Latest news with #HeadStart
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump administration budget cut flip-flops leave southwest Georgia Head Start programs uncertain
DAWSON – LaTosha Peters kept a journal to track her son Damien's development as a child diagnosed with autism. Getting his diagnosis at just 1 1/2 years old, Damien struggled socially and verbally. Peters said her child navigated echolalia in his early years, involuntarily repeating words or phrases he'd heard from others. At 3 years old, Damien was accepted into the Terrell County Head Start Center. And there, Peters said, he began to blossom. 'Through Head Start, he learned how to talk, he began reading … getting along with other children,' she said. Peters noticed new developments and big changes every day, jotting them in her 'Damien Journal.' Teachers made students write their name every day – even if they couldn't write, they still had to try. As Damien's signature went from lines, to shapes to letters, his physical, verbal and emotional ability transformed as well. This development is part of the core mission of Head Start, a federal program that provides free early learning, health and family support services to low-income families from pre-birth all the way to age 5. The program served 833,000 low-income students in the U.S. in 2022, including nearly 19,000 students in Georgia. In rural, poverty-stricken areas like Terrell County, it's one of the few, if not only, early education and child care options for families. In mid-April, the program faced a potential funding crisis and complete elimination outlined in an internal draft budget from the Trump administration's Department of Health and Human Services. 'When I heard things were up in the air … and they were going to do away with Head Start, I was like, 'Oh, my God. They don't understand the impact this is going to have on families, especially those in high poverty,'' Peters said. 'I'm hoping this is a program that's gonna be around for a long time because it's really needed.' Several centers across the country were forced to close while awaiting funding. However, in early May, the administration released an updated 'skinny budget.' Head Start avoided the chopping block, but advocates remain nervous. In southwest Georgia, Head Start's parent organization, the Southwest Georgia Community Action Council, which serves low-income Georgians from housing assistance to health care, may see other cuts. 'The value of the program is undervalued and undermined,' Yolanda Daniels, the southwest Georgia Head Start program director said. 'Any threat to that is a threat to our communities as a whole.' Supporting the whole child and family A Terrell County Head Start classroom is alive with color and hands-on learning stations. A tiny play kitchen sits in one corner, and in another is an open space for dancing and exercising. The sounds of nursery rhymes, music and 'oohs' and 'ahhs' as children sound out letters can be heard behind every classroom door. Anita Ware, the Terrell County Child Development Center's supervisor, said each day is meticulously planned out from 8:30 a.m. until about 3 p.m for its 74 students. Head Start classrooms are packed full of stimulating activities for students. Staff Photo: Lucille Lannigan'There's no idle time,' she said. 'It guides teachers and students through a day of stimulation and fulfillment.' Classrooms are spaces for exploration as children fine tune their motor skills by stacking blocks, embrace their creativity in the 'art area' and learn responsibility by taking on classroom roles, like 'the nutritionist' who hands out meals or 'the librarian' who organizes the reading area. Daniels said more than just child care and education, Head Start supports the 'whole child and family.' Students receive health screenings and get scheduled for doctor's appointments at no charge to the families. Terrell County's Head Start programming offers monthly workshops for parents, where they learn about child nutrition or parenting skills. Parents are connected to different resources throughout the community, whether it's the health department or housing authority. Ware said these are services that low-income families would otherwise not have access to. 'A lot of our families do take pride in having all of their children go through the program or having multiple family members, but our goal is to break that cycle of poverty so future generations will not need our Head Start program,' Daniels Start has trickle-down effects Ultimately, Head Start prepares underserved students to transition to public school. Peters said without the early intervention and learning for her son with autism, his future may have looked very different. Instead, he made it to high school – graduating with honors. Now, he's a college student at Georgia Southwestern State University. He has plans to graduate with a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education. As the principal at Cooper Carver Elementary School, Peters said she notices a difference in those students who went through Head Start – whether it's better test scores or skill sets as simple as patience while waiting in the lunch or bathroom line. 2025 Head Start growth reports released by the Community Action Council show significant gains in social/emotional, literacy and mathematics from fall 2024 until now among students in the program. Randy Weldon, the SWGACAC CEO, said these gains show how necessary Head Start is. Daniels said no Head Start would have a trickle-down effect on communities: a student body population less prepared for elementary school, parents unable to get to work, the inability for children with disabilities to get much-needed services. 