Based on the view that coordinated efforts among Head Start programs, child care programs and other prekindergarten programs, and states can be enhanced without devolving Head Start and its high quality standards to the states, this position paper draws on a Bush Administration report and the Head Start Program Performance Standards to demonstrate how Head Start programs collaborate extensively with organizations affiliated with or within states. The paper further describes extant barriers to collaboration and presents a vision for improving collaboration among Head Start programs and states. Testimony from the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families is cited to demonstrate Head Start's recognition of the states' important role in formulating and implementing policies and initiatives affecting low-income children and their families and the program's emphasis on partnerships, including partnerships with local school districts and local governments. The paper excerpts from Head Start Program Performance Standards to illustrate the encouragement given to programs to collaborate with state, local, and private organizations. Barriers to collaboration include having to work with partners of lesser quality, differing eligibility requirements, and a lack of strong incentives to pool resources and to work together. Five recommendations are offered that do not involve dismantling Head Start by sending the program to the states through block grants: (1) reform and expand the training and technical assistance system; (2) develop a process for joint community assessments and recruitment; (3) establish a vehicle to blend funding; (4) expand eligibility requirements; and (5) hold every early childhood program to the highest standards. The position paper concludes by pointing out that although Head Start is currently doing an extremely good job with collaboration and cooperation, there are many ways to break down barriers to collaboration and cooperation that can significantly improve the quality of Head Start programs and improve the efficiency of service delivery without altering the federal-to-local structure or dismantling the remaining components of the program. (KB)