ST. LOUIS — Congresswoman Cori Bush announced more than $1 million in federal funding for the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis as part of President Biden’s American Rescue Plan. The funding will support the organization’s Head Start program.
“We're continuing to secure the bag for STL,” Bush said on Twitter. “This is how we build a St. Louis that works for everyone.”
“Ensuring every child in St. Louis has access to quality early childhood education that will set them up for future success is fundamental to creating a more equitable St. Louis,” she stated in a press release on the 6th. “The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis’s Head Start Program provides child development and comprehensive wellness services in a safe and nurturing environment. The program is a pillar of our community in Missouri’s First District.”
There are two primary providers of Head Start and Early Head Start programming in St. Louis, the YWCA and the Urban League. Head Start, according to the Missouri Head Start Association, was established in 1965 to “help low-income families provide their children with developmentally-appropriate education, health, and social services to better prepare them to achieve in school and society.”
The Early Head Start program was added in 1994 in order “to target the needs of pregnant women, infants and toddlers, thereby fostering positive development at even earlier stages.” There are just over one million children formally enrolled in Head Start and Early Head Start programs nationwide. Black and African American children make up about a third of those enrolled in Head Start programming.
“The Urban League is overwhelmingly grateful to the Biden administration, our Congresswoman Cori Bush and the Head Start Regional and National Offices for this amazing opportunity,” said Michael McMillian, President and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, Inc. “Investments in our youth always pay off many times over and Head Start has a track record of over 50 years of changing lives across America! We are grateful for our partnership and look forward to working together in the future.”
The funding for Head Start comes in addition to the $721 million the plan allocates in order to help Missouri reopen child care providers safely, keep workers on payroll, and lower childcare costs for families.