'In smaller, more rural counties, if Head Start services were not there, there are very few, and in some cases, no other child care available in those counties,' Weldon said. 'If you've got … a single parent who is trying to work and maintain a job and maintain income for a household, if we're not there, I hate to think about the choices they would have to make.'Community Action Council grapples with potential cuts While most of the fears surrounding Head Start funding have dissipated, Weldon said there's a general nervousness among SWGA Community Action Council staff as other funding streams remain up in the air. 'You may not necessarily know our agencies and services, but if they were gone, you'd feel it,' Weldon said. The Community Action Council, which has supported southwest Georgia for 60 years, is entirely supported by federal funds. It serves roughly 21 counties with a goal of helping people living in poverty to climb out. It's reliant on the Community Services Block Grant, which was zeroed out in Trump's proposed 'skinny budget.' No longer having these funds would mean a significant cut to council staffing and closure of local 'neighborhood service centers' where communities can access services. It would eradicate the council's ability to provide emergency housing, utility or health assistance. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program also seemingly was at risk of cuts, but Community Action Council staff were informed Thursday that additional funds were made available. The Community Action Council is already struggling as it loses COVID-19 recovery funding but still faces a pandemic-era need for its services. 'Since the pandemic, we've had people coming to us who've never had to come to us before,' Weldon said. 'We've gone back to pre-pandemic funding … so it's a little more difficult because folks are still … facing lingering effects.' The council also employs 550 people and budgets about $40 million to support its southwest Georgia clients. 'You take those jobs away … you take that funding out of the community, that's a big impact here,' Weldon said. Anita Ware sits at her supervisor desk; classroom schedules and parent information binders fill the space around her. Staff Photo: Lucille LanniganWeldon said he understands the need for cutting costs at the federal level, but he doesn't want necessary areas or services to get caught up in the mix. Ware said the Terrell County Child Development Center is carrying on, giving 100% to the children and families until it's no longer able to. 'We're small, but we have a real impact,' she said. 'Watching a child graduate from high school, knowing they were once here, and now they're a valedictorian or an honors student, it's a great feeling. It makes you proud.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Head Start program celebrates 60th anniversary
CLARKSBURG, (WBOY) — Each county in West Virginia has at least one Head Start program, and between Harrison, Lewis, Ritchie, and Gilmer counties, 318 students utilize this service every day. Head Start programs throughout the United States are celebrating 60 years as the federally funded initiative that aids in preparing children for school readiness has impacted countless children and families since its inception. Through creative curriculum, Head Start focuses its needs within four quadrants: school readiness, parent engagement, health/mental health services and child attendance. The program services children between the ages of 3 and 5 whose family also falls within the complete percentile of the federal government's guideline of poverty level. 12 News spoke with the executive director of Central WV Community Action (CWVCAA), Philip Keith, on what the 60-year celebration means to him. 'Head Start has been engaged in early childhood education and providing these services for 60 years. 60 years providing services on early childhood development and early childhood education, and what you see when you visit Head Start classrooms is that all of that experience in operation,' Keith said. Aside from its learning curriculum, Head Start aims to help children with their developmental needs, linking those who may need assistance in physical, occupational and speech therapies after the age of three to proper services. Childcare advocates hold 'Community Conversation' in Clarksburg, hoping for legislative change Beyond its students, Head Start also makes efforts to support parents as well. Jennifer Tenney, Head Start parent and vice president of Head Start's policy council, spoke with 12 News on how the program has benefited her as a parent. 'It has benefited not only with helping my kids learn and the extra support my kids need, but also a lot of people don't know that you can apply for things. When I actually went back to school to finish my degree, I applied for some help through the Head Start program, and they actually helped me pay my tuition for my last two semesters so I could get my degree,' Tenney said. With federal budget cuts looming over programs just like this one, staff of the program are still remaining positive as they believe their purpose goes much deeper than a paycheck. Clarksburg Head Start's lead teacher, Penny Stewart, spoke with 12 News on why she chose on to get involved in this career. 'There's something in you that you want to give back and I've always said I didn't come to Head Start for the paycheck, I came because the rewards it gives me and being that bright light for children and families and knowing that I am making a difference to make this world a better place,' Stewart said. CWCAA's Head Start is currently accepting enrollment. You can learn more about how to enroll your child through its website or by calling 304-622-8495. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Unions draw striking Butler workers, RIPTA driver in push to pass ‘tax the rich' legislation
