Duckworth, Murkowski Urge Senate Leadership to Include Head Start Funding in Next COVID Relief Package

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) sent a bipartisan letter to Senate leadership requesting that any future COVID-19 relief package include emergency funding for Head Start programs that have experienced an uptick in operational costs due to expanded programming and services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Head Start programs deliver high-quality, evidence-based education and comprehensive services to children across the country and during this public health crisis, the organization has made it possible for families to receive critical health and education resources they would not have had otherwise. Emergency funding is needed so Head Start programs can cover these added expenses and enable more low-income parents to access the high-quality child care they need to get back to work.

In part, the Senators wrote: “When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Head Start programs quickly adapted and readjusted their Head Start model to implement innovative strategies to help vulnerable families in need during the public health crisis. […] Without additional emergency funding, Head Start programs will face difficulties in re-opening for in-person instruction and continuing to provide the virtual and home-based services that have been so essential during the pandemic.”

This letter request is supported by the National Head Start Association.

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