Head Start Provides Critical Support to Families

Representative Melissa Wintrow checked in with the Idaho Head Start Association in May 2020 to find out how our families and children are doing during the COVID pandemic. She voiced concern that remote learning and the challenge of sheltering at home is causing a higher level of family stress and compromised learning opportunities. She posed these very important questions.

How are the parents doing? Have folks been able to access unemployment benefits if needed?  What are you seeing as the larger family needs that are also impacting the kids and the whole family during this crisis?

This is the reply from Lisa Burke, Executive Director, Friends of Children and Families.  

For the most part parents are doing well.  Friends of Children and Families (FOCAF) has been able to offer additional support to our Head Start families that has helped them manage the additional stress.  FOCAF continued to provide learning opportunities for children, interactive activities for families and at-home learning exercises. For parents, FOCAF continued to provide parenting classes and activities, resources for mental health, physical health, food, clothing, housing, and finances. 

FOCAF partnered with the local school districts for food, but not all our parents were able to get to the distribution sites, and the food was only for children.  FOCAF was able to deliver weekly food boxes to families that had additional needs. Those boxes served the entire family.

FOCAF stayed in constant contact with families but individualized our outreach based on each family’s need for support.  The positive feedback we received from families was overwhelming with many stating that they didn’t think they would have made it without our support. 

Most of the parents reported they have been able to access unemployment benefits if needed, however there were a few parents that were still waiting to receive money. 

FOCAF is seeing food insecurity, mental health issues and fear of the future as the larger family needs.  For our families, food insecurity is a constant worry, more than for families that have incomes above the poverty level.  This pandemic has exacerbated the families’ ability to obtain food and feel secure about where their next meal will come from. 

Job insecurity plays into this and only makes the fear of the unknown and future larger.  We have seen an increase in requests for mental health resources and, sadly, our community is already challenged in this area if you are a low-income family. 

All three of these issues can and do have a negative impact on the whole family.  While many families, regardless of income, have fears about the future, these fears are even greater when you faced food insecurity or mental health issues prior to the pandemic. 

As a Head Start/Early Head Start program we have been able to help families with food security, mental health, and fear of the future, but I worry about all the families we can’t support. Between Ada and Elmore County, FOCAF only has enough Head Start and Early Head Start slots to meet 12% of the need.  That means 88% of families in our service area don’t have access to our support. 

IHSA Is Comitted to Equity and Justice

At Idaho Head Start Association, we echo the sentiments many of you are feeling -- anger, heartbreak, fear, despair and exhaustion -- as we struggle in the face of continued brutality and injustices that Black and Brown people face daily as a result of systemic and structural racism.
 
The Covid-19 pandemic, which has disproportionately affected Black, Latinx, and native people, as well as communities facing extreme poverty, has both brought to light and exacerbated systemic inequities. This crisis is the latest example of how institutional racism has affected our public health systems and responses.
 
The challenge we face is to respond today to the calls for racial justice in a way that builds a future in which Black and Brown people are not subjected to unwarranted threats to their lives on a daily basis and have the same opportunities as every other American.
 
Every action we support through the Idaho Head Start Association is focused on achieving equity and justice for our Head Start children and families.  From reducing disparities in birth outcomes, providing opportunities for at risk children to succeed in school and life and empowering low-income families to build skills and achieve self-sufficiency, IHSA is committed to removing social determinants that marginalize communities.  
 
We recognize that this is not enough, that we can do more. We stand in determined solidarity with those who pursue equity, justice, human dignity for all, and an end to racism.
 
Sincerely,
Bill Foxcroft
Executive Director
Idaho Head Start Association

Pocatello Chubbuck Head Start provides crucial safety net during COVID-19 pandemic

By Steve Stuebner For the Idaho State Journal

https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/pocatello-chubbuck-head-start-provides-crucial-safety-net-during-covid-19-pandemic/article_31bfde93-efbc-5a7d-bb89-305d0351a17f.html

Pocatello resident Armando Orozco leads a busy life as a husband, father of seven children and bread-winner, supporting his family through his job as a grocery clerk at Fred Meyer.

He stocks shelves as part of his job, so he often works swing shifts and late hours. But Orozco sleeps well, knowing that Pocatello Chubbuck Head Start support services are there during the COVID-19 pandemic to support his family.

It starts in the morning, when a Head Start bus driver drops off breakfast and lunch for his children, and then his 3- and 4-year-old boys open the computer and sign onto Google Classroom, where the Pocatello Chubbuck Head Start pre-school teachers take roll and begin the lessons for the day.

