The NAACP and the National Head Start Association (NHSA) announced a initiative aimed at empowering the country’s most vulnerable families by facilitating voter registration, health care enrollment and fair housing advocacy at Head Start centers across the county.
Since its creation in 1965, Head Start has improved the lives of 32 million at-risk children and their families, laying the foundation for lifelong success. As the model for early learning, Head Start’s two-generation approach, including services such as home visits, health screenings, and improved nutrition, gets children ready for kindergarten and sets families on a path toward self-sufficiency.
“Head Start has long been the center of community and learning in neighborhoods across the country, providing the required resources to strengthen families, communities and the well-being of our children,” said NAACP President and CEO Cornell William Brooks. “This new partnership with Head Start is a natural extension of their commitment to educating and empowering families and the communities they serve.”
Head Start’s benefits to building communities include central center locations in the poorest neighborhoods where young parents can meet, socialize, and see one another. Through its programs and community support, Head Start provides early knowledge, nurturing and stability for children, opportunity/access to community services for parents and children and social justice imperatives.
“We are proud to partner with the NAACP to open up the democratic process for Head Start families, and ensure access to critical health and housing opportunities,” said NHSA Executive Director Yasmina Vinci. “Head Start has always emphasized that parents are their children’s first teachers and a program’s most important partner. Expanding access to these resources is a crucial part of breaking the cycle of poverty and empowering families to achieve their own goals for education, employment, stability, and success.”