Families in Bucks County depending upon services through Head Start can breathe a sigh of relief for the next five years as Head Start funding was announced on the day the grant was proposed to sunset.
The Bucks County Intermediate Unit announced Monday that its Head Start funding was renewed. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Administration for Children and Families awarded the annual $5.849 million grant to Bucks County, for the five-year funding cycle.
Federal funding for Head Start was in limbo nationwide after the Trump administration put the program on the chopping block in an early draft of its federal budget bill. However, when that was removed from the budget the uncertainty continued when on May 1 the Bucks County IU announced it did not receive formal notification of the grant’s renewal. Two days later it then announced that it received a one-month federal continuation set to expire June 30.
Grant funding begins July 1. Head Start and Early Head Start funds services to about 362 children and their families throughout Bucks County. BCIU has administered Head Start and Early Head Start services since 2015, while these programs are aimed at youngsters from birth to age 5.
“The news from the BCIU about their Head Start funding approval is worth celebrating by anyone who wants to see Bucks County children break the cycle of poverty,” said Adam Clark, region advocacy coordinator for Pennsylvania State Education Association, Mideastern Region. Clark, who is based in Montgomeryville, serves Bucks and Montgomery counties.
Clark praised advocacy efforts on behalf of Head Start from Head Start recipient families, the BCIU, Pennsylvania State Education Association and its members as factors which helped shore up the program.
“Bucks County children will continue to benefit from early learning opportunities, health care and food assistance that set them up for success when they enter kindergarten classrooms. In addition to the Head Start students other preschoolers served by BCIU’s early intervention programs benefit from inclusion in Head Start classrooms here in Bucks County. Head Start has been called one of the most successful anti-poverty programs in American history and continuing this comprehensive program is a reason for hope,” Clark said.
Head Start and Early Head Start programs, established by President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “War on Poverty” initiative in 1965, promotes school-age readiness for youngsters with educational and supportive resources to enhance social, emotional and cognitive development.
“Early childhood education is the strongest investment we can make in our future. Head Start works.” – Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie
“Renewal of this grant reflects the federal government’s confidence in our program quality, systems, and outcomes,” said Roseanna Mitsch, BCIU director of early childhood programs in the BCIU press release. “It also affirms the vital role early childhood education plays in the broader educational ecosystem here in Bucks County.”
Representatives for BCIU declined further comment.
“Early childhood education is the strongest investment we can make in our future. Head Start works. It gives kids the foundation they need to succeed in school and in life no matter which path they choose,” said Democratic Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie, who is running for Congress against Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick. “As a former public school history teacher, I’ve seen firsthand how critical it is to invest in every child’s success, no matter their zip code. If elected to Congress, I’ll fight to ensure programs like Head Start are funded today and for years to come.”
For decades Head Start has enjoyed bipartisan support, the Associated Press reported. Last year, even with a GOP-controlled Congress, Head Start got a funding increase of $275 million – boosting its budget to $12.3 billion, according to Head Start.gov.
Head Start’s “four pillars” include education, health – which includes dental, health care and mental well-being services and referrals; parent engagement and support, and local design, which includes each program’s community traditions, priorities and cultural elements, according to the National Head Start Association.
