Snap Fact #234 - President Obama Provided $2.1 Billion in Additional Funding to Head Start Programs!

Head Start is a critical and time-tested federal program that provides much needed child development services to local organizations in order to support lower income families to hold their jobs and provide learning opportunities to their young children at the same time. 

Today there are 1,600 Head Start and Early Head Start grantees offering learning services to about one million toddlers, preschoolers, and infants in America. 

However, not all Head Start offices do their job efficiently, so President Obama, through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, has acted decisively to strengthen the program by investing $2.1 billion to reach 61,000 additional children and families.  

“We can’t wait to give more of our youngest children the same basic opportunities we all want for our kids,” the President said. “That’s why today, I’m announcing a new rule that will increase the quality of Head Start programs around the country.” 

President Obama continued with what is becoming a familiar theme. “After trying for months to work with Congress on education, we’ve decided to take matters into our own hands. Our future is at stake. Our children deserve action. And we can’t wait for Congress any longer.”