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For 50 years, Alta Care Group has supported children and families across Ohio. As the local Head Start provider, we serve 1,210 children and families across 21 centers and 64 classrooms in Trumbull and Mahoning counties.
But the cost of providing those services continues to rise.
As Congress considers funding for Head Start for fiscal year 2027, lawmakers should recognize the financial pressures programs are facing. Costs of food, transportation, utilities, insurance, facilities, and classroom supplies have all increased. When federal funding does not keep pace with those costs, programs have fewer resources available to maintain the services children and families rely on.
In 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services modeled new workforce and operational requirements based on the assumption that federal Head Start funding would reach a certain level by 2026. However, Congressional funding ultimately fell $525 million short of that assumption.
As Congress considers Head Start funding for the coming year, we are asking lawmakers, including U.S. Senators Jon Husted and Bernie Moreno and Rep. Dave Joyce, to help ensure Ohio programs can continue serving children and families effectively.
There are three important steps Congress can take.
First, provide a 4.97% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for Head Start. This funding would help programs keep pace with rising costs and strengthen their ability to recruit and retain qualified staff.
Second, provide additional funding for program quality and operations. Head Start programs are managing higher expenses for staffing, food, transportation, facilities, insurance, and supplies. Additional resources would help programs absorb those costs without compromising services.
Third, protect access to Head Start by providing funding that allows programs to maintain staff, classrooms, and services in the communities that depend on them.
These investments would allow programs like Alta Care Group to continue providing reliable early learning and comprehensive services that prepare children for school while helping parents work and support their families. A cost-of-living adjustment would also provide needed relief as programs contend with higher costs for essentials such as food.
Investments in early childhood also produce benefits that extend well beyond the classroom. Research by Nobel laureate economist James Heckman has found that investments in high-quality early childhood programs can generate significant long-term returns by improving outcomes for children and reducing future public costs.
Ohio's congressional delegation has recognized the value of these investments before. Congressman Dave Joyce, R-Ohio, has supported our work and noted that Head Start funding helps "the organization prepare young children with necessary skills to excel in their education and future endeavors, as Head Start graduates are more likely than their peers to graduate high school, get a job, and stay healthy."
That support is especially important right now, with the fiscal year ending on September 30.
Families are the backbone of Ohio. Head Start has served children and families for more than 60 years by pairing high-quality early learning with health, nutrition and family support services. Keeping that commitment strong requires funding that reflects what it actually costs to deliver those services today.
For Trumbull and Mahoning counties, that means protecting access to Head Start and giving local programs the resources they need to continue serving children, supporting working families and strengthening our communities.
VINCE PAOLUCCI
Vince Paolucci is the CEO of Alta Care Group (the local Head Start provider for Trumbull and Mahoning counties).