Head Start Families from 50 States Come Together at U.S. Capitol to Support Funding
At a rally on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on September 27, 2017, parents and staff from the Blair County Head Start program joined 1,500 Head Start families, alumni and staff in calling on Congress, with one voice, to robustly fund Head Start.
The National Head Start Association kicked off Head Start Awareness Month with a spirit rally on the U.S. Capitol Grounds. With the Capitol Dome in view, Members of Congress and Head Start advocates raised their voices to call attention to the importance of early childhood education. Following the rally, participants walked to the US House of Representatives and the US Senate to meet with their Members of Congress.
“Blair County Head Start serves 514 preschool children in Blair County, each of whom relies on Head Start’s comprehensive approach to early learning to get fully prepared for success in Kindergarten and beyond,” Terry Wasovich, Blair County Head Start Director said. “Three of our Head Start parents and two staff attended the Leadership Institute and Spirt Rally in Washington to learn more about how best to advocate our children and families. The primary goal for the children enrolled in Blair County Head Start is that each child begins their educational journey ready to learn and succeed. Every child can tap into their innate potential to learn when they receive high quality instruction and quality early childhood education is a proven strategy that ensures a child’s readiness for success in school. Now it’s time for Washington to allocate sufficient and stable funding to support the provision of comprehensive services that meet the unique needs of our children and, in turn, place entire communities on the path to success.”
“Head Start families made the trip to Washington, to the very steps of Congress, to send a clear message — we must sustain our national commitment to America’s most vulnerable children,” National Head Start Association Executive Director Yasmina Vinci said. “Current and future generations need a strong and consistent investment in quality early childhood education that builds on what we know works…and Head Start works!”