Sherrill, Ciscomani Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Support Head Start Programs
Washington, D.C. – Today,Representatives Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) and Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06) introduced the Head Start Education and Development Workforce Advancement and Yield (HEADWAY) Act, bipartisan legislation to help address staffing shortages at Early Head Start programs. This commonsense legislation will work to expand access to affordable, high-quality early childhood education.
“For generations, Head Start programming has provided crucial services that set New Jersey’s children up for success while making life more affordable for families. That’s why I am proud to co-lead the bipartisan HEADWAY Act to help address staffing shortages at Early Head Start centers so that they can increase access for families. This bill is an important step in the right direction as we continue to work to address the child care crisis, support providers in our communities, and expand economic opportunities for Garden State families,” said Rep. Sherrill.
“With 22 Head Start programs at 500 locations in Arizona, these programs are vital to the well-being of our families and children,” said Rep. Ciscomani. “However, too often families cannot access these services due to the limitations caused by the child care workforce shortage. This bipartisan effort not only tackles those limitations and expands the capacity of these programs but invests in our future education professionals at the same time.”
“The HEADWAY Act prioritizes the professional development of Early Head Start staff,” said Yasmina Vinci, Executive Director for NHSA. “This career stepping-stone will help address shortages in the Early Head Start workforce and build the capacity of the program to serve as many eligible children and families as possible. We applaud Representatives Ciscomani and Sherrill for taking the lead in supporting Early Head Start with this critical piece of legislation which will provide opportunities for the early childhood education profession to thrive and children and families to flourish.”
“Permitting some Early Head Start teachers to earn their CDA credential while working in the classroom will respond to the staffing shortage that so many of our programs are facing. For programs like Head Start of Morris County, this legislation will remove obstacles to building a bilingual workforce that shares the language and culture of the families we serve. A financial barrier to accessing career education will be lifted for potential workers, many of whom are mothers of children in our program. Parents can have the opportunity to transition from volunteers to paid employees, with a clear path for job advancement. We applaud the efforts of Congresswoman Sherrill and our legislators to support the Early Head Start workforce. The HEADWAY Act will pave the way for the nation’s most vulnerable children—and their parents—to succeed today, and to have a better future tomorrow” said Susan O’Donnell, Chief Executive Officer, Head Start Community Program of Morris County.
The HEADWAY Act would allow Early Head Start classroom teachers to teach while earning their Child Development Associate (CDA) credentials. Doing so would give Head Start programs greater hiring flexibility while supporting education professionals and increasing program spots available to families in need of child care. The legislation has been endorsed by the National Head Start Association. This legislation is sponsored in the Senate by Senators Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Mike Braun (R-IN).
Rep. Sherrill is a fierce advocate for child care and early education programs. She introduced the Child Care for Every Community Act, to ensure access to high-quality, affordable child care and early learning opportunities by establishing a network of federally-supported, locally-administered child care options modeled after the Head Start program. Additionally, she is fighting for the Child Care Stabilization Act, which would extend critical federal grants to child care facilities in New Jersey and across the country and has co-led multiple letters to Congressional leadership urging the inclusion of critical child care funding in upcoming appropriations packages.
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