Senator Hassan Tours Southwestern Community Services Head Start Program in Claremont to Highlight Importance of Early Childhood Education

CLAREMONT – Senator Maggie Hassan toured Southwestern Community Services Head Start Program in Claremont today to visit with children and speak with parents and staff about the importance of early childhood education programs. Senator Hassan has advocated for additional funding for Head Start programs in New Hampshire and across the country, and the government funding bill – which is now law – included a record level of $10.6 billion in funding for Head Start, a $550 million increase.

“Visiting with children and parents at the Head Start program in Claremont reinforced how important this critical program is to the success of our communities,” Senator Hassan said. “Head Start provides a safe space for children to learn and grow, while giving much-needed support for hard-working families – especially single parents. I will continue fighting to expand access and affordability for early childhood education, and work to ensure that all of our children are given the opportunity to learn, grow, and lead.”

“Senator Hassan has been a tremendous advocate on behalf of children and Head Start programs across New Hampshire,” said John Manning, CEO of Southwestern Community Services. “It was great to be able to show Senator Hassan how Head Start is supporting the youngest members of our community, and discuss how to give our children the best shot at success.”

Senator Hassan has consistently fought to expand access to affordable, high-quality early childhood education and to assist more families with rising child care expenses. The Senator is a cosponsor of the Child Care for Working Families Act, which expands access and affordability for quality early childhood education and enables Head Start to provide full-day, full-year programming.

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