November 26, 2017

Duckworth, Durbin Announce More Than $2 Million for Head Start Programs in Effingham

 

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced a $2,057,957 federal grant today to help children from low-income families access Head Start and Early Head Start programs at the C.E.F.S. Economic Opportunity Corporation in Effingham, Illinois. This funding comes through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), a division of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) that allocates funding, technical assistance, strategic partnerships and more in order to help promote the social and economic well-being of children and families.

"I'm proud to support programs like Head Start that give children in Effingham a fairer shot at reaching their full potential," Duckworth said. "When we invest in childhood education and parental support services, we help provide children with the tools they need to succeed both in and outside of the classroom."

"This federal funding helps ensure that children around Effingham have the strong educational foundation they need to succeed from elementary school to college and beyond," Durbin said. "The Head Start and Early Head Start programs are sources of countless success stories in Illinois and remain crucial for healthy development and school readiness."

The C.E.F.S. Economic Opportunity Corporation's Head Start 0-5 Program has classrooms in Altamont, Effingham, Litchfield, Louisville, Pana, Shelbyville, Sullivan, Taylorville and Vandalia. The Head Start 0-5 Program provides critical services to children, pregnant women and the entire family, including screenings, classroom sessions, healthy meals and snacks, prenatal services, post-natal visits by a registered nurse and much more.