Keep Trump's #HANDSOFF Head Start!

#HANDSOFF Head Start & Child Care!

The Trump Administration closed at least five Administration for Children and Families' (ACF) regional offices throughout the country, meaning that right now there are no regional staff available to support ACF funded programs, which includes Early Head Start and Head Start programs - recklessly ripping away child care from children and families served by these programs in 23 states. This will negatively impact tens of thousands of children and families throughout the country.

Parents who otherwise would not be able to afford child care rely on Head Start when they work or go to school, underscoring the importance not only for kids, but for the economic sustainability of families, businesses, and our economy as a whole. Launched in 1965 as a comprehensive child development program, Head Start has been the most important social and educational investment in children, families, and communities the United States has ever undertaken.

This is why we need you to speak up and sign our letter to demand the Trump administration keep their HANDS OFF Head Start by urging Congress to roll back these reckless closings that hurt families' access to child care!

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#HANDSOFF HEAD START: Demand Congress restore Head Start and child care programs!

Dear Member of Congress,

Last week, the Trump Administration closed at least five Administration for Children and Families' (ACF) regional offices throughout the country, meaning that right now there are no regional staff available to support ACF funded programs, which includes Early Head Start and Head Start programs - ripping away care from the children and families served by these programs. Offices which serve 23 states and territories were closed in Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston and New York. These sudden cuts will negatively impact tens of thousands of children and families throughout the country. Families need opportunity, not cuts. We are urging you to address this reckless and harmful action by retracting these closures and reinstating released staff immediately.

The importance of child care programs like Head Start cannot be overstated. Head Start operates in all 50 states, opening doors for parents to go to work, kids to thrive, and childcare workers to be able to stay in their profession. Parents who otherwise would not be able to afford child care rely on it when they work or go to school, underscoring the importance not only for kids, but for the financial sustainability of families, businesses, and our economy. Launched in 1965 as a comprehensive child development program, Head Start has been the most important social and educational investment in children, families, and communities the United States has ever undertaken. These programs also significantly bolster the development of early childhood mental health (like social-emotional development), language, and cognitive development.

Children who have positive and engaging interactions in their earliest years are more likely to enjoy good physical and mental health over their lifetimes. They are also better able to experience, regulate, and manage their emotions—key skills for later school readiness. Children who attend Early Head Start and transition to Head Start are more ready for kindergarten than children who do not attend Head Start. The unprecedented and unwarranted firings of the people who ensure child care programs can provide care where kids are safe, loved, and learning will endanger these benefits that early childhood education provides.

This is why it is critical to roll back these closings and protect Head Start and other child care programs. Actions like this put our nation’s kids at risk and throws a child care system that is already broken and massively under-resourced into further turmoil. It is extremely concerning that these cuts come with absolutely no mention of a plan regarding where these parents are now supposed to go to find accessible child care for their kids and babies. There is no reason families should be left struggling because of politics and because paying billionaires even more money is being prioritized over investing in our kids and our future as a nation. We should be finding ways to lift up families, not undermining their ability to support themselves and their children.

We urge you to reverse the attack on Head Start and Child Care by reinstating these critical programs and their staff.

Sincerely,

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