| THROWING BABY OUT WITH THE BATH WATER
Of all of the cost-cutting measures floated or implemented by the new administration, early learning for kids living in poverty wasn’t on the Bingo card for most of us.
But the Heritage Foundation has long had its sights set on Head Start, most recently calling for its elimination in the Project 2025 agenda. It’s incongruous that an organization and a presidential administration that tout family values want to eliminate a program proven to support children.
For only 1.6% of federal non-defense discretionary funding, Head Start has a sizeable impact, such as:
- Early Head Start children show significantly better social-emotional, language, and cognitive development.
- Children who attend Early Head Start and transition to Head Start are more ready for kindergarten than children who do not attend Head Start.
- Head Start children have high cognitive and social-emotional development.
- Head Start children in foster care are more ready for school.
- Children in Early Head Start are more likely to be immunized and have access to services for children with disabilities.
Head Start programs also make it possible for parents to go to work. If the program were eliminated, “more than a million parents wouldn’t be able to go to work or they would have to scramble to find some other type of option,” said Tommy Sheridan, deputy director of the National Head Start Association. In Pennsylvania, 30,000 children attend Head Start; that’s a lot of parents who would be stuck without reliable and affordable child care if the program were shut down.
While a total elimination of Head Start is a future proposal, steps to undermine the program are already underway. Elon Musk’s DOGE shut down five of the 12 regional Head Start offices that, among other duties, are responsible for making sure that providers get paid, and that programs are safe and nurturing.
On top of that, Head Start centers across the country have received nearly $1 billion less in federal money compared with this time last year — and a lag in funding this week has caused some preschool classrooms for low-income children to close.
Protecting Head Start is imperative so low-income kids have equal access to learning opportunities. Don’t let dubious agendas like Project 2025 rob children of their potential – send a message now to your lawmakers. Click here.
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