REP. MIKE THOMPSON ANNOUNCES $1.2 MILLION HEAD START GRANT FOR CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5) today announced a $1,227,878 Head Start/Early Head Start grant for Contra Costa County. The funding will be used to provide Head Start and Early Head Start services to more than 1,860 children and their families at 27 centers throughout Contra Costa County. The grant restores funding lost through the federal sequester in 2013.
"Head Start and Early Head Start programs help make sure all children have a foundation for future success," said Thompson. "I am proud to support these grants which help make sure all students, regardless of where they live or how much money their parents make, have the tools they need to succeed from an early age."
Representative George Miller, a long-time Head Start supporter, praised the recent grant. "Contra Costa's long-standing Head Start program plays a vital role in our community and I am pleased to see our program continue to receive substantial federal support," Miller said. "Head Start helps disadvantaged children and their families, and that's good for our overall community."
"We are delighted to have our program restored to its pre-sequester levels as the need continues to grow for families in need of childcare services throughout Contra Costa County as we look to prepare as many children and families as possible for success in the school systems and throughout their lives," said Christina Reich, Division Manager at the Contra Costa County Employment and Human Services Department.
Specifically, the funds will be used to:
- Increase enrollment in Head Start;
- Extend the part-day, part-year program from 26 weeks to 30 weeks, and extend employment of part-day, part-year program staff accordingly;
- Increase enrollment in Early Head Start enrollment
- Cover increased operational costs
Head Start is a federal program that promotes school readiness for children ages birth to 5 from low-income families by enhancing their cognitive, social and emotional development. Head Start programs provide comprehensive services to enrolled children and their families, which include health, nutrition, social services and other services determined to be necessary by family needs assessments, in addition to education and cognitive development services.
For every dollar spent on Head Start, our country realizes almost nine dollars in benefits through participants' increased earnings, decreased welfare dependence and other factors.
Head Start was founded as part of Lyndon B. Johnson's War on Poverty in 1965. Since then, Head Start has grown from an eight-week demonstration project to include full day/year services and numerous program options. Head Start has served over 31 million children and their families in urban and rural areas in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. territories.
The reauthorization of the Head Start Act in 1994 made it possible to establish Early Head Start as a program to serve infants and toddlers under the age of 3 and pregnant women. Early Head Start provides early, continuous, intensive and comprehensive child development and family support services to low-income infants, toddlers, pregnant women and their families.
Congressman Mike Thompson is proud to represent California's 5th Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma Counties. He is a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Rep. Thompson is also a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition and chairs the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Wine Caucus.
# # #