Happy Birthday Head Start!

& Celebrating 59 Years of Head Start – NNPA photo& & by National Head Start Association Head Start is an important cornerstone of the social and educational investment the United States has undertaken for children, families, and communities. It is the national commitment to provide children, ages 0-5 years old, with the foundation they need to thrive and set them up for a lifetime of learning and growth in school and the wider world. “Project Head Start” was launched in 1965 as a comprehensive child development program. Over the last six decades, it has served more than 39 million children and families. On May 18, Head Start turned 59 years old. Happy Birthday, Head Start! The Head Start community across the country is celebrating Head Start’s birthday! NHSA appreciates your dedication to ensuring every child can succeed—and we hope that you will join us on social media in celebrating the history and continuing importance of Head Start. In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson asked Sargent Shriver to convene an interdisciplinary panel of experts to design a program to help communities meet the needs of preschool children – in and beyond the classroom. The committee’s “Cooke Report,” named after its chair Dr....