Secretary Sylvia Burwell: Thanks to an excellent teacher her name is Rita Pack
I got a Head Start.You got it, I'm a Head Start kid.
Mark Ginsberg: America's children need Head Start now more than ever.
Head Start is one of the best opportunities they have to move from impoverished environments
to environments of success.
Blanca Enriquez: Head Start is central to the administration's goal of ensuring
that all children have access to high quality learning opportunities.
V-O: Today's Head Start: Even Stronger Linda Smith: In 2011 President Obama announced
the re-competition of Head Start, what we call the Designation Renewal System.
Programs that didn't meet certain quality benchmarks were then required to re-compete
for their grants.
The goal of that was to improve the quality of Head Start nationwide.
Obama on tape: Programs are going to be regularly evaluated against a set of clear, high standards.
Children in Head Start deserve the best services we have to offer and we know that Head Start
programs can meet this challenge.
Kids singing: There are seven days, there are seven days in a week...
>The Head Start structure itself, for a grantee, it provides a framework.
It's a framework that seeds success.
Malinda Langford: We are much stronger for having gone through the process of designation renewal.
We took that as an opportunity to step back and reflect on the services we were providing.
>Head Start's been leading the way to say that those who teach young children should
be degreed.
Bilqees Akhtar: They supported me to get my child development associate (CDA) credential.
And now I'm going to college to get my early childhood degree.
>In 2014, we were fortunate enough that Congress appropriated $500 million for what we call
the Early Head Start Child Care Partnerships.
The goal of the Partnerships was to expand access to high quality early learning programs
for our lowest income infants and toddlers.
The Partnerships were between our Head Start programs and both center-based and family
child care programs in communities.
>We received an Early Head Start childcare partnership grant in 2015, and we are going
to write again to expand and provide more services, hopefully for another 100 children.
That feels wonderful.
>During the Obama Administration we saw an unprecedented increase in enrollment of new
children in Head Start and Early Head Start.
The first expansion was approximately 61,000 children in early Head Start, and then we
increased that to 153,000.
This almost tripled our numbers.
Belinda Williams: I'm so thankful for this program, that they were able to help me.
I'm here all by myself in Virginia and I didn't have any help.
I didn't have any support and Northern Virginia Family Services has been my second family.
And I absolutely love the program.
>The Obama administration invested $294 million towards increasing to full school day, full
school year.
>We found, looking at different measures of amount of participation in early care and
education, that more was better, but, especially when it was rich in instruction and content.
>Providing a full-day, full-year program has advantages for the parent, to have a regular
work schedule, know where their children are going to be, know they're going to be safe,
and that they are going to have learning opportunities.
>With comprehensive services, we assure that children are healthy, that children are eating
well every day and that they are prepared when they enter Kindergarten.
Margarita Semidey: Instead of spending the time at home watching TV, they're
able to play. They're able to learn.
(sound of kids laughing as teacher sings) >I'm absolutely in love with his teachers.
They do daily communication reports for me and let me know everything that's going on
with Xyus and how his day was.
>We absolutely know that children need more than 3 or 3 and a half hours of program a
day.
We were fortunate enough to get the funding from Congress to expand the access to full
day/full year for more children.
That said we know that more children need it, and so this year we, in our President's
budget, asked for $292 million to expand to even more children.
>The value of a strong Head Start is really a life changer.
Children are provided with a foundation, not only for their wellbeing, but also for their
academic development.
(child squeals happily; mom cries "Hi, Baby!)
>I am excited about my child's future.
The program has given him building blocks to have a strong education and I am thankful
for that.
(Parent to kids: "...when we get home."
Kids: "Bye!")
> Head Start has always been a leader in early education in this country.
The changes that we've made to it very recently will make it even stronger.
So we're really looking forward to the next 50 years of what this program can do for children
in our country.
>I am Head Start Strong.
Child on tape: I am Head Start Strong!
Roar!
Strong!
V-O: For more information, please visit: acf.hhs.gov/ohs #HeadStart, #HeadStartStrong.