Support Head Start!

Head Start works! This comprehensive program gets America's poorest children ready to learn in school and excel in life.

But Head Start and the National Head Start Association need you to get involved to make sure that Congress funds this program at a level where it can help those children in greatest need.

Below is a letter you can send to your Senators and Representatives asking them to support Head Start and Early Head Start. All you need to do is review the letter, make any changes you would like then fill out your name and address information to send your message.

Subject:

Dear [ ],

(Edit Letter Below)

Thank you for your ongoing support of children.  I urge you to support increased funding for Head Start and Early Head Start, which I will refer to as "Head Start" below.

Head Start is the nation's leading early childhood education and care program providing comprehensive school readiness, education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children ages birth to five and their families.

To make a down payment on the President's "Zero to Five" Plan and build on the recent investments in early childhood education and care in the stimulus bill, I hope that you will boost spending for Head Start to $8.1 billion for the next fiscal year, an increase of $1 billion. This funding will allow Head Start to scale up to meet the growing unmet demand for its services.  It also will put Head Start on pace to keep up with the cost of inflation since 2002.

The increase in funding for Head Start in the stimulus bill was an important first step to support a program that builds stronger children, parents, families and communities. Kids who participate in Head Start do better in school, stay out of trouble and go on to be real assets to their communities.  This is one of the smartest ways that the federal government can spend money to meet a real social need in America!

As your constituent, I want you to know that I am counting on you for the sake of children here and everywhere in the nation.  Your support for Head Start will be critical in the coming weeks and months and I ask that you support Head Start in the appropriations process with an increase of $1 billion over last year.  Please keep me informed as to how you vote on Head Start in the coming months.  Thank you for your attention to my concerns.

Yours,
[Your name]
[Your address]

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