May 14, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 80 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Page H3773]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              COMMEMORATING 54TH ANNIVERSARY OF HEAD START

  (Ms. WILD asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. WILD. Mr. Speaker, 54 years ago, President Lyndon Johnson 
launched Head Start as part of the War on Poverty, a historic effort to 
build a more just, equal America.
  Today, Head Start serves children across my community, including more 
than 70 children in SafeStart, a program in my district designed for 
children of parents who struggle with substance abuse that has been 
recognized as a national model.
  Across our country, over 30 million children have participated in 
Head Start since its founding. We have felt the benefits throughout our 
society. Study after study has shown how pivotal early childhood 
education is for positioning children to fulfill their potential later 
on.
  Despite its record of success, Head Start is severely underfunded 
today. In my home State of Pennsylvania, only 27 percent of eligible 
children are able to get a slot in a Head Start program. I hope my 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle will join me in pledging to fight 
to get increased funding for Head Start signed into law so that we 
renew our commitment to its promise of a future where every child in 
every ZIP Code can live a life of opportunity.

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