DeLauro Visits Students, Parents, Administrators at West Haven Head Start

Center Will Lose 19 Slots for Students, Two TeachersDue To Sequester Cuts

WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) visitedstudents, teachers and parents at a West Haven Head Start center today, hearingabout the impact federal budget cuts are having on the program. DeLauro, alongtime champion for early childhood education, is the senior Democrat on thesubcommittees responsible for funding the departments of education, and healthand human services.

"Educators, students and their parents are needlesslysuffering because of the House Majority's insistence on cutting Head Start, themost effective early childhood education program ever developed. Head Startgraduates are less likely to need special education services, be left back agrade, or get into trouble with the law. And they are more likely to go on tocollege and have professional careers. Scrimping on Head Start and denyingchildren access to a better education hurts our kids now, and will stunt theirability to grow and thrive in the years to come."

Since 2002, Head Start hasseen a loss of $968 million, adjusted for inflation and population growth.This shortfall has resulted in the elimination of thousands of slots forstudents who would otherwise have access to comprehensive early learning anddevelopment services. The House-passed Ryan Budget would also cut funding toHead Start.

The impact on Head Start has been one of the most discussedimpacts of the deeply harmful, indiscriminate sequester cuts. Some 70,000children nationwide will be kicked out of their Head Start and Early Head Startprograms and thousands of staff will be laid off if the cuts stay in place.

Connecticut faces the loss of about $3 million in federalfunding, affecting approximately 370 children. The West Haven center DeLaurovisited today is being forced to cut 19 student slots and two teacherpositions.