An Open Letter From Yasmina Vinci
Dear Head Start Community and Friends,
Last night, the U.S. Congress passed - and sent to President Obama to sign - legislation that will fund the federal government through September 30th, 2011, finally ending the fiscal year 2011 budget debate.
This funding bill includes an increase of $340 million for Head Start over the fiscal year 2010 funding level, which means that all children currently in Head Start - including those funded by the ARRA - will be able to remain enrolled. (To see my statement to the press, please click here).
This is truly a monumental achievement for the Head Start community and I cannot stress enough how proud I am of the incredible efforts that got us here! Just two months ago, Head Start was facing the largest cut in its history and the futures of 218,000 children, 55,000 Head Start staff, and 15,000 Head Start classrooms were in serious jeopardy. Now, we can rest assured no child will be dropped from Head Start. Please take a moment to send a note to your Members of Congress and to President Obama, thanking them for funding Head Start by visitingwww.supportheadstart.org. I encourage you to customize our sample letter by adding in your program, state, and any local statistics you have.
I would like to highlight some of the advocacy actions you, together with NHSA and the early learning community, undertook over the past three months:
- Since the first of the year, more than 115,000 messages were delivered to Congress and the Administration in support of Head Start.
- At the end of January, hundreds participated in NHSA's Leadership Institute in D.C., met with their Congressional Representatives, and attended the Head Start Breakfast on the Hill.
- In February, Head Start staff, parents, and children "Strolled-In" to their Congressional Representatives' district offices, telling their elected officials why Head Start is so important in their communities. These visits generated local Head Start press in over 20 different states.
- Last month, Head Start classrooms participated in a national "Hands In for Head Start" effort, creating and delivering children's artwork to their Members of Congress in more than 30 states - a powerful visual reference to the millions of children served by Head Start.
Since January, Head Start has been featured in national news sources including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and many others. In addition, countless articles, op-eds, and letters to the editor about Head Start appeared in local media outlets throughout the country. I am struck by what you have done and the influence you have had on our children's futures. However, we must realize that we've just cleared the first of many hurdles. Now we need to prepare for the next hurdle - fiscal year 2012 appropriations.
That's why we must keep our momentum going and keep pushing for Head Start! You have demonstrated how powerful the Head Start community can be when it speaks with a unified voice. We must keep using that voice to ensure that Head Start continues to be funded in fiscal year 2012.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact NHSA's Tommy Sheridan at tsheridan@nhsa.org/703-739-
Thank you again for your hard work over these past few months.
Sincerely,
Yasmina Vinci