Despite a long history of bipartisan support, the future of Head Start hangs in the balance. Recent reports indicate that the current administration is considering a budget proposal that, if enacted, would completely eliminate Head Start.
Head Start is a critical component of the nation's early childhood infrastructure and has been for over fifty years. Let the current administration and 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. This is especially critical in Georgia’s rural counties, 64 of which do not have a pediatrician. #gapol #ProtectHeadStart
Researchers estimate that the federal government makes between 5 and 9 percent more per year than the cost of the program for every child it puts through Head Start, due to savings on 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. #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. Fourteen percent of children enrolled in Head Start nationally 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 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, and demanding service schedules, which can impact a child’s well-being. More than 300 active military or veteran families are served by Head Start in Georgia. #gapol #ProtectHeadStart
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 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 Georgia’s rural counties, 64 of which do not have a pediatrician. #gapol #ProtectHeadStart
Researchers estimate that the federal government makes between 5 and 9 percent more per year than the cost of the program for every child it puts through Head Start, due to savings on 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
Military families face unique challenges due to frequent relocations, deployments, and demanding service schedules, which 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. Fourteen percent of children enrolled in Head Start nationally 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 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. We need Congress to hear from communities across Georgia 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 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
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
