Davids Announces New Grant to Strengthen Olathe Head Start Programs

Today, Representative Sharice Davids announced that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded Olathe Public School’s Head Start program with a new federal grant. The $1.9 million award will be used to continue providing early education opportunities and family support services to children and families in the Olathe area.

“These programs provide affordable early education and care that working parents can count on, help children build the skills they need to succeed, and create good-paying jobs for educators right here at home,” said Davids. “Head Start is incredibly important to our community and I am fighting to preserve funding so kids have the resources they need.”

Students in early childhood education programs are 25 percent more likely to graduate high school and are four times more likely to complete a bachelor’s degree in comparison to non-Head Start students. Children in Head Start are also healthier and have better social and emotional skills. In adulthood, statistics show that former Head Start students experience greater economic stability and earn higher wages.

Davids has long fought to protect education and child care in Kansas and has been a fierce critic of the administration’s efforts to defund and reorganize the Department of Education. She previously visited Olathe Head Start and visited other Head Start programs in Kansas. Davids has also led multiple pieces of bipartisan legislation to allow Kansas families to save on high child care expenses and live more affordably.