[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 78 (Thursday, May 22, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E821]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          RECOGNITION OF MCAA HEAD START AND EARLY HEAD START

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                           HON. VERN BUCHANAN

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 22, 2014

  Mr. BUCHANAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Manatee 
Community Action Agency's (MCAA) Head Start and Early Head Start 
programs that change lives by helping to prepare children in my 
Congressional District for school.
  MCAA's Head Start programs started in the summer of 1965 with 60 
children. Today there are 630 children enrolled in eight locations 
throughout Manatee County, including 65 children with special needs. 
More than 3,000 children have participated in the programs since its 
inception.
  The Head Start program serves children from age 3 to 5 and partners 
with parents and families to ensure continuity of positive growth and 
development at home and school.
  Early Head Start serves children from birth to age 3, pregnant women 
and their families. MCAA provides very young children with an 
environment that stimulates them and motivates them to use all of their 
senses.
  Furthermore, 100 percent of the children enrolled in MCAA's early 
learning programs during the 2012-2013 school year were provided with 
continuous access to healthcare, and were up to date on age-appropriate 
preventive and primary health care and immunizations.
  MCAA's Head Start and Early Head Start students scored high marks in 
meeting school readiness and educational goals. On goal assessments, 
the students scored in the upper 90 percent range in the areas of 
physical health status and knowledge, gross motor skills, fine motor 
skills, self-concept, self-regulation, and emotional and behavioral 
health.
  By focusing on the whole child--mental, physical, emotional and 
social well-being--MCAA's Head Start and Early Head Start programs 
prepare the children of Manatee County for a lifetime of educational 
success.

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