Even at home, away from the other students, the dancing videos and counting videos are super fun for the kids to enjoy, Orozco says. “With those dancing videos, we just had a spontaneous dance party at our house, with all the kids singing and dancing, that was a lot of fun,” he says. “Head Start preschool has a lot of great learning resources for kids to get ready for kindergarten.”

The Orozco children dance along to a Head Start remote learning video.

Idaho Head Start programs serve as an important safety net for low-income Idaho families by providing free pre-kindergarten educational programs to boost school readiness for kids 3 to 5 years old, birth-to-3 education in Early Head Start programs, Children’s Health Programs and Parent Advancement programs.

The Pocatello Chubbuck Head Start program serves 215 kids and families locally, and Bear River Head Start serves 144 kids and families in Caribou, Oneida, Franklin, Bear Lake and southern Bannock County in the Southeast Idaho region.

Statewide, Idaho Health Start programs serve about 4,945 children up to 5 years old in 146 communities and 39 Idaho counties, including 26,796 home visits last year.

“Idaho Head Start and Early Head Start have always served a vital function for low-income families and children in our state, but during this challenging time with the COVID-19 virus, it’s even more crucial that we’re there to support our families and ensure they’re doing OK and their children continue to learn and grow,” said Bill Foxcroft, executive director of Idaho Head Start Association.

The Orozco family receives family support services in addition to preschool education from the Pocatello Chubbuck Head Start program. During Gov. Little’s stay-at-home order, Head Start officials check in regularly online and on the phone. “The family advocates are constantly emailing us and calling us to see if everything is going OK,” he says.

At the Lincoln Early Childhood Center in Pocatello, Rebecca Sims, also known as “Miss Becky,” has been operating her preschool classroom virtually for 16 3-year-old students since public schools closed in March.

“They practice counting by counting buttons on your mom’s sweater or how many train cars are lined up on the track,” says Sims. “They start by counting to 5, then to 10, 15, 20, and their parents help them get there.”

The kids play musical stairs – count the stairs as they go up, and go down. They work on math, cognitive skills, fine motor skills and gross motor skills. They watch videos and answer questions about the videos to gauge comprehension as the teachers provide prompts for discussion.

“I think the kids are doing great – they’re hanging in there,” Sims says. “But It’s really hard for them. They can’t understand what this coronavirus thing is all about; they don’t understand why they can’t go to school. I really miss them and want to see their smiling faces and give them hugs!”

Amanda Davis is a Head Start family advocate at the Lincoln Early Childhood Center. She serves 36 families in the Pocatello area.

“It’s heart-wrenching” to communicate with clients over the Internet instead of being able to deal with people directly," Davis says. “You call them and ask them if everything is OK, and they say everything is OK, but are they really doing fine? Without being there in person, you can’t pick up on those cues.”

A lot of families have needed help applying for unemployment compensation as a result of layoffs from the COVID-19 pandemic, she says. About 50 percent of her clients have applied for unemployment benefits. Plus, they need help tapping into other community resources.

For the Orozco family, Head Start family advocates helped them discover a way to cut expensive winter heating bills. The Southeast Idaho Community Action Agency covered $800 in winter heating bills after they qualified for assistance. “That was a big help,” Orozco says.

The Orozco family is one of hundreds receiving support from the Pocatello Chubbuck Lincoln Head Start.

Three buses from the Lincoln Center deliver food to 160 children in the area five days a week. With reduced income from job layoffs, the families appreciate the help.

“Our biggest accomplishment is to make sure these families have food,” Davis says.

For more information about Pocatello Chubbuck Head Start, contact Cathy Brey, program director, 208-233-6606, www.pochs.org. For more information about Idaho Head Start, contact Bill Foxcroft, 208-345-1182, bfoxcroft@idahohsa.org, www.idahohsa.org.

HEAD START TEACHERS FIND CREATIVE WAYS TO SERVE CHILDREN

Idaho Education News

https://www.idahoednews.org/news/head-start-teachers-find-creative-ways-to-serve-children/

Steve Stuebner 05/22/2020

Idaho Head Start pre-K teachers are continuing their outreach and services to low-income families and children in Southwest Idaho on a remote basis despite the COVID-19 pandemic, serving approximately 610 families and children from Donnelly to Caldwell and Weiser to Payette.

