EXCLUSIVE — The Trump administration is investing nearly a quarter-billion dollars into the anti-poverty early childhood education program Head Start to strengthen nutrition services and improve facilities as part of the Make America Healthy Again agenda.
The Department of Health and Human Services announced over $225 million in new Head Start supplemental grants, including nearly $90 million for nutrition improvement through initiatives such as community food partnerships, toddler-accessible gardens, and kitchen equipment.
Administration for Children and Families Assistant Secretary for Family Support Alex Adams told the Washington Examiner that the emphasis on nutrition and child wellness “will set these programs up for success.”
“We’re excited about the good that’s going to be done with these grants, and we’re going to keep working with Head Start programs across the nation to make them better and brighter,” Adams said.
Head Start, which was created in the 1960s under President Lyndon B. Johnson, serves roughly 700,000 children under 5 years old and their families living at or below the federal poverty level. Alumni of the program, compared to their peers, are more likely to graduate high school, have greater emotional regulation and self-esteem, and are less likely to be incarcerated in adolescence or adulthood, according to reports.
Adams said the $225 million consists of recaptured funds from local Head Start programs that did not meet their enrollment requirements, which are being used to create supplemental awards to reinvest in single-time projects for other local programs.
“When dollars are recaptured from Head Start, it’s important for us to reinvest those within Head Start,” Adams said. “You take those one-time dollars, you invest in one-time things.”
Adams said most of the $89 million in nutrition and healthy eating awards will go to Head Start programs meant to improve kitchen equipment and dining spaces, while other projects involve hands-on activities for children, such as teaching students how food grows at on-site community garden beds.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a press release that investing in nutrition for Head Start programs is “creating healthier, safer environments that give children a stronger foundation for lifelong health.”
In addition to nutrition, more than $88 million is being allocated to facility and learning environment modernization. Another $47 million is being allotted for one-time critical needs, such as building playgrounds, teacher training, or technology purchases.
In August, the Trump administration announced a proposed rule that would require programs to provide more nutrient-dense meals for children, as well as 30 minutes of physical activity for every three hours of classroom instruction.
Adams said the one-time funding projects are “giving programs a head start” to revitalize their facilities and meet the new federal standards.
The rule, if finalized, would loosen other federal rules by giving states and local programs more direct control over child-to-staff ratios, transportation standards, and education requirements for teachers and staff.
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Adams said he is “always struck by just how high-caliber the staff is” when he visits local Head Start programs across the country. He said the grants are an investment in “local creativity and local ingenuity.”
“We really trust them to make the best decisions within the local context for their communities, for their programs, for the children and families that they serve,” Adams said. “I think these grants reflect that local diversity.”
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
