Tom Harkin - U.S. Seante
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HARKIN ANNOUNCES INVESTMENT IN IOWA HEAD START

2/17/2006

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As part of his ongoing efforts to improve early child development, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today announced that Community Opportunities in Carroll received over $1.3 million and Operation New View in Dubuque received over $1.1 million to continue another full year of Head Start Full Year, Part Day & Handicapped Programs. Harkin helped secure this funding as the ranking Democrat on the panel that funds Head Start and other education initiatives.

 “Head Start provides over seven thousand children in communities across Iowa with essential education and health services to ensure that they have the skills to succeed when they start school.  I am pleased that Iowa children can continue their Head Start programs for another year,” Harkin said. “This is the type of educational investment Iowa needs to ensure a brighter economic future for every student.”

Children who receive Head Start’s comprehensive services are shown to be less likely to repeat a grade, less likely to commit crimes, and more likely to complete high school and college than their at‑risk peers who did not have Head Start.  

Harkin is a long-time leader in the fight to ensure that Head Start is adequately funded. Unfortunately the President’s FY 2007 budget continues to fund Head Start at last year’s levels, which currently do not cover the program’s mounting costs. As many as 19,000 children are at risk of losing Head Start services as a result of this budget.


Paid for and authorized by Citizens for Harkin