Today, United States Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Head Start and Early Head Start Expansion Program, funded by President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will direct a total of $1,221,558 to the Community Action Organization of Erie County, Inc.
“Study after study shows that the better we prepare our young children, the better they perform in school later in life. Giving children a chance to be prepared for kindergarten and future grades is the key to a bright academic future,” said Schumer. “This Head Start grant will bring real results to our young students in Erie County by providing them with the tools and resources they need to succeed in and out of the classroom. I am proud to support this essential funding and will continue to fight to see that early child education remains a priority.”
“This is great news for Erie County children and families,” Senator Gillibrand said. “These federal dollars will help deliver quality child care, healthy food and other critical services to families who desperately need it in these though economic times. I will continue working with Senator Schumer to make sure New York families get their fair share from the federal government.”
Ever since its start in 1965, Head Start has promoted school readiness and provided a comprehensive array of health, nutritional and social services to four and five year old preschoolers and their families. Early Head Start was established in 1995 as a response to scientific research demonstrating a need for similar programs from birth to age three. Over 25 million children have been aided by one or both of these programs. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has directed nearly $1.2 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding to $55,000 more pregnant women and young children through the Early Head Start expansion.
Located in Buffalo, New York, the Community Action Organization of Erie County, Inc. offers extensive services to children and their families. Its Direct Run Program offers Head Start and Early Head Start programming to 899 preschool-age children across seventeen centers located throughout Western New York. The Community Action Organization offers two programs through the Bethel Head Start and Holy Cross Head Start programs that serve 1,086 children across the region. Beyond its child services, the Community Action Organization of Erie County, Inc. offers employment and technology training, drug counseling, and emergency assistance, among other programs.
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