News Release 5/27/2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Sally Aman
May 27, 2011
202-262-8003
National Head Start Association Comments on House Appropriations Committee's
Laceration of 2012 Federal Spending Levels
Washington, D.C. - This week, the House Appropriations Committee set the maximum funding level for the labor, health and human services sub-category of 2012 Federal discretionary spending. This subcategory includes Head Start and Early Head Start and would receive the largest funding cut of any subcategory; approximately $18 billion below current levels and $41 billion below the Obama Administration's discretionary spending proposal. While no program-specific spending levels were set, an $18 billion cut would devastate programs serving children and low-income Americans.
The following statement should be attributed to Yasmina Vinci, executive director of the National Head Start Association:
"The House appropriators' proposal places the burden of managing the nation's budget deficit directly on the backs of children. Head Start offers our most vulnerable children a window of opportunity to set a course for lifetime success through critical early education, health and support services. As Congress makes tough decisions about our fiscal solvency, they absolutely must keep this window of opportunity open as a vital means of fostering the growth of an educated, healthy and contributing workforce. With every dollar invested in a child in Head Start yielding a 7-10% return each year for the entire life of that child, maintaining full Head Start funding is a smart, long-term investment that policy makers would be foolish to ignore."
Yasmina Vinci, Executive Director of the National Head Start Association (www.nhsa.org), was the first Executive Director of the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA), has held leadership positions in local, state and national early childhood education organizations and serves on a number of governing Boards of national and local organizations.
Additional information about the National Head Start Association can be found at www.nhsa.org
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