For example, Head Start officials have been working with the Western Idaho Community Action Agency (WICAP) to distribute 93 Chromebook computers donated by the Emmett School District to families in need. They also help with delivering food boxes to families in need.

Idaho Head Start programs serve as a safety net for low income Idaho families by providing free pre-K educational programs to boost school readiness for kids. Statewide, Idaho Health Start programs serve about 4,945 children aged 0-5 in 146 communities and 39 Idaho counties.

A Head Start student works on assignments at home with the help of Head Start teachers.

Many of the Head Start outreach programs require a computer to allow pre-school teachers to reach students on a remote basis, so the Chromebooks and Internet access are key, officials said.

“Every one of our pre-school teachers has created a Facebook page for their classrooms, and some of them are doing Google Meet video conferencing to do classroom activities,” said Julisa Florez, a Family and Community Partnership Specialist for WICAP Head Start.

“A lot of our families have Internet access, but they might have only one computer device in the household,” Florez said. “So to have access to more computers is going to be a big help to our families in need. If they don’t have Internet access, we’re working to provide mobile hot spot devices to they can be online.”

Kristal Salcido, a pre-K lead teacher at Happy Day Preschool in Caldwell, said the coronavirus has forced teachers to find ways to reach students remotely.

“There is nothing I want more than to be back in the classroom with my students, hugging them, greeting them at the door, reading stories … but since that’s not possible right now, I had to get creative,” Salcido said. “I had to think of simple things that would be easy for families to do at home.”

She developed a series of exercises that kids could work on in a daily activity calendar. The pre-K students are normally in the classroom five days a week for six hours a day. Some activities she’s assigned to her students include doing scavenger hunts, drawing a farm animal, looking for bugs, and reading a book. Students also are working on writing upper case and lower case letters, counting to 20, rhyming words and more.

The classroom Facebook page has been fun to watch for Salcido. “The best part is seeing them and feeling like we are really connecting,” she says. “Learning never stops at Happy Day Preschool, and I am blessed to be part of that.”

A Head Start student shares with her teacher via Facebook.

“Idaho Head Start and Early Head Start have always served a vital function for low-income families and children in our state, but during this difficult time with the COVID-19 virus, it’s even more crucial that we’re there to support our families and ensure they’re doing OK and their children continue to learn and grow,” said Bill Foxcroft, executive director of Idaho Head Start Association.

A Weiser family welcomes a social-distancing visit from a Head Start teacher.

In another success story, pre-K student Lorena Zapata Padilla has continued to thrive in pre-K education despite learning and interacting remotely. Lorena was glued to her mom, Mirella, when she was first enrolled in Head Start last fall. She was very shy. She became very upset if she was left alone at preschool, so they tried doing shorter days to begin with over several months.

“We tried different methods to help her make Head Start a fun experience,” says Norma Juarez, child-family educator. “We let Lorena bring a favorite stuffed animal to school. Little by little, with her mom’s and the teachers’ help, Lorena was finally able to get into the routine, and she got on the bus without crying. Knowing that she was going to be able to go back home to mom, helped her come to school with a beautiful smile. We are now able to see Lorena’s personality blossom.”

Since that time, her mom, Mirella Padilla, is taking a very active role in educating her daughter at home.

“Mom is an amazing first teacher to both of her daughters,” Juarez says. “She is always willing to try new things and activities to help Lorena grow her knowledge. During this difficult time, Lorena and Mirella are always participating in video chats, and joining activities that her teacher posts on our Facebook pages. We love having Lorena in our class this school year.”

In another success story, Alicia Gomez spoke about the benefits of enrolling her son, Aiden, in Happy Day Preschool Head Start to work on pre-K education. Aiden entered the program with some speech/motor skills deficiencies, social anxiety, and some health issues related to food allergies and a low-immune system. He also started part-time and worked into a full-time student.

“Entering the program is one of the best things I could have done for my child,” Gomez says. “His social and emotional well-being improved, as did his motor skills. After several months, his social anxiety was slowly disappearing. He has grown so much because of the environment that WICAP Head Start created for him. It’s a safe, fun and loving environment, and it’s great for Aiden to be with kids his own age.”

Preschool teachers are working to continue to make advances with Aiden through remote learning with the Happy Day Preschool. “I’m thankful the program exists, and I can’t wait to see how WICAP continues to affect my son and family in a positive way,” Gomez said.

