ATTACHMENT E.-1,268 LICENSED DAY CARE HOMES, JANUARY 1, 1975

CAPACITY: 19,184 JANUARY 1, 1975

ATTACHMENT F.-LICENSED DAY CARE AND PRESCHOOLS: TOTAL: 671.

Senator CLARK. Thank you. Senator McGovern has arrived.

Senator McGOVERN. I came to relieve you.

Senator CLARK. Good. This panel, Senator McGovern, is made up of Mr. Poore, Mr. Ellis, and Mr. Robinson. Mr. Poore already has spoken, and the other two have yet to speak. We are going to Mr. Goldberg and then through the list.

So I leave you in good hands. Thank you very much, Senator McGovern.

Senator MCGOVERN [presiding]. All right, then I can proceed then with the next witness. I am sorry that I was unable to be here this morning, but as you gentlemen know, we have committee assignments that sometimes conflict. We have to divide our time.

STATEMENT OF EDWARD ELLIS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, KENTUCKY YOUTH RESEARCH CENTER, FRANKFORT, KY.

Mr. ELLIS. I am Edward Ellis. I am the director of the Kentucky Youth Research Center, a private, nonprofit organization, and I want to thank the committee for this opportunity to testify for this Senate bill 850.

Our organization operates a large portion of the Head Start centers in the most rural Appalachian areas in isolated counties of east Kentucky where the average per capita annual income is roughly $1,568, an amount well below the national poverty guidelines and the average family income in this area is roughly $3,098. Of the 3,141 counties in the Nation, one of our counties ranks 3,140, which is second, and another ranks 3,138, which is the fourth poorest county, a dubious honor, I assure you, but one that points up the tremendous needs for these very isolated poor that we serve.

The research center serves 940 children and their families through Head Start and its 27 child development centers and through its health and social services program which focuses on the child's family, provides the vital link between the center and the home while these preschool children are being introduced to good health, nutritional, and physical development at the center.

The health and social services staff encourages and helps the parents to carry over these practices in the child's own home. Parents are further encouraged to visit and volunteer in the centers and to become familiar with what their children are learning.

Now, here is where the real needs are with these families and with these children. In addition to the Head Start program that we have in our private, nonprofit organization, we also have a large Appalachian Regional Commission child development program, funds granted to Kentucky for the operator of another similar early childhood development program in east Kentucky, which serve 1.203 children in 49 child development centers. This program serves several categories of children, those unable to pay, those who pay a fee, including children of working mothers, and a limited number of purchaseof-care services for children from the State categorical assistance programs.

In addition to the actual operation of these early childhood programs our organization offers training, technical assistance, and monitoring services, and we subcontract with six locally operated agencies

in seven additional counties, making a 20-county area in Appalachian eastern Kentucky. Kentucky as a whole of course has other full year Head Start programs, 28 and 30, summer Head Start programs. All these programs strive to stimulate children's mental and physical. potential and to thus enrich their present and future lives.

A good nutritional program such as is basic in the bill proposed, S. 850, is a very vital one since our agency has witnessed that working with children in the centers who are so malnourished and listless that they could not be stimulated by anything except food, and over a period of time and after a few nourishing meals in the center, many times the only meals they received during the day, they did become interested in center activities. They began to look healthy, be curious, and enjoy life as children should.

The research center became a participant in the special food services program about 4 years ago, and these are points that I particularly wanted to make, as a citizen and particularly as a director for a large system and agency because we did not know about this program. No dissemination of information was ever given. We did not understand that we were eligible, but it was only after much discussion that I found that under the USDA act that we were eligible, and we applied-and we were one of the first Head Start programs and child development programs in the country to have received reimbursable food costs at an early time.

It was only later that the other national Head Start programs were also allowed to receive reimbursement, and as of September 1, 1974, we are being reimbursed by the State at 78 cents per child per day, based on the average daily attendance, which represents 18 cents for breakfast, 36 cents for lunch, and 12 cents each for two snacks.

Prior to September 1974, the amount per child was only 65 cents. This program, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture food program represents approximately $209,898 in reimbursements for costs and $25,491 in donated foods to our static budget these last few years.

These amounts do not begin to pay for the actual expenses involved in a good nutritional program. Present reimbursable costs do not pay for salaries, space, and nonfood consumable items, such as napkins, cleaning and janitorial supplies. Senate bill 850 will go a long way toward helping to meet these rising costs and meet the needs, especially in the area of services or equipment that are so important to continue nutritional needs and services. The funds from this Senate bill if given to us will make it possible for us to do an adequate job in preparation, storage, maintenance, and handling of foods.

Also, it will make it possible for the first time to relieve other portions of static budget in the spiraling inflationary economy. This bill, S. 850, in a widespread rural system such as ours go unnoticed many times. Such other centers, particularly single center operations and family care centers are never informed about what they may or may not be eligible for. It would be our hope that there would be something included in this bill to help make this dissemination and do monitoring and followup.

This calls for some, I understand, additional thoughts being given to the bill. Special food services program and commodity food program has not only improved the health and nutrition of the children