[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 84 (Thursday, May 18, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E463-E464]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   CELEBRATING 58 YEARS OF HEAD START

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 18, 2023

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, today, I recognize and celebrate 
58 years of quality Head Start programming. I am grateful for Head 
Start and its dedicated staff that go above-and-beyond to meet the 
needs of children and families in Chicago and across the nation.
  Since its establishment in 1965, Head Start has provided 
comprehensive early childhood education to over 35 million American 
children and families. Head Start was specifically designed to help 
break the cycle of poverty for low-income families by delivering 
targeted services to meet the emotional, social, nutritional, physical, 
and mental health of program participants. Having started out as a 
volunteer-based, eight-week, summer, bridge program back in the 1960's, 
Head Start now serves as the primary means by which pre-school children 
living in poverty receive school readiness support and services. 
Further, Head Start has assisted lower-income families, pregnant woman, 
infants, arid toddlers through the introduction of the Early Head Start 
Program since 1995.

[[Page E464]]

  Presently, Head Start programs reach over one million children and 
their families each year. Head Start serves urban, suburban, and rural 
communities throughout the United States as well as in the U.S. Virgin 
Islands, Puerto Rico, and other U.S. territories. In each Head Start 
site, the overarching goal remains the same--to support the positive 
growth and development of children from birth to age 5 through services 
that promote early learning, healthy choices, and family well-being. 
Head Start programs help America succeed by helping our most vulnerable 
citizens succeed in school and in life.
  In my own Congressional District and hometown of Chicago, countless 
families have benefited greatly from Head Start and Early Head Start. I 
am grateful that Head Start serves almost 29,000 children and their 
families in Illinois. Over the past year, Head Start and its dedicated 
staff have helped over 17,000 children in my state keep up-to-date on 
health screenings, over 10,000 children receive preventative dental 
care, and over 20,000 families receive support services. In fact, Head 
Start employees in Illinois performed over 260,000 home visits over the 
past year. I personally know how valuable these home visits are; early 
in my career, I was responsible for training Head Start and other early 
childhood educators on how best to conduct home visits in inner-city 
Chicago.
  There are dozens of amazing Head Start and Early Head Start sites in 
Chicago. The following community-based organizations are examples of 
those grantees that provide top-notch services in our local 
communities: Ada S. McKinley Community Services; Carole Robertson 
Center for Learning; Chicago Commons Association; the City of Chicago; 
Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago, Inc.; Henry Booth House; and Start 
Early.
  Famed singer and songwriter Marvin Gaye once stated that ``our 
children are the future, teach them well and let them lead the way.'' 
Head Start is doing just that by making a valued investment in our 
children and therefore our future. I applaud President Biden for 
signing the Executive Order on Childcare on April 18, 2023, that will 
marshal additional federal funds and support for Head Start caregivers 
and childcare, in general.
  I hope my colleagues will join me today in recognizing and 
celebrating 58 years of Head Start. Going forward, I commit to 
continuing to work to find additional ways, resources, and means to 
support this vital, early childhood education and school readiness 
program that serves millions of hard-working American families and our 
youngest citizens.

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