HELENA — Children, parents, and educators are celebrating the Head Start Program for its 60th anniversary this week, but with talks about the program possibly being dismantled on a federal level, where does it stand?
The Rocky Mountain Development Council's (RMDC) Head Start Program serves 25 children and families this year.
(Watch the video to learn more)
As for Montana, as a whole, there are 22 Head Start grantees with roughly 100 Head Start sites that reach almost every corner of the state – from our biggest cities to our rural communities and tribal reservations.
"We are what you call a comprehensive program," said Ashley Pena-Larsen, RMDC Head Start director. "We look at everything from the child to the family."
The federal program initially launched in 1965 as an eight-week summer program, but now offers various services like free childcare during the academic year, support for housing and nutrition, and helping parents find jobs.
Pena-Larsen said, "Without Head Start, we'd have a large gap. The families who come to Head Start are families who maybe don't qualify for some of the other services that are available in the community."
While Rocky's Head Start Program was previously concerned with a proposal to cut Head Start from federal services, they feel more optimistic after receiving their full funding letter this week.
For a Head Start parent, Katelyn Buck, these services are essential for her son Emmitt Sheehan, who started the program in October.
"Emmitt had a pretty significant speech delay, and over the last six [or] seven months since he's started, he's gone from one word at a time to having six-word sentences," Buck said.
Buck said Emmitt is now at a similar level to his peers, and his teacher ensures he is included.
"She helped to train the entire class on how to communicate with him," Buck said. "It's cool to see four- and five-year-olds that are nice to everyone of all abilities."
Eighty percent of Head Start's budget comes from federal funds, with the rest from donations.
A fundraiser for the Head Start Program with the Rocky Mountain Development Council will be held on October 9th at Brother's Tapworks, and you can find more information about that coming up within the next few weeks or months by visiting the Head Start website or their Facebook page.
