On Tuesday, a bipartisan group of legislators in Sacramento launched a letter urging California’s congressional delegation to guard the embattled Head Begin program and reject any proposed Trump administration cuts.
The letter, which was signed by over three-quarters of state lawmakers, stated they’re “deeply alarmed” by a rising checklist of cuts to the federal early childhood program underneath the Trump administration — together with the specter of complete elimination — and requested that Congress “reject any proposals that weaken or eradicate Head Begin.”
“That’s in all probability essentially the most bipartisan letter and difficulty that now we have labored on in years, and it’s all to guard and save our Head Begin program,” Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens (D-Silicon Valley), stated at a press convention.
Head Begin additionally enjoys overwhelming public help throughout the political spectrum with 74% of Trump voters in help of this system, in keeping with an April survey of greater than 1,000 registered voters nationwide. The ballot by the agency UpONE Insights was carried out on behalf of First 5 Years Fund, which lobbies Congress on early childhood training.
California receives $1.5 billion yearly for Head Begin. This system supplies youngster care, training, medical care, and nutritious meals to greater than 80,000 low-income youngsters from start by age 5 within the state and employs about 26,000 staff.
As a result of latest cuts and threats, practically 1000 Head Begin workers in California have already acquired pink slips, Ahrens stated.
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Two of the members who spoke on the convention — Ahrens and Republican Assemblymember Heather Hadwick (R-Alturas) — had attended Head Begin packages themselves. “I nonetheless distinctly keep in mind consuming recent fruit for the primary time in my life, as a result of the Head Begin Program affords free breakfast,” Ahrens stated.
In rural districts, like Modoc, Siskiyou, and Lassen Counties, “Head Begin isn’t only one possibility amongst many. A whole lot of occasions, it’s the one possibility,” stated Hadwick, who represents these areas. “I totally consider that we have to lower our funds and lower the waste. I simply hope that we don’t do it on the backs of low-income, working households and our kids.”
“Entry to dependable early training helps mother and father to work or pursue coaching, and early childhood jobs —many held by girls of shade — help group well-being and financial mobility,” the legislators wrote within the letter. Already, a scarcity of kid care entry “is estimated to price California “$17 billion in misplaced productiveness and financial output” yearly, they wrote, and cuts to Head Begin would “exacerbate this loss.”
Final month, an early model of President Trump’s funds proposed eliminating the Head Begin program completely. That proposal appeared to have been withdrawn within the “skinny” Presidential funds plan launched final week, however the administration has undercut this system repeatedly.
In January, an government order to briefly freeze all federal monetary assist in January left Head Begin employees all of the sudden unable to entry the funds that they had been promised. In February scores of federal staffers have been laid off on the division of Well being and Human Companies’ Workplace of Head Begin in Washington, D.C. And in April, the administration introduced that 5 of the 12 regional workplaces managing relationships with Head Begin grantees could be closed instantly and all workers laid off, together with Area 9, which covers 4 states, together with California.
This text is a part of The Occasions’ early childhood training initiative, specializing in the training and growth of California youngsters from start to age 5. For extra details about the initiative and its philanthropic funders, go to latimes.com/earlyed.
