Despite a long history of bipartisan support, recent reports indicate that Head Start funding may be at risk.
Head Start is a critical component of the nation's early childhood infrastructure and has been for over fifty years. Let Congress know why they need to #ProtectHeadStart by using our social media toolkit below!
Other Ways to Take Action:
Head Start and Early Head Start are federally funded, locally administered programs—tailored to communities’ needs—that provide comprehensive services for children from families with lower incomes. #gapol #ProtectHeadStart
Head Start provides child care to parents working at employers across the state, from chicken processing plants to the service industry. Early care and education is a critical component of Head Start’s two-generation approach. #gapol #ProtectHeadStart
Head Start provides comprehensive wraparound services, such as employment and education support for caregivers and health care screenings and referrals for little ones. This is especially critical in rural Georgia, where 64 counties have no pediatrician. #gapol #ProtectHeadStart
Researchers estimate that the federal government earns 5-9% more per year than it spends on Head Start. That savings comes from Head Start graduates’ reduced need for future public assistance. #gapol #ProtectHeadStart
Head Start helps fill a critical void in Georgia’s rural communities, where it is often the only child care option. In Georgia, more than 1 in 4 rural child care slots are provided by Head Start. #gapol #ProtectHeadStart
Head Start providers must comply with all state licensing requirements and additional standards put in place by the federal government. #gapol #ProtectHeadStart
Head Start programs are uniquely suited to support children with disabilities. Nationally, 14 percent of children enrolled in Head Start have a disability or developmental delay. #gapol #ProtectHeadStart
States and communities braid and blend funding from various sources, including Head Start, to ensure seamless delivery of early care and education. Cuts to Head Start would destabilize the entire early childhood ecosystem, from Pre-K to child care to home visiting to services for young children with developmental delays. #gapol #ProtectHeadStart
Head Start programs provide local communities with flexibility to meet the needs of our youngest children and their parents. There are 379 Head Start and Early Head Start locations across Georgia. #gapol #ProtectHeadStart
Head Start programs employ over 6,000 Georgians. Head Start plays an outsized role in Georgia’s rural communities, serving as a major employer and acting as a critical hub for community resources for rural families. #gapol #ProtectHeadStart
85% of Georgians say that child care and early learning programs are a good investment of taxpayers’ money. Even 78% of those who say federal spending is too high believe child care to be a good investment. #gapol #ProtectHeadStart
Military families face unique challenges due to frequent relocations, deployments, & demanding service schedules, which can impact a child’s well-being. Head Start helps more than 300 active military or veteran families in GA navigate these challenges. #gapol #ProtectHeadStart
Despite a long history of bipartisan support, recent reports indicate that Head Start funding is at risk. Take action to help protect funding for this critical program: https://www.votervoice.net/GEEARS/Campaigns/121769/Respond #gapol #ProtectHeadStart
Your stories — whether as a Head Start provider, teacher, or parent/caregiver — are critical to protecting Head Start. Share your story: https://vocalvideo.com/c/ProtectHeadStart
Head Start programs have the flexibility to meet the needs of their communities’ youngest children and their parents. There are 379 Head Start and Early Head Start locations across Georgia. #gapol #ProtectHeadStart
Head Start provides child care to parents working at employers across the state, from chicken processing plants to manufacturing to the tourism and service industry. Early care and education is a critical component of Head Start’s two-generation approach. Without child care, parents cannot work. #gapol #ProtectHeadStart
Head Start provides essential services, such as physical, mental, and oral health care screenings and referrals; nutrition; early intervention for children with disabilities; and employment and education support for caregivers. This is especially critical in rural Georgia, where 64 of 159 counties have no pediatrician. #gapol #ProtectHeadStart
Researchers estimate that the federal government earns 5-9% more per year than it spends on Head Start. That savings comes from Head Start graduates’ reduced need for future public assistance. #gapol #ProtectHeadStart
Head Start helps fill a critical void in Georgia’s rural communities, where it is often the only child care option. In Georgia, more than 1 in 4 child care slots in rural communities are provided by Head Start.
