Fully Fund Head Start

Take action and tell your federal legislators and the Bush Administration to stop shortchanging our nation’s children and to fully fund Head Start. Tell me more

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President George W. Bush
Your Congressperson
Your Senators

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Dear [ Decision Maker ],

(Edit Letter Below)

Many children in my community depend on Head Start  -- one of the nation's most successful early childhood education and development programs. Now, with our state facing financial hard times and many people losing their jobs, these programs need to be fully funded more than ever.

Over the last six years the Bush administration has grossly underfunded Head Start programs. After the passage of the Head Start reauthorization bill, which added many new requirements, the White House and Congress approved a budget bill that cut Head Start funding.  In particular, the current year (08) funding for Head Start is eleven percent less than in 2002 when adjusted for inflation, an $893 million decrease. The Bush administration has proposed a two percent increase in the 2009 funding, but this small of an increase will not be enough to keep up with inflation.  In fact, some Michigan programs have already closed their doors or reduced enrollment to avoid compromising on quality due to this decline in funding.

In this global economy, our nation cannot afford to short change our children by underfunding Head Start, which has a proven track record of placing our nation's poorest children on a trajectory for success in school.  Therefore, I urge you to pass a supplemental bill that minimally adds $472 million to Head Start's current year funding.  This will help ensure continued access to one of our nation's most successful early childhood programs for thousands of children. 
 
Thank you for your consideration in this matter and I look forward to hearing from you in the future.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]

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