June 06, 2014

Manchin and Rockefeller Announce more than $6 Million for Appalachian Council Head Start

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Joe Manchin and Jay Rockefeller announced
$6,282,431 in federal funding for the AFL-CIO Appalachian Council for its Head
Start Program. The program provides services to children and families in the
counties of Boone, Calhoun, Clay, Doddridge, Jackson, Pleasants, Putnam, Roane,
Tyler, Wirt and Wood.

“It is our responsibility to make sure our children grow up in a safe and loving
environment where they are provided with all the resources necessary to help
them succeed in life, and for many of our kids that place is at Head Start,”
Senator Manchin said. “If we want to secure West Virginia’s future, we
must prepare our children to become future leaders and provide them with
the educational opportunities they need to be successful in the global
marketplace. This grant will make sure that our children have access to the
services they need to thrive, while helping to strengthen our economy and keep
jobs here at home.”

 “The Head Start program is an enormous source of support for our most vulnerable
children and their families. By providing the nutritional and educational
assistance our youngest ones need to grow and excel, Head Start gives so many
children access to resources necessary for a healthy start in life they
otherwise wouldn’t have,” Senator Rockefeller said. “This significant award
will give the AFL-CIO Appalachian Council’s Head Start program the ability to continue
funding the critical services they provide for children in several counties
across West Virginia.”

Head Start is a national development program for low-income children that helps
prepare them for school from a young age. The program, administered by the
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), offers eligible children and
their families’ access to critical health, nutrition, education, and social
services.

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