Washington D.C. - The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, and related agencies marked up an FY 2020 appropriations bill (also known as the Labor H bill) that includes a $1.5 billion increase for Head Start! Specifically, the increase includes an additional:  $8 million for the re-establishing the Tribal Colleges and Universities Head Start Partnership Program $217 million for Cost of Living Adjustment (an increase of over 2%) $…

The man often recognized as the “Father of Head Start,” Dr. Edward Zigler of Yale University, believed from the beginning that Head Start must not just keep up with current trends, but actually introduce new and bold ideas into the broader early childhood education community.  He wrote, “The notion of Head Start as a national laboratory also fit my philosophy. I have always thought of Head Start not as a static program, but as an evolving concept. Head Start should be a model of the very…

(Sault Sainte Marie, Mich.) – No amount of rain nor cloudy skies deterred volunteers from Michigan-based DTE Energy from descending on an Upper Peninsula early childhood center to lend a hand on May 4, 2018. When their work was completed, the children of the Soo Township Early Childhood Center in Sault Sainte Marie had a brand new playground complete with a climbing structure, and two slides. An estimated 36 children will start preschool in the fall with a great new place to play outdoors,…

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — When federal officials inspected this city’s Head Start program five years ago, they found moldy classrooms, exposed wires, leaking sewage, a sagging roof and trash-strewn playgrounds littered with safety hazards. A teacher had jerked a student so hard she dislocated the girl’s shoulder. The visitors were so alarmed at the neglect that they began changing diapers themselves. What they did next was even more unusual: They fired the nonprofit running the program, the Urban…

Detroit Lion Tracy Walker, NHSA Advocate of the Month, Shares Love of Reading BRUNSWICK, GA - A preschool class at Head Start was interrupted during lunch Monday by a surprise guest. The young students didn’t seem to mind putting down their forks and abandoning their lunches, though, when Tracy Walker, a defensive back for the NFL Detroit Lions, came towering into the room and greeted the class. Walker, a Glynn County native and Brunswick High graduate, visited the Head Start location Monday…

It is with great sadness that I am sharing the news that Dr. Edward Zigler, known by many as the “Father of Head Start,” passed away Thursday, February 7th, at the age of 88. Dr. Zigler will be remembered fondly for having the inquisitive mind of a brilliant scientist, the spirited tenacity of a bulldog, and the nurturing heart of a loving parent—qualities that were embodied in his greatest creation: Head Start. Without him, the disruptive innovation in early childhood development that is…

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The intensity of this fall’s midterm election campaigns could make it easy to forget that there is one priority both political parties have consistently come together to support: early childhood education. Despite the growing partisan divide, which seems to be worsening by the day and has left Washington unable to reach consensus on even routine items, lawmakers from across the political spectrum in Congress and the 50 states still view advancing early childhood education as…

The Head Start community mourns the passing of President George H.W. Bush, who along with the First Lady was an ardent supporter of providing every vulnerable child the opportunity to succeed in school and life. In announcing his 1992 budget, President Bush said, ''Many children need a Head Start, and we're going to make sure they get it. In Head Start we found a government program that works to strengthen families and communities for the future.''  And as President, he put those words into…

(Washington, D.C.) - Acting Assistant Secretary for Children and Families Steven Wagner has announced the appointment of Dr. Deborah Bergeron as the new director of the Office of Head Start (OHS). Dr. Bergeron has served as both a teacher and an elementary school principal and has worked in school systems in Washington, D.C., and Virginia. "Head Start is a one-of-a-kind program - one that provides vital services to children and their families to ensure their success in school and in life," …

(ANN ARBOR, Mich.) - When Stacey Bess drove up to her first classroom as a newbie teacher, she thought she had taken a wrong turn. Before her was a rusted shed amidst a clutter of overturned railcars spilled out under a highway viaduct. Bess' first assignment was novel indeed - an experimental, pilot program for children staying in a nearby homeless shelter in Salt Lake City, Utah. For the next eight years, Bess learned to love and care for her students in the most life-affirming and life-…