Davids Visits El Centro’s Head Start Program, Highlights Pushback on Threats to Early Childhood Education

KANSAS CITY, KS — Today, Representative Sharice Davids visited El Centro’s Head Start program in Kansas City, KS to meet with students, educators, and staff. During her visit, Davids read to children and spoke with faculty about the importance of affordable, reliable early childhood education — especially for working parents.

“Programs like Head Start are about more than just learning — they’re about making sure parents can go to work knowing their kids are safe, supported, and on track to succeed,” said Davids. “Decades of research has proven Head Start’s personal and economic benefits. We should be expanding access to early childhood education, not threatening the programs that make it possible for families and children to get ahead.”

Davids’ visit follows recent federal actions that have put added strain on Head Start providers. Last week, government investigators found that the Trump Administration illegally withheld Head Start funds, disrupting care for families across the country. President Trump has also floated proposals to eliminate the program altogether, calling its curriculum “radical.” Davids has pushed back against these efforts in Washington, working to protect investments that lower costs for families and support the child care workforce.

"We are thankful for Rep. Davids' support of child care availability and for working hard to make it more affordable for all our families,” said Erica Andrade, President and CEO of El Centro. “For El Centro, our Academy for Children is a cornerstone program that provides community access to early childhood education, which is the foundation for creating lifelong learners. Our dual-language academy embraces both Spanish and English — helping children maintain their home language or exposing them to a second language — while also preparing them for kindergarten.”

El Centro’s partner, The Family Conservancy, has experienced recent federal funding cuts tied to workforce capacity issues. Despite long waitlists of Kansas families, many providers continue to face staffing shortages that limit enrollment and strain already tight budgets. Davids is working in Congress to strengthen the early education workforce and ensure programs like Head Start can continue serving Kansas families.

"Child care is essential community infrastructure, and it’s time we invest in it like our future depends on it — because it does,” said Paula Neth, President and CEO, The Family Conservancy. “We all pay the price when families struggle to find and afford care, and providers are asked to do more with less. This is more than a personal challenge — it’s a community crisis.  We’re grateful for leaders like Representative Sharice Davids who understand what’s at stake and are working to expand access for families across Kansas and beyond."

As a first-generation college student who worked her way from Leavenworth High School to Cornell Law School, Davids understands the value of quality education for student success and our overall economy. She 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 has visited multiple Head Start programs in Kansas including Kansas City Kansas Public School's Successful Beginnings, The Family Conservancy, the University of Kansas Medical Center's Project Eagle, and Olathe Public Schools Head Start.

Students in early childhood education programs are less likely to repeat grades, 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. But long-term benefits of Head Start programs are not only limited to educational success. Children in Head Start are 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.