[Aurora] – Seeing is believing! U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) saw first hand today what Head Start means for many young children and their families in Aurora. “We know that a child’s education begins well before he or she enters a school building for the first day of kindergarten,” U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said. “Unfortunately, we also know that many children enter kindergarten well behind their peers, and sometimes aren’t able to catch up. Head Start gives low-income children the solid foundation they need to succeed from elementary school to college and beyond. Investing in education programs like Head Start produces the world-class workers that are key to our nation’s future. Arbitrarily slashing funding for these programs will hinder our long-term economic recovery.”
Senator Durbin heard from Diane Lacey, Two Rivers Head Start Agency Executive Director, that two hundred and ninety-nine (299) of Two Rivers Head Start children may soon lose access to this vital program that increases their chances for success in school – and in life. The Two Rivers Head Start Agency provides comprehensive services to the most vulnerable children and families in Boone, DeKalb, Kane, Kendall and Grundy counties. “It would be a tremendous loss,” Lacey said. “The proposed cuts would have a critical impact on services for children, families, loss of Head Start jobs and the local economy”.
Also, Two Rivers Head Start parent, Concepcion Reyes shared her personal story on how the program has helped her family. “Thanks to Head Start my daughter is learning so much and she will be ready for kindergarten. Head Start has helped me too by giving me the resources to find a job, encouraging me to be active in my child’s education and the confidence to move forward. Without Head Start I’m not sure where we would be”.
Head Start, one of America’s best researched and most effective social programs is under attack. Congress threatens to seriously cut Head Start nationwide. This means that over 11,000 children in Illinois will be affected, the largest cut ever proposed to Head Start, and almost 2800 jobs are at stake.
Head Start is the nation’s leading investment in early childhood education. Head Start provides a range of comprehensive education, health, nutrition, parent involvement, and family support services to at risk children and their families in communities throughout the country. More than 41,000 children attend Head Start in Illinois, with many more eligible for the program, but unable to attend because of a lack of funding.
Study after study has found that children that have attended Head Start are more likely to be ready for school, more likely to graduate from high school, and have a reduced need for costly special education and intervention services. Economists have found that Head Start generates a Return on Investment (ROI) that could make even hedge fund managers envious. For every $1 invested in Head Start, America reaps a ROI ranging from $7 to $9. James Heckman, a Nobel Laureate in Economics at the University of Chicago, recommended to the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Reform—“Early Head Start and Head Start are programs on which to build and improve—not to cut.”
Head Start programs in our state help get children ready for school. They work with children that have the most challenging learning delays; make sure that children are immunized and receive nutritious meals; find emergency shelter for homeless families; develop the skills necessary for parents to become self-sufficient and employed; and make sure that children who were neglected, abused, or with little or no hope have an opportunity to live up their fullest potentials.
“I understand the need to cut wasteful and unnecessary spending, but before we cut programs like Head Start, we need to convince Congress that there truly is nothing more important than the future of our children.” Says Lauri Morrison-Frichtl, the Executive Director for the Illinois Head Start Association. “Giving them the tools to succeed at a young age is truly an investment in our future and our children’s future. We need to do everything we can to get our littlest learners ready to succeed in school and in later life. Pay a little now or continue to pay a fortune to fix problems that could have been prevented.”
