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For Immediate Release
Contact: Betsy Hart, 202-225-2801

U.S. HOUSE APPROVES HEAD START FUNDING

Proven Program Includes 141 Head Start locations Across State, Educates Nearly 3,000 South Dakota kids

November 14, 2007, Washington, D.C. – Today the U.S. House of Representatives approved the conference report for H.R. 1429, the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin voted in favor of the bill, which will support a total of 141 Early Head Start and Head Start locations in South Dakota, helping to educate nearly 3,000 school children across the state. Research has shown Head Start to be a proven and effective program in early childhood learning and development.

“For over 40 years, Head Start has fostered a healthy learning and growing environment for children who need it most, at a time in their development when they need it most,” Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin said. “The legislation we passed today not only builds on the proven success of Head Start but also expands the program to provide for more qualified teachers, increased accountability and greater accessibility. The continued support of Head Start ensures that nearly 3,000 children across South Dakota have the tools they need to succeed in school and beyond.”

Begun in 1965, the Head Start program is a comprehensive child development and early education program for low-income children, with the regular Head Start program serving children ages 3 to 5, and Early Head Start program serving infants and toddlers up to age 3. Head Start's objective is to help low-income children be better prepared to succeed in school and later in life.

Head Start programs provide comprehensive education to children and their families, including health and nutrition programs, to combat poverty, improve the richness of the early learning experience and emphasize parental involvement. Research has shown that Head Start children are better prepared to learn and have higher self-esteem and social behavior at school entry. They also score higher on school readiness measures such as verbal achievement, perceptual reasoning, and social competence than children who have not attended preschool. Moreover, Head Start children have significantly lower absentee rates and are less likely to be retained in grade during elementary school than non-Head Start children

This bill is supported by the National School Boards Association, the NEA, and the National Head Start Association.

Grants for the operation of Head Start and Early Head Start programs may be awarded to either public or private, for profit or nonprofit organizations, or public school systems. In South Dakota there are 18 different entities that currently receive Head Start grant money from the Department of Health and Human Services. These 18 grant recipients oversee 124 Head Start locations and17 Early Head Start locations. Of these 141 locations, 48 are American Indian Head Start locations. In FY 2006 grants totaling $18,620,111 were awarded to programs in South Dakota, enrolling a total of 2,827 students. Approximately 77 percent of South Dakota programs are 4 days per week, part day programs and another 18 percent are 5 days per week, full day programs.

ENTITIES RECEIVING HEAD START GRANTS IN SOUTH DAKOTA

CDI Head Start (Serving Crow Creek Sioux Nation)
Dakota Transitional Head Start
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe
Inter-Lakes Community Action Partnership
Inter-Lakes Community Action, Inc.
Lower Brule Sioux Tribe
Northeast South Dakota Head Start Program, Inc.
Oahe Child Development Center, Inc.
Oglala Lakota College
Rosebud Sioux Tribe Head Start Program
RURAL AMERICA INITIATIVES
Sioux Falls Head Start
Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate of The Lake Traverse Reservation
South Central Child Development, Inc.
TREC - Badlands Early Head Start
TREC - Badlands Head Start
Yankton Sioux Tribe Head Start Program
Youth & Family Services

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Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin serves South Dakota in the U.S. House of Representatives. She is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate Democrats committed to fiscal discipline and strong national security, and is co-chair of the Rural Working Group, which is dedicated to raising the profile of issues important to rural America. She also serves on three committees vital to South Dakota’s interests: Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs and Natural Resources. In the 110th Congress, Rep. Herseth Sandlin was one of only 15 members appointed to serve on the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.