Advocates hold signs in support of raising taxes on Rhode Island's highest earners outside the State House on May 29, 2025. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current) A countdown clock ticked down in front of the State House on Thursday afternoon — 20 days. That's how many days union workers and activists estimate are left before the Rhode Island General Assembly passes its fiscal 2026 budget. 'TIME IS NOW. TIME IS NOW,' the crowd of around 150 people chanted as they called on lawmakers to pass a bill to increase income taxes on top earners in Rhode Island to raise revenue to prop up hospitals, plug a $32.6 million deficit at the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority and fund programs like Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and Head Start that help the state's poorest residents. At least one RIPTA driver was among the crowd, which included over 30 striking Butler Hospital workers plus members of RI AFL-CIO, Climate Action Rhode Island, National Education Association of Rhode Island, Economic Progress Institute, Revenue for Rhode Islanders Coalition, RI Working Families Party, SEIU-1199, Indivisible RI and Reclaim RI. Companion bills introduced in February by Rep. Karen Alzate, a Pawtucket Democrat, and Sen. Melissa Murray, a Woonsocket Democrat, call for a 3% surtax on the top 1% of earners — those who make more than $625,000 a year, based on 2025, inflation-adjusted numbers. Alzate's bill received its initial hearing before the House Committee on Finance on May 6 where it was held for further study by the panel. Murray's bill was scheduled for a hearing before the Senate Committee on Finance Thursday evening. 'The wealthy have been benefiting from state and federal tax cuts for decades,' Murray told the crowd. 'But at whose expense? Ours.' The proposal would affect about 5,700 state income tax filers and generate an extra $190 million in annual revenue for the state, according to the Economic Progress Institute, which backs the legislation. 'This is not crazy — it's reasonable, it's fair, and it's long overdue,' Nina Harrison, policy director for the Economic Progress Institute, told the crowd. 'It's the end of the session — this is rally time,' AFL-CIO President Patrick Crowley said. 'This is when we make our final argument that this is about building a Rhode Island economy from the worker up and giving the state the resources they need to make sure we have functioning systems that everyday people rely on.' Crowley, who sits on RIPTA's board of directors, said if Rhode Island's wealthiest residents paid more in taxes, then the statewide bus agency could solve its financial woes. Funding could also go toward the state's health care system, he said. 'Which would allow workers like the striking Butler workers to have a living wage,' he said. Butler Hospital unionized workers represented by SEIU 1199E returned to the State House for at least the third time in their now two-week long strike, rallying for better working conditions and wages at the Providence psychiatric hospital. A negotiator from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) — a federal agency that helps smooth out labor disputes — sat down Wednesday and Thursday to revive talks between the striking Butler workers and their employer, Care New England. There were no immediate updates on the status of the talks from union officials as of Thursday evening. Dawn Williams, a Butler registered nurse, union delegate, member of the bargaining committee explained in a statement Wednesday evening while the day's talks failed to find consensus. 'Unfortunately, management gave us a set of proposals with lower wages, higher healthcare costs, less on retirement and no movement on our workplace violence committee,' Williams said. 'We are more than ready to return to work and resume caring for our patients — but we should never have to choose between our safety, our livelihoods, and the profession we love.' Mary E. Marran, Butler's president and COO, issued a statement Thursday. 'While the Hospital remains committed to productive dialogue, we are concerned by the union's apparent lack of advanced preparation for Wednesday's session, and its continued focus on internal union matters such as changes to new hire orientation, rather than on issues central to our employees' core priorities—such as wages, retirement benefits, and healthcare,' Marran wrote. Marran wrote that the hospital presented a 'scaled-back economic proposal' on Wednesday because of conditions established during the last negotiating session on May 7, when it gave its 'Last, Best, and Final Offer,' with any subsequent offers shaped by 'the effects of the strike, which has affected patients, staff, the community, and the Hospital itself.' Marran added that the wages are still higher than those in previous contracts, and pointed to the hospital's negotiation website, Care New England spokesperson Raina C. Smith did not supply an exact dollar amount when asked Thursday how much the hospital has spent on temporary labor thus far. She simply replied, 'Millions.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Trump cuts hit flood control and food aid in Miami-Dade. Will Medicaid be next?
