NH Delegation Announces More than $470K in Federal Funding through American Rescue Plan for NH Head Start Programs

**The federal funding will provide COVID-19 relief to Head Start programs across New Hampshire that deliver high-quality child care and education services to working families**

(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded $470,415 in federal grants from the American Rescue Plan to Head Start programs in New Hampshire. Recipients include Southern New Hampshire Services, Community Action Program Belknap-Merrimack Counties, the Community Action Partnership of Strafford County, Tri-County Community Action Program and Southwestern Community Services.

This funding is an allotment of the $1 billion included in the American Rescue Plan to help provide financial relief for Head Start programs, which, as part of the child care sector, have been among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding will also help ensure these programs can continue to deliver high-quality child care and education services to Granite State working families.

“I’ve long been a strong supporter of early childhood education programs like Head Start because they are so important in providing our children with the tools and opportunities they need to succeed. Unfortunately, the economic and public health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many local Head Start programs to grapple with increased expenses and reduced funding, threatening their ability to continue operating,” said Senator Shaheen. “This federal funding from the American Rescue Plan will help ensure these local Head Start programs can continue to provide high-quality child care and early education opportunities for Granite State families and their children, which are urgently needed now as parents return to the workforce. I’ll keep fighting for additional resources for Head Start programs to help ensure our kids have the best possible chance of success in their lives.”

“Access to child care is still a significant challenge facing many Granite State families, and Head Start programs are critical to providing affordable, reliable early childhood education across the state,” Senator Hassan said. “With this funding from the American Rescue Plan, Head Start programs across New Hampshire will receive the resources that they need to keep staff on payroll and continue to expand their services to better meet the needs of children and families.”  

“Our New Hampshire child care and early childhood education programs help ensure every Granite State family has the support and resources they need to thrive,” said Representative Kuster. “Unfortunately, many of these critical programs have been hit hard by the COVID-19 public health and economic crisis, and are facing additional expenses and reduced funