Head Start might have leg up as Massachusetts budget priority
Head Start programs offer free child care and services for more than 11,000 children from low-income families across the state, as well as those in foster care or experiencing homelessness, providing relief from one of the most notoriously costly expenses of raising a family. The program is mostly federally funded, but state funds supplement the programs.
The Head Start Association is asking Massachusetts for $20 million in supplemental funding this year, a 14% increase from the $17.5 million appropriated in the fiscal year 2024 state budget. During the tenure of Ways and Means Committee chairs Sen. Michael Rodrigues and Rep. Aaron Michlewitz over the last five years, the Legislature has increased funding in the Head Start line item by 82%.
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