Cuts to federal spending yanked $10 million for flood-prevention projects in Miami, slashed USDA produce deliveries to a leading food bank and killed $17 million in grant money that Miami-Dade County hoped to secure for expanding Internet access to low-income households. But those cutbacks aren't what have county administrators worried. It's the even deeper cuts proposed by the Trump administration that they say would bring severe consequences to healthcare, housing and social services throughout Miami-Dade. The county's Democratic mayor, Daniella Levine Cava, laid out potential impacts in a recent memo to county commissioners. With more than $700 billion in Medicaid spending reductions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the Republican-backed spending and policy bill that narrowly passed the U.S. House on May 22, Levine Cava's memo warns of local pain if Washington cuts back on the stream of federal healthcare dollars to the Miami area. 'Last year, in Miami-Dade, Medicaid provided services to 40,300 children (30% of the County's children) and 120,700 seniors and people with disabilities,' Levine Cava wrote in the May 19 memo. 'Any reduction in Medicaid funding would significantly impact access to care and economic security.' U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, a Republican and Levine Cava's predecessor as county mayor, defended the proposed Medicaid changes that he voted for in the House, including work requirements for some recipients and stricter eligibility scrutiny to prevent 'double-dipping' by Medicaid recipients wrongly enrolled in more than one state program. 'The benefits to eligible residents have not been reduced,' he said. Federal funding accounts for about 6% of the county's $12.7 billion budget — amounting to more than $750 million annually from Washington. Among the funding concerns cited in the memo: A $65 million shortfall in funding for the federal Section 8 rental voucher program that Miami-Dade administers using dollars from Washington. The memo said more than 5,400 households could lose their housing assistance without more federal money in 2025. The potential loss of Head Start childcare dollars through a planned restructuring at the federal Department of Health and Human Services. Miami-Dade runs Head Start childcare centers funded by roughly $90 million a year from Washington. The latest grant expires Oct. 1, and Levine Cava said there's no option yet to apply for a renewal in the federal grant-making system. Cutbacks in federally funded food shipments that make their way to soup kitchens, church pantries and food banks throughout Miami-Dade. Farm Share, a main supplier of free food in the county, said the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently cut in half the number of semi-trucks packed with cans, produce, and dry goods like rice and beans that find their way to local charities and nonprofits. Farm Share's federal shipments hit about 15 million pounds between February and May last year, compared to 7 million pounds this year, said Stephen Shelley, president of the Homestead-based charity. 'It's concerning,' he said. Even so, Shelley said he's optimistic the cutbacks will be temporary as the second Trump administration retools the program and manages fallout from the shortages. 'This is a cycle that is not uncommon. We're watching, and we're hopeful.' While the memo focuses mostly on potential funding impacts, some examples represent federal money that's already lost. That includes a $16.5 million grant from the Department of Commerce that the county hoped to receive to expand Internet access countywide. One of the biggest hits to Miami-Dade's existing federal funding is a grant designed to help the county lessen current-day flooding, as well as help prepare for sea-level rise. Two of the floodiest spots in Miami-Dade County — the mouth of Little River and the Biscayne Canal — were set to receive multimillion-dollar makeovers designed to protect neighborhoods against high waters and heavy rains. But last month, the Trump administration ended FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructures and Communities (BRIC) grant program, which launched during Trump's first term. READ MORE: Millions in South Florida flood-control projects on hold after Trump FEMA cuts Planning for the flood protection projects is on schedule to finish up this month. But there's no longer federal money to raise the height of canal walls and purchase bigger pumps to keep rainwater flowing to Biscayne Bay instead of into nearby streets. 'The cancellation of the BRIC program poses a major setback to Miami-Dade County's ability to implement long-term resilience strategies,' Levine Cava wrote. She said the two canceled grants were worth $9.2 million, with another $23 million in pending grant applications also taken off the table. Even so, she said Miami-Dade will be pursuing other federal dollars for the projects — even if they have more strings attached. Levine Cava is already warning of a nearly $400 million shortfall for the county's 2026 budget from increased local spending and slowing growth in property-tax revenues. That can make it harder to snag federal grants because county 'departments continue to face challenges identifying required match funding.'
Axios
3 days ago
- Business
- Axios
Utah day care costs for two children balloon
Daycare for one toddler and one infant in Utah on average costs approximately $24,000 a year, according to data from Child Care Aware, an advocacy group. By the numbers: To put it in perspective, that's roughly $5,400 more annually than you'd pay for the average one-bedroom apartment in Salt Lake City. The big picture: The cost of child care in the U.S. just keeps climbing as prices rose 29% from 2020 to 2024, outpacing overall inflation, Axios' Emily Peck reports. Why it matters: Rising costs put a huge financial strain on families, forcing some parents — typically women — to either ratchet back their working hours or leave the labor force entirely. For single parents, the calculus can be even more painful. It's also a drag on economic growth overall. By the numbers: The average annual cost of daycare tuition nationwide for one toddler and one infant rose to $28,168 last year, per the report. That's about 35% of median household annual income in the U.S., based on Census data released in 2024. Between the lines: The percentages are no less brutal in states with higher incomes. The cost of care for two children in Massachusetts is $47,012 — 44% of the median household income in that state. Zoom out: The U.S. doesn't have publicly funded universal childcare. However, the federal government does put money into the system for kids in low-income families through block grants to the states, as well as Head Start, the decades-old federal program that provides childcare, nutrition assistance and other services to the nation's poorest families There were worries that the White House would stop funding Head Start, but the administration has said that won't happen. Yes, but: President Trump's budget proposals look to keep federal funding levels for child care flat next year — that's effectively a cut given inflation, says Anne Hedgepeth, senior vice president of policy and research at Child Care Aware.