Ashley, a mother of three young boys under 4 years old, enrolled her kids in Head Start last fall after serving time in prison. Ashley is receiving financial aid services under a Family Partnership plan. She got a job and bought a car. Through Head Start, her children are receiving counseling and one of her boys receives speech therapy.

“She is determined for her kids to know that she loves them and wants to spend time with them,” says Linda Garner, a family services mentor for Head Start. “She is committed to making sure that her children have supportive people and environments in her life, remembering their family time together, and that they have the same commitment to their family as she has for them.”

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, however, Ashley has lost her job and is now trying to make things work with her three boys at home. The WICAP  Head Start support team has stayed in touch with her to check in and see how she’s doing on a regular basis.

“I am grateful for the continued support that Head Start is providing,” Ashley says. “From the phone calls, making sure that I have the things that my boys and I need, to the Facebook page, posting lessons, stories, delivering packets, essential materials and supplies on our front porch. Or just having someone to talk to, support and encouragement.”

“Even with some of the health issues with the boys, she has always felt supported by staff, never judged and she has gained consistency and stable love for her and her boys,” Garner said.

For more information, contact Mary Gauthier at Western Idaho Community Action Agency (WICAP) Head Start at www.wicap.org/head-start, 208.642.9086 ex 1023, or on her mobile, 208.741.1617.

This article was provided special to Idaho Education News by Steve Stuebner for the Idaho Department of Labor.  

Head Start is Hard at Work

Dear Head Start Friends,

Thank you for your dedication to the health of Idaho's young children and their families; for working tirelessly to ensure every child has the ability to reach their full potential. Whether you're a parent, a staff member or a community supporter, we know you're reaching deep into your reserves to support the Head Start community in this frightening and uncertain time. Head Start is leading the way across Idaho in caring for Idaho's most vulnerable children and families.  Thank you!

Bill Foxcroft, Executive Director

Head Start Gave Our Family the Support We Needed

Idaho Press, December 25, 2019

By Marcela Calderon, Alumni parent of Friends of Children and Families

It was very hot, and I was tired from picking cherries in the morning and sorting sugar beets in the afternoon. When I complained, my father told me I’d be working the fields my whole life if I didn’t learn English.  I was fourteen years old.

After graduating from high school, I washed dishes at a restaurant because my English was still bad. My husband lost his construction job in 2008 when I was pregnant with our second child.  We didn’t have any income when I took unpaid maternity leave.  We couldn’t afford diapers and food.  How would we provide for 2-year-old Bryan and the new baby?

We applied to Early Head Start at Friends of Children and Families (FOCAF) in Boise, even though there was a long waiting list. I was very happy when we were accepted.  Early Head Start is for pregnant moms and children zero to three years old. Our home visitor, Michelle, came weekly. She helped my husband and I start English classes. She helped us find a local doctor, so I didn’t have to take the kids to a doctor in Mountain Home.  Michelle helped us solve many problems, regain our hope and become better parents.

Head Start is for three and four-year-old children and their families. Bryan started when he was four, and he didn’t know English.  FOCAF serves many children who don’t speak English, and they gave Bryan one-on-one assistance. In a few months, Bryan knew English. By the end of the school year, Bryan was ready for kindergarten. Now Bryan is 12 years old and excels in school.

When our third child, Angelina, was a baby, she wouldn’t respond when I talked to her.  Angelina was in Early Head Start, and I told our family educator I was worried.  They gave her a hearing test that showed she couldn’t hear. She got tubes in her ears and started learning how to talk. She’s in first grade now and doing great. Head Start helps parents get problems diagnosed including vision and hearing problems, autism, and speech delays. If these conditions go undiagnosed until kindergarten, much more remedial help is necessary. Some children are never able to make up for the lost time.

Michelle continued to help us pursue our dreams. She helped me get a job at a bank. We got health insurance and, in 2015, we bought a house.  We are the first in our families to own our home. Now, I’m a Marketing Representative on my way to be a loan officer so I can help other people make their dream of home ownership come true.

Our family is one of millions of Head Start success stories. We were at risk of continuing to live in poverty and our children were at risk of under achieving at school and in life. Across Idaho, Early Head Start and Head Start staff are helping at-risk young children and their parents succeed.  But for every family served, many more are turned away for lack of room. More than 2,000 families are on Head Start waiting lists in Idaho.

The state of Idaho can help by providing funding to augment the federal funding.  This additional funding can open more slots for Idaho’s most vulnerable kids. I wish every kid could have the opportunity to go to Head Start like my children. I wish every parent could get the help I got making their dreams come true.

