LANDOVER, Md. (Reuters) - President Bush's plan for the popular Head Start program, which offers health care and food to poor children, drew fire on Monday from congressional critics who contend the program would be gutted if Bush's proposals become law.

On a visit to the Highland Park Elementary School in suburban Washington, Bush applauded the program, but said its mission should be broadened to include rudimentary instruction in reading and mathematics for children of age 5 and younger.

"We just want an additional focus to Head Start," Bush told an adult audience at the school. "And the Head Start focus is teaching the basics for reading and math, that's the new focus, along with health and nutrition."

Beyond this change, Bush said state and local governments need to put money into Head Start to "lock in" the federal contribution. He did not emphasize one controversial provision of a bill expected to go to a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives) this month: the idea that some states could control Head Start, instead of the federal government.

The Congressional Black Caucus said this provision would lower standards for the program and improperly shift financial responsibility to overburdened state governments.

"If President Bush really wanted to do something to help disadvantaged children in Maryland, he would support full funding for the Head Start program, rather than gutting the program by turning it over to cash-strapped states that would not be required to maintain the program's high standards," the caucus said in a statement.

WHITE HOUSE DISCOUNTS CRITICS

Rep. Al Wynn, a Maryland Democrat whose district includes the Highland Park school, said Head Start already leaves out more than 48,000 eligible children in Maryland, or 77 percent of low-income, at-risk youngsters.

The program currently serves some 1 million U.S. children. Since it started in 1965, some 20 million children have participated in Head Start.

The Head Start bill would allow as many as eight states to participate in a pilot program enabling them, instead of the federal government, control the program in their areas.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer discounted criticism of the plan as "coming from only one party, and that's a liberal wing of one party," referring to Democratic critics.

Rep. George Miller of California, the ranking Democrat on the House committee that approved the bill, said Bush's plans would cause "long-term damage" to the program. "Instead of building on the success of Head Start, the president's plan would bring about the demise of one of the best federally supported early childhood programs," he said.