Study Proves the Long Term Benefits of Head Start Programs In response to questions about the value and effectiveness of early learning programs like Early Head Start and Head Start, a long term study was conducted that began back in the 1970s to show how children benefited and had greater success due to their participation. Greater success in school, test scores and even decreased involvement in crime for low-income children and families. The findings from the long term study confirm that Head Start administrators are on the right track and are having a positive influence on the lives of the children that participate in these programs. The Follow-up Study Results...

Original Creator of Head Start Dies in Massachusetts, age 93 A professor of pediatrics at John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland back in the late 1950s, Dr. Robert E. Cooke worked with Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson to create the Head Start programs and other major initiatives for children. His involvement the Head Start programs came after he began working with Eunice Kennedy Shriver and her husband Sargent Shriver, after they discovered their mutual interest in helping children with disabilities. Dr. Cooke, who was also a father of two children with a chromosomal defect, began working as an adviser to the Shrivers and the Joseph P. Kennedy...

Fiscal Year 2015 Budget: Will It Affect Head Start Programs? As reports started coming in regarding the reaction from lawmakers to the President’s fiscal year 2015 budget, administrators of Head Start Programs began to wonder how the new budget and the cuts that will ultimately be proposed and made by lawmakers would affect early education programs. From the moment the budget blueprint was released, critics and opponents began talking about how it would have a hard time making its way through Capitol Hill, especially with this being an election year. That being said, experts believe that the President’s $3.9 trillion budget plan doesn’t even stand a chance of being enacted,...

More Funding Needed in Massachusetts for Head Start Programs Just a few weeks ago, it seemed as though the Head Start and Early Head Start budget crisis was over. Education program funding was supposed to be back on the rise, helping low income families right here in Massachusetts and across the country to get access to the early education programs that they so desperately need. However, a state budget meeting was held recently in which a group known as “Stand for Children,” came seeking an increase in funding for preschool programs in the state. Growing Wait List in Massachusetts The most recent count shows that over 40,000 low income families...

The House Budget Committee’s View on Early Learning Programs With so many American families depending on early learning programs like the Head Start programs, it is important to stay on top of reports, such as the one from the House Budget Committee, has to say about these important social services. The report focused on a wide group of social service and educational programs and specifically addressed the Head Start and Child Care and Development Fund programs, two services that low-income families rely on heavily, especially in the current economic climate. Here is a brief overview on what the House Budget Committee Report had to say about Head Start Programs and...

The Importance Child Nutrition Plays in Head Start Programs When most people think about Head Start Programs, they think about early childhood learning and education for low-income families. And while it’s true that Head Start is an educational community service that millions have counted on since the program was first launched, the nutritional services of Head Start are just as important. It is the cooperative effort between education and quality nutrition that makes the Head Start Program so successful in the communities where it is needed most. Head Start administrators work together with staff and participating families to identify the nutritional requirements of each child. This helps the program and...

Smart Food Purchasing for Head Start Program Administrators Administrators who run local Head Start Programs understand what it means to have the numbers work against you. In the 2013 Sequestration that came as a result of the Congressional budget showdown, administrators were forced to reduce Head Start budgets by more than five percent. While that may not sound like a lot to those on the outside, between food purchasing for Head Start, administrative costs, office supplies, janitorial supplies and all of the programs offered within the program, that five percent amounted to a lot. Administrators Worked Smarter, Not Harder In the face of the budget cuts, some of the local...

The 4 Primary Benefits of the Head Start Early Learning Program Sometimes it is difficult to make others understand the importance of providing free educational opportunities at Head Start preschool programs across the country. Other times, it seems as if everyone understands and that we are just preaching to the choir. However, it is still important to make sure that all people see the benefits of providing an early learning program to low-income families, so if we just focus on the four primary benefits as outlined on the National Head Start Program website, which has been compiled from years and years of research, perhaps we can open some eyes. EDUCATION...

How to Overcome Sequester Budget Cuts at Head Start Schools In March 2013, early education programs such as Head Start schools were hit with a mighty blow from the sequester budget cuts. While most Americans would probably ask, “What is sequester cuts?”, the were likely affected by them without even knowing. The Head Start budget, like budgets for other federally funded programs, such as defense, housing and other special education programs, was reduced by over 5-percent. Unfortunately, many Head Start schools were forced to reduce program availability to low-income families, cut staff or, in some cases, shut their doors completely. Fortunately there are some ways for Head Start schools to...

  New Congressional Budget Deal to Help the National Head Start Association After years of having to deal with budget cuts and other issues surrounding reductions in funds for early childhood learning, the National Head Start Association finally got some good news this week with regard to the budget deal that was reached by lawmakers. Advocates of the Head Start Program are hailing this deal as a very encouraging sign that Washington has made a strong commitment to early childhood learning programs. Basic Facts About the Budget Deal According to the information that has been released, the new budget deal with restore funds that were originally cut from Head Start...