Literacy Begins With Parents and Idaho Head Start Can Help

Idaho Statesman, December 21, 2019

By Bill Foxcroft, Executive Director Idaho Head Start Association

Idaho’s poor literacy rates, as discussed in a recent Idaho Education News article by Kevin Richert, are alarming.  Head Start is the nation’s most successful school readiness program, and Idaho’s Head Start programs are ready to help Gov. Brad Little improve Idaho’s literacy rates.

Head Start is an early education program for children from at-risk backgrounds. Head Start serves children during the critical learning years from birth to age 5. Head Start recognizes the critical role of parents and teaches parents how to support their children’s learning. Head Start also helps parents overcome the challenges of poverty that can stand in the way of their children’s success.

A mom from Meridian got help learning computer skills and applying for a higher paying job while her daughter received a hearing test that found a problem the doctor had missed. With tubes in her ears, the child quickly caught up with her peers. Head Start staff help parents improve their quality of life and catch many hearing, vision and learning problems early so children don’t enter kindergarten needing remedial help.

A dad from Boise attended Head Start parenting classes and learned that children learn better when fathers volunteer in the classroom and continue the learning at home.  His daughter overcame shyness and found out that teachers are wonderful. Head Start teaches children and their parents how to be comfortable in the school setting reducing behavior problems and improving the important relationship between teachers and parents.

Idaho’s 13 Head Start programs serve 5,000 children from 146 Idaho communities, including Boise, Garden City, Kuna, Meridian, Caldwell, Nampa and Mountain Home. Children who enter Head Start in the fall at age 4 show significant improvement by the end of the school year and perform highly on school readiness assessments.  Statewide, language and literacy scores in Head Start students improved by 40% from fall to spring, with 89% of the children proficient to enter kindergarten at grade level.

As Richert describes, the Idaho Reading Indicator measures the pre-reading skills kindergarteners should have at the start of the school year. The IRI fall scores show that only 42% of the students were proficient.  The disparities are even more striking when looking at the IRI scores of economically disadvantaged youth. Only 26.5% were proficient. In comparison, their peers from Head Start were 89% proficient. This is astonishing data. 

Research shows that early learning habits and outcomes largely predict later academic performance.  Offering more of Idaho’s economically disadvantaged young children a Head Start experience will prepare them for future academic success.

Head Start’s federal funding is not enough to serve all the Idaho families that qualify. More than 2,000 kids are on Head Start waiting lists across the state. The Idaho Head Start Association urges lawmakers to make a $1 million state investment in Head Start to enroll 100 more children. This is a cost-effective step toward improving school readiness, literacy rates and future success.

Head Start Has Helped Me Overcome My Mountains

By Elvira Sanchez, Family Service Advocate, Community Council of Idaho Migrant Seasonal Head Start

My story starts when I was a young child. My family was a migrant family from Texas. We migrated back and forth to Idaho until I was two years old. I was a Head Start student.

Growing up was fun until I reached high school. Then I wanted a car and I wanted name-brand clothes. I wanted all the things that other kids had, and I didn’t, so I dropped out in 10th grade to make $5.25 an hour. I worked at a burger joint for three years, then I moved on to be a housekeeper at the hospital. All this time I felt I wanted to be more. I knew I could achieve more.

I eventually went to CSI to get my GED and graduated in 1998. I was very proud of myself. I was the first in my family to graduate from high school. In April 2000 I started working with the Migrant Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) in Twin Falls. I started as a bus aid working split shift. Then I became a teacher aide. It was so rewarding knowing I was making a difference in children’s lives. I could see and feel the hunger they had to learn, be noticed and cared for.

In 2002 I became a mommy. Words cannot explain this feeling. I vowed to teach and implement everything I had learned through the trainings provided by MSHS. It was this same year that I started going to college. My goal was to obtain my AA in early childhood education and my Child Development Associate (CDA) certificate. I obtained my CDA and became a preschool teacher. I still attended college.

In 2005 I had my second child. I wanted to succeed and be even better for them. I stayed with MSHS until 2010. At that time my youngest child was enrolled College of Southern Idaho Head Start. My home visitor Ileta told me the Early Head Start home visiting program was hiring and encouraged me to apply. I applied and was hired. If it wasn’t for Ileta’s persistence and encouragement, I would have never applied.

That position was extremely rewarding for me. I visited families from all walks of the life. I visited refugee families. I learned so much from the trainings we had with the mental health specialist and the home visiting trainings. But what was most rewarding for me, was the bond created with the families I visited and my coworkers. These people are my family today.