Head Start is also a major employer in these small communities. More than 6,000 Georgians are employed by Head Start programs across the state. Don’t leave rural Georgia out. #gapol #ProtectHeadStart
Head Start providers must comply with all state licensing requirements and additional standards put in place by the federal government. #gapol #ProtectHeadStart
Head Start helps military families navigate these unique challenges. Military families face frequent relocations, deployments, and demanding service schedules. These unique challenges can impact a child’s education, emotional well-being, and access to stable child care. More than 300 active military or veteran families are served by Head Start in Georgia. #gapol #ProtectHeadStart
Head Start programs are uniquely suited to support children with disabilities. Nationally, 14 percent of children enrolled in Head Start have a disability or developmental delay. #gapol #ProtectHeadStart
States and communities braid and blend funding from various sources, including Head Start, to ensure seamless delivery of early care and education. Cuts to Head Start would destabilize the entire early childhood ecosystem, from Pre-K to child care to home visiting to services for young children with developmental delays. #gapol #ProtectHeadStart
Head Start programs have the flexibility to meet the needs of their communities’ youngest children and their parents. There are 379 Head Start and Early Head Start locations across our state. Wherever you live in Georgia, let your members of Congress know that they must oppose any effort to eliminate or dramatically cut funding for Head Start. #gapol #ProtectHeadStart
Head Start programs employ over 6,000 Georgians. Head Start plays an especially outsized role in Georgia’s rural communities, serving as a major employer and acting as a critical hub for community resources for rural families. #gapol #ProtectHeadStart
85% of Georgians say that child care and early learning programs are a good investment of taxpayers’ money. Even 78% of those who say federal spending is too high believe child care to be a good investment. #gapol #ProtectHeadStart
In 2024, more than $280 million in Head Start grants flowed to Georgia child care providers—many of them in rural areas—and served 20,000+ children. Despite a long history of bipartisan support, recent reports indicate that Head Start funding may be at risk.
Use the action alert link in our bio to reach out to Congress and ask them to protect funding for this critical program. #gapol #ProtectHeadStart
Your stories — whether as a Head Start provider, teacher, or parent/caregiver — strengthen our advocacy to protect Head Start. We’ll share your experiences with Georgia's Congressional Delegation and our networks as we work to improve outcomes for young children and families in our state. Click the link in our bio to share your story. #ProtectHeadStart
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated challenges facing the early childhood sector, leaving a lasting impact on the recruitment and retention of educators, especially those who teach Georgia’s youngest learners. Additionally, teachers face a new classroom landscape that not only impacts their students, but also their ability to meet their own needs, care for their families, and cultivate their skillsets.
To better understand the experiences of Georgia’s early childhood educators and how to support this crucial workforce, GEEARS: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students conducted a series of focus groups—16 in total—throughout 2022-23 with early childhood educators from a range of settings, including center- and home-based child care, Head Start, and Georgia’s Pre-K. The quotes that follow are from these focus groups.
"This is my first full year as an assistant teacher, and we had a class of 16. Out of that 16, we had three that didn’t need behavioral accommodations." — Voices from the Field
"I feel that in order to boost morale and keep people in the child care setting, provide that support. Sometimes people need to hear, ‘Hey, good job,’ or ‘I appreciate you doing that for me,’ or ‘I see what you’re doing. I see you’re trying. I see you’re here, you’re showing up.’" — Voices from the Field
"You should make sure that not only are the kids a priority, but I’m a priority, too. Because they wouldn’t be here without me." — Voices from the Field
"I’ve seen a lot of quality teachers leave because they’re not respected. They don’t feel supported in their role as a lead teacher." — Voices from the Field
"It feels better when you have somebody in your corner and…not talking down to you or treating you like some little kid, you know? ‘Oh, your job’s not important. Just do what I say.’ That hurts." — Voices from the Field
"I think it’s more so salary. The bonuses and stipends all sound great, don’t get me wrong. But that salary makes a world of difference to me." — Voices from the Field
"We have to be untraditional. We have to do something that's different that works with individuals outside of the box… You cannot stay in the box." — Voices from the Field
"[If I had benefits], I would quit all my side hustles, stop babysitting every weekend and doing data entry at night. It makes a lot more money than teaching preschool. I have to go make money to pay the bills." — Voices from the Field
"The blinders of privilege are real. And I say that now as a professional after a long career that I have to constantly remind myself of my privilege at this stage of my life and ask myself what if I didn't have, how would I do this?" — Voices from the Field
"You never can figure out a solution if you don't ask why." — Voices from the Field
"We do come out of pocket for our kids. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for mine." — Voices from the Field
"How do we talk about this in a way that is meaningful and exciting for people who are at a place where they're choosing a career." — Voices from the Field
"I get to teach young, little minds and be the reason why they do things and learn. I have no intentions to do anything else. I love being with them and helping them get a good foundation for their life of learning." — Voices from the Field
"It’s a booming field. It’s always going to be there. Guess what? If someone is an MD, they had a teacher. If someone’s a firefighter, they had a teacher. If somebody’s a janitor, they had a teacher." — Voices from the Field
"If I want to be a director one of these days, what do I need to do to get there? And where do I start?" — Voices from the Field
"As of right now, I think I'm going to be taking a break from Pre-K for a little bit because there's just too much stress." — Voices from the Field
