some clarity about where economic policy is going. That may not be for a while as a government shutdown is looming, and another scary Treasury debt limit drama is sure to play out this spring. Lawmakers need to get it together soon, or the economy will go from gagging to choking.”
~ Mark Zandi, Moody’s chief economist
What I’m reading today…
President Donald Trump’s illegal funding freeze is continuing to inflict needless chaos, confusion and financial pain on Head Start programs and the middle-class families they serve throughout Illinois. As a result of the financial setbacks triggered by Trump’s funding freeze, many Head Start programs in Illinois are unsure how they’ll be able to provide food and resources to the kids in their care or whether they’ll have to shut down altogether. Photos from today’s press conference are available on the Senator’s website.
Formerly anti-vax parents on how they changed their minds: ‘I really made a mistake’
The anti-vax movement first emerged in the mid-19th century in response to mandatory smallpox-vaccination laws. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, anti-vax activism was increasingly tied to rightwing politics, framed around fears of government overreach and threats to personal freedom. In recent years, fueled by distrust of medical institutions, Covid-19-related anxieties and social media misinformation, the shift has accelerated. While vaccines may carry temporary side effects like soreness and fever, as well as the rare possibility of certain more serious risks like allergic reactions, no credible scientists who study infectious disease and epidemiology think that vaccines are remotely as dangerous as the diseases they prevent.
How government data would give an AI company extraordinary power
The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has secured unprecedented access to at least seven sensitive federal databases, including those of the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration. This access has sparked fears about cybersecurity vulnerabilities and privacy violations. Another concern has received far less attention: the potential use of the data to train a private company’s artificial intelligence systems… However, evidence has emerged that DOGE personnel simultaneously hold positions with at least one of Musk’s companies…this potential transmission of government data to private companies presents far greater privacy and power implications than most reporting identifies. A private entity with the capacity to develop artificial intelligence technologies could use government data to leapfrog its competitors and wield massive influence over society.
There’s nothing normal about this. We’re in a different world now. Even calling this “Trump 2.0” radically understates what’s happening. The choice is democracy or dictatorship. Self-government or oligarchy. Everyone must choose sides. Not to choose is to accept the forces now in control — to allow Trump to become even more of a dictator and his billionaire backers and cronies to siphon up even more oligarchic wealth and power. Another coping mechanism that’s just as dangerous is giving up — succumbing to cynicism, believing everything is hopeless…I’m seeking out voices who understand the stakes, who give me reasons for hope and practical ideas for what you and I can do.
‘It Feels Like It’s Chaotic on Purpose’
DOGE has exposed potentially sensitive data on its website, and fired and then tried to rehire nuclear-security, bird-flu, food-safety, and medical-device experts. DOGE has flouted cybersecurity protocol to access data and IT systems at a number of federal agencies—potentially including sensitive information on U.S. citizens, defense technologies, and infectious diseases.
American Economy Seems Booked for a Long Stay In Uncertainty City
When companies cannot reasonably forecast their tax burdens, healthcare costs, trade policies, or regulatory compliance expenses, prudence dictates delay. But when too many firms simultaneously postpone investment in physical capital, innovation, and human resources, expansions falter and longer-term growth prospects dim. Sometimes, the darkest economic cloud is not knowing which way the wind blows. Corporate America doesn’t know which way the wind is blowing when it comes to trade…The economy appears to be gagging on the uncertainty created by the haphazard economic policymaking happening in DC.
Veterans fired from federal jobs say they feel betrayed, including some who voted for Trump
The mass firing of federal employees since Trump took office in January is pushing out veterans who make up 30% of the nation’s federal workforce… The Department of Veterans Affairs — a major employer of veterans — is planning a reorganization that includes cutting over 80,000 jobs from the sprawling agency, according to an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press. Veterans represent more than 25% of the VA’s workforce… In interviews, several veterans described their recent job losses as a betrayal of their military service. They are particularly angered by how it happened: in an email that cited inadequate job performance — despite, they say, receiving positive reviews in their roles.
Opinion: NC's millionaire Sens. Tillis and Budd need to fight Musk cuts harming Americans
My representatives may be telling themselves that the good they do in the Congress offsets their capitulation to tyranny. Yet much of the good that they have done in Congress (cutting the costs of drugs to seniors, funding infrastructure, protecting veterans, help for disaster areas) is being trashed as we speak. What’s left is simple meanness. Members of Congress, I put forward the proposition that risking your jobs is worth it, if it saves our republic. If you fail us, no one will miss you when you’re gone.
Farm Service Agency office surrounded by Helene-impacted farms to be terminated, DOGE says
Even as farmers recover from record flooding sustained during Tropical Storm Helene, the Trump administration has indicated it will terminate the lease of the Farm Service Agency office located in the heart of Western North Carolina's apple orchards and fruit farms in Henderson County.
The federal government’s main repository of the Earth’s oceanic, geophysical and weather data is being targeted for immediate and likely future budget cuts by the Trump administration, a casualty of the president’s directive to cut or erase all federal programs focused on climate change…. About half the departing employees, including climate scientists, oceanographers, mathematicians and data analysts, were recently hired and were based in Asheville. They were ordered fired by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) before they had gained civil-service protection.
What I’m listening to…
What I am watching…
What I read every day…
