Beginning on October 1st, PCCEO will celebrate Head Start Awareness Month – an opportunity to share in the impact and importance of the Head Start and Early Head Start.
Since its founding in 1965 as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty, the Head Start program has served over 35 million low-income children and families. Because of the overwhelmingly positive impact, the program has had over the past 5 decades, Head Start and Early Head Start enjoy broad bipartisan support among voters – and lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
Decades of research shows that participation in the Head Start and Early Head Start has both short – and long-term positive effects for children and their families.
- Children who attend Head Start demonstrate marked academic and social progress, and are more likely to enter kindergarten ready to learn;
- Adults who attended Head Start as children are more likely to graduate high school and are better prepared to parents to their own children;
- Head Start increases parents’ engagement in their children’s learning; and
- Parents whose children attend Head Start are more likely to advance their own education than other parents of at-risk youngsters.
- Children in Early Head Start make gains in social-emotional, language, and cognitive development, compared to non-participants;
- Early Head Start participants who continue to Head Start are more ready for kindergarten, and positive impacts on social-emotional development are sustained through at least fifth grade;
- Parents’ participation in Early Head Start also improved their parenting skills, including father engagement
PCCEO remains committed to working with stakeholders in the coming months to build upon the robust federal support for early childhood education programs like Head Start and Early Head Start so that all children can access high-quality opportunities that help them reach their full potential.
For more information on how to get involved, please call 309-671-3960 (Head Start) or 309-495-5254 (Early Head Start).