FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                           PRESS CONTACT:

May 19, 2015                                                                          Brenda Rangel 956.564.1527

                                                                                                                                         

PRESS RELEASE: Vela Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Launch of Head Start

 

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representative Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, commemorated the 50th anniversary of Head Start. Over the past 50 years, the Head Start program has served over 30 million children and their families in urban and rural areas throughout the country. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Head Start served about 8,000 children and families in U.S. Rep. Vela’s Congressional District in 2014. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the law in 1965 that created Head Start.

“The Head Start program represents a critical investment in the education of our nation’s children.  The program strengthens families and our community by providing children with quality education early in their development,” said U.S. Rep. Vela. “The work of local affiliates like Neighbors in Need of Service Inc. (NINOS) and Community Action Corporation of South Texas (CACOST) help ensure that children have the tools they need to succeed, and these organizations help improve the lives of children and their families in South Texas.”

Head Start promotes school readiness for young children from low-income families through partnerships with local communities across the country. In addition, Head Start programs provide children and their families with health, nutrition and social services as well as other services vital to early childhood development. Head Start services are tailored to each child and family's ethnic, cultural and linguistic need.

To find a Head Start program in your area, call (866) 763-6481 or visit: http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc.

 

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