Patsy T. Mink: “I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4250 which reauthorizes three very important programs to address the needs of the…”

“I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4250 which reauthorizes three very important programs to address the needs of the disadvantaged and low-income in our communities--the Low Income Housing Energy Assistance Program, the Community Services Block Grant, and Head Start. There are few of us remaining in the Congress who remember the origins of these programs. For me, that day almost 30 years ago when we first passed Head Start as part of Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty is still one of the most significant of my legislative career. With the establishment of Head Start we had finally recognized that a long-term, early intervention program was the best way to give children in poverty a fighting chance. Over 13 million children and their families all across the country have benefited from Head Start. For parents it meant their child would receive at least one hot meal a day, reassurance that their child was being taken care for at least a half-day while they were at work, for children it meant a chance to actually graduate from high school, or go on to post-secondary education, to stay out of a special education class, or advance to the next grade level. The legacy of Head Start lives on today as one of the most successful early childhood education programs in the country, providing education, health, and social services for needy children and their families.”