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Q&A
Head Start funding and early childhood education services
1:29:15
·
99 sec
Council Member Farías inquires about the city's preparedness to continue providing early childhood education services in light of potential federal budget cuts to Head Start programs. Deputy Chancellor Simone Hawkins responds that the city has submitted an application to reconfigure support for Head Start eligible families and that funding has been committed to sustain the current Head Start sector for another fiscal year.
- The administration has committed funding to sustain the current Head Start sector for another fiscal and program year
- The DOE has been engaged with delegate providers to ensure they feel supported
- Council Member Farías offers continued support from the council if needed
Amanda Farías
1:29:15
Thank you, chairs.
1:29:18
Folks from the admin, let me know if you've already answered this question around Head Start.
1:29:23
We know funding for early childhood education programs like Head Start is crucial for our city when taking into account the federal budget cuts.
1:29:31
Head Start will face financial strains if support is abandoned by the federal government.
1:29:36
Is the city DOE prepared to continue providing early childhood education services to our city's populations should the Trump administration move forward with cutting federal funding and if so can you expand a little bit on the plan that the city has for DOE providing early childhood education services with potentially no funding support?
Simone Hawkins
1:29:58
Hi councilmember.
1:29:59
Thank you for that question.
1:30:01
And so yes, we are planning and actually we submitted our application to the office of Head Start to modify and reconfigure how we support Head Start eligible families across the In addition to that, the admin has they have already committed funding to sustain our current Head Start sector for another fiscal and program year.
1:30:22
And so, my team and I we've been engaged with those delegate providers.
1:30:27
Again, there are direct funded Head Start that is those providers although great are not under New York City Public Schools and so that investment will sustain our current delegate sector and so we've been engaged in conversations with them to ensure that they are aware and feel supported.
Amanda Farías
1:30:42
Thank you for that response and obviously I don't I would like to say on behalf of the council if there's any ways that we can continue being supportive and ensuring that that stays or is expanded please let us know.
1:30:53
Thank you.
1:30:54
Thank you.