Horizons Call to Action: Defend High-Quality Head Start

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Ask the MA Congressional Delegation to Protect High-Quality Head Start

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has proposed significant changes to the Head Start Program Performance Standards – the standards that help ensure children and families across the country receive high-quality, comprehensive Head Start services.

Now is your opportunity to speak up and let the MA Congressional Delegation know the importance of Head Start.

You do not need to be a policy expert to weigh in. If you are a parent, educator, Head Start alum, community member, advocate or simply someone who believes in Head Start, your experience and perspective matters.

Once you hit "Take Action" below, you will be guided to a template to share with the delegation. We strongly encourage you to personalize it by adding a few sentences about why Head Start matters to you, your family or your community. Even a short, personal comment can make a difference.

Not sure what to say to make it your own? Consider:

Are you or someone you know a Head Start parent, educator or alum?
What has Head Start meant to your family or community?
Why is access to high-quality early learning important to you?
What do you want decision-makers to understand about the children and families Head Start serves (e.g. children and families experiencing homelessness)?

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Allows those filling out action to email their specific State Senator / Representative.

Subject: Please Defend High-Quality Head Start

Message:

I hope this message finds you well. I am a supporter of Horizons for Homeless Children, the Commonwealth’s leading non-profit organization devoted exclusively to improving the lives of children in Massachusetts experiencing homelessness. Horizons supports and advocates for the needs of children and their families experiencing homelessness by providing high-quality early education, opportunities for play, and family support services to more than 2,000 homeless children each week in Massachusetts. I am writing to urge the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to protect the Head Start Program Performance Standards and withdraw the proposed rule. For more than 60 years, Head Start has helped children and families experiencing homelessness access high-quality early learning alongside health services, developmental supports and meaningful family engagement. The Head Start Program Performance Standards help make that comprehensive approach possible. The proposed rule would fundamentally upend those standards and make it harder for Head Start programs to deliver the high-quality services children and families experiencing homelessness deserve. Specifically, the proposal would: •	Remove the ability for families experiencing homelessness to self-attest to their housing status, effectively eliminating eligibility for the many doubled-up homeless families •	Eliminate research-based standards that support educational quality, child safety and healthy development. •	Remove evidence-based teacher-child ratio requirements that support individualized learning and safe learning environments. •	Reduce protections and services for infants, children with disabilities and multilingual learners. •	Limit opportunities for parents to shape their local Head Start programs. •	Make it more difficult for communities, especially rural communities, to sustain high-quality Head Start services. For these reasons, I respectfully urge HHS to withdraw this proposed rule. Thank you for considering my comments and for your continued service and leadership.

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Contact Organization Name
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Ask the MA Congressional Delegation to Protect High-Quality Head Start

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