Contact Congress Now

Subject:

Dear [ ],

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I understand that Congress is now considering a new stimulus package to deal with the worsening recession.  As a constituent, I strongly encourage you to include $832 million for Head Start.

This is the one of the best investments of federal dollars that you can make into my community to help connect directly with the children and families that need help the most during these trying times!   A major infusion of recovery funds into local Head Start communities is both an investment for the future and a cost-effective anti-poverty policy:

- More than 1 million children and families served by Head Start and the 215,000 teachers and staff working in Head Start need the increase of $832 million just to prevent additional Head Start reductions.  This would reverse the Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 appropriations cut, meet the FY 2008 authorized funding target, and begin to make up for the 13 percent real cut in funding experienced by Head Start from FY 2002 to 2008.  Most of this money would go towards salaries or expansions including new teachers, which will then, in all likelihood, be spent in Main Street America.

- Head Start facilities, like public schools, are crumbling and many need extensive repair or replacement.  Head Start needs additional one-time funding for grants to be made to those Head Start programs in need of repair.  Repairing Head Start facilities will infuse needed funds into the local economy while improving low-income children and families' school-readiness services.

- How can parents get or keep jobs when they have small children at home?  Providing necessary funding to Head Start in the economic stimulus package will help families get back to work by ensuring that their young children are enrolled during work hours in the nation's most comprehensive school readiness program.

I am deeply concerned that Congress would let the funding of Head Start deteriorate to such an extent that local programs are being forced to deny their services to 14,000 children, which is what is happening right now as a result of Washington's short-sighted approach to the program in recent years.   When a program this important is already so short funded that it cannot serve six out of every 10 children in need of its help, then something is seriously wrong with the priorities of this nation!

I strongly urge you to put an additional $832 million for Head Start into the economic stimulus bill. Please keep me informed about what you intend to do to include more funding for Head Start in the stimulus package.  Thank you for your attention to this important issue for my community!

Yours,
[Your name]
[Your address]

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