July 12, 2018

Duckworth, Durbin Announce More Than $7 Million for Northwest Illinois Head Start Programs

 

[WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced a total of $7,045,925 in federal funding today to help children from low-income families in Northwest Illinois access Head Start and Early Head Start programs. 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 Northwest Illinois 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 in Northwest Illinois 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 following Northwest Illinois provider will receive funding for Head Start and Early Head Start programs under this announcement:

  • Tri-County Opportunities Council (Rock Falls, IL): $3,310,537

The following Northwest Illinois providers will receive funding for Head Start programs under this announcement:

  • Rock Island – Milan School District (Rock Island, IL): $2,418,544
  • Northwestern Illinois Community Action Agency (Freeport, IL): $1,316,844

The Tri-County Opportunities Council currently serves 534 children and their families in Bureau, Carroll, LaSalle, Lee, Marshall, Ogle, Putnam, Stark and Whiteside counties. Part-day, full-day and year-round programs are available for children from birth to age 5. The Rock Island – Milan School District has four Head Start Classrooms in Horace Mann Early Learning Center, serving children ages 3-5 in Rock Island County. Northwestern Illinois Community Action Agency serves 190 children ages 3-5 in Stephenson and Jo Daviess counties, with centers in Freeport and East Dubuque. The programs focus on education, nutrition, socio-emotional development and physical and mental health

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