Rep. Richmond Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Launch of Head Start

WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Cedric Richmond (LA-02) joins students, parents, and educators throughout the country in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the launch of Head Start:

“Nothing has better returns than our investments in education, from early childhood through lifetime learning,” said Rep. Richmond. “Affordable, accessible education is essential for succeeding in the American economy, and it is my hope that we can continue to strengthen our community by providing children with quality education early on in their development.”

Head Start has served over 30 million children and their families in urban and rural areas all over the country.  Head Start promotes school readiness of young children from low-income families through partnerships in their local community.  In addition, Head Start programs provide children and their family’s health, nutrition, social, and other services vital to early childhood development. Head Start services are responsive to each child and family's ethnic, cultural, and linguistic heritage.

“Every child in America should be afforded an equal opportunity to succeed, regardless of what neighborhood they live in or how much money their parents make. Head Start has a proven track record of success over the last fifty years and now is not the time to disinvest in our children’s’ futures.  I call on my Republican colleagues to abandon their plan to cut funding for Head Start and work with House Democrats to close the educational opportunity gap.”

Rep. Richmond participates in today’s event as a part of House Democrats’ “Building on Our Legacy, Embracing the Future” initiative, which highlights some of the major legislative achievements of 1965 and the ongoing fight to protect them from dangerous Republican attacks.  Fifty years after the enactment of groundbreaking legislation on these priorities, House Democrats continue to stand for guaranteeing voting rights for all Americans, making college and early childhood education more affordable, defending Medicare and Medicaid, and protecting our environment. 

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