They taught me to appreciate what I have, and they taught me to be humble. I saw how eager they were to learn and better their families, and that, in turn, gave me the strength to continue with my education and do the same with my little family. As they say, all good things must come to an end. In 2016 I took a new position with the MSHS as a Family Service Advocate. I work with families to help them make goals and achieve them. In 2017 I obtained my Family Development Credential, and this reinforced to me that as a Family Service Advocate I could teach families to be self-sufficient and confident enough to reach their goals.  

I am not going to lie. Life has not been easy, but thanks to the support I received from my family and the skills that I have learned, Head Start has helped me overcome my mountains. Everyone was so encouraging, and they made everything easier. I have yet to obtain my AA, but I can tell you with confidence I will get it. More than anything I want my children to see me walk and receive my degree. I want them to learn from me that persistence and perseverance does pay off. Head Start has provided me so many opportunities. These steppingstones allowed me to better myself professionally and with my own family.

Head Start keeps families together

Idaho State Journal

By Bill Foxcroft and Evelyn Johnson

Amber was living in a garage in Fruitland, Idaho with her two young children. Because of her unstable living situation, she was at risk of having her children put in foster care.

Amber was fortunate to connect with her local Head Start program. She enrolled and quickly got help finding proper housing. Through Head Start, she received critical counseling services, her children began to receive Supplemental Security Income payments to meet basic needs and Amber was able to provide a more stable living environment. She and her children are no longer at risk of being separated.

Many Idaho parents with infants and young children face similar challenges which, if not addressed early, put them at risk of family separation. Infants and young children separated from their parents and put in foster care can suffer learning, health and behavioral setbacks that last a lifetime. Amber’s story is one of thousands across Idaho where Head Start has empowered families. In Amber’s case, it helped her keep her family together

Head Start is the nation’s high-quality leader in early childhood education. Head Start gives every child, regardless of circumstances at birth, the ability to reach their full potential. Head Start is also a whole family program, helping families build strength, confidence and skills to move from dependency to self-sufficiency. Through home visiting, family goal setting, mental health assistance, parenting classes and much more, Head Start keeps families together and helps children and families be successful in school and life.

Locally, the Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25 Head Start serves approximately 200 families with children age 3 to 5 each year at centers in Pocatello and Chubbuck. The Bear River Head Start has centers in Preston, Malad, Soda Springs and Paris and serves families who are expecting and who have children age 5 and younger. There are Head Start centers in Blackfoot, Fort Hall, Aberdeen and more than 125 other communities across Idaho. 5,057 children and their families were served by Idaho Head Start programs in 2018.

Amber’s Head Start experience keeping her family together is supported by recent research. A 2017 study by Sacha Klein at Michigan State University found that participating in Head Start may help prevent young children from being placed in foster care.

Klein found that kids up to age 5 in Head Start were 93 percent less likely to end up in foster care than kids in the child welfare system who had no type of early care and education. She also examined multiple forms of early care and education and found that Head Start was the only one to guard against foster care placement.

Klein concludes that Head Start may protect against foster care because of its focus on the entire family. Services include supporting parental goals such as housing stability, continued education and financial security. She suggests policymakers should consider making all children in the child welfare system, including those living at home, automatically eligible for Head Start. That could help prevent more kids from ending up in foster care.

These findings add to what we already know about Head Start’s return on investment. Children who attend Head Start have better language, cognitive and pre-literacy skills reducing the need for schools to provide remediation and special education. Head Start alumni are more likely to graduate from high school, attend college and on average have higher earnings. Head Start’s emphasis on healthy eating, active lifestyles and appropriate medical and dental care reduces community health care costs. Head Start is a win for the child, the family and the community.

Throughout Idaho, there are long waiting lists to enroll in Head Start. About 20,000 eligible Idaho children and their families are left behind due to a lack of funding. Federal funds don’t go far enough, but Idaho can fill this need.

As Idaho develops strategies to address family separation, poverty, opioid misuse, and child well-being, let’s make sure our state legislators remember the proven track record of Idaho’s Head Start programs. Let’s make sure they remember all the families, like Amber’s, who, through Head Start, have turned their lives around, kept their families intact and met their full potential.

Bill Foxcroft is the executive director of the Idaho Head Start Association. Evelyn Johnson, EdD is the chief executive officer of the Lee Pesky Learning Center and an associate professor at Boise State University.