Stivers and Fudge Introduce Bill to Support Head Start

Press Release

Today, Representative Steve Stivers (R-OH) joined Representative Marcia Fudge (D-OH) to introduce the Head Start Extended Duration Grants Act. This bill will authorize year-round, full-day Head Start services, which offers programs for kids from newborn to five years old, primarily from lower income families, to provide comprehensive education, health, nutrition, and other services.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, childhood education has faced unique challenges. This bill will help to address the need to maintain quality, robust education for students nationwide by requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide grants to help keep Head Start programs running throughout the year.

"Education has, and will, continue to look different in communities across the country, but what won't change is the vital need for kids to receive a strong educational foundation," said Stivers. "I'm proud to support full day expansion of Head Start because every child deserves access to the tools they need to create a bright future."

"Head Start supports early learning, school readiness and healthy development for nearly one million low-income children each year, including many children of color," said Fudge. "One of the best ways to improve on the successes of Head Start is to increase the duration of services provided to children. Full-day, full-year programs lead to greater learning for students and help to support working parents, but many children and families lack access to these services. The Head Start Extended Duration Grants Act will help Head Start programs offer more hours of service without reducing the number of children they serve. As programs work to reopen safely, extended duration grants will also help to support Head Start teachers and uplift vulnerable children and families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic."

The grants in this bill will support early childhood education through funding for Head Start programs to hire staff, provide their students with full-time, full-year programming, supply classroom materials, and integrate further training for current teachers.

In addition, this legislation will require HHS to report to Congress on:

How funding helped expand access to full-time, full-year services,
How funding helped expand access to additional service hours for migrant and seasonal Head Start agencies,
How funding helped enhance the quality of existing Head Start services,
How many current full-time, full-year Head Start programs have an applicant waitlist;
How many Head Start programs waiting to become full-time, full-year have an applicant waitlist.
Head Start has proven to improve educational outcomes throughout kids' lives, and increases the chances students will graduate from high school, attend college, and receive a post-secondary degree, license, or certification. Children enrolled in this program are less likely to be incarcerated or unemployed, and more likely to achieve a higher quality of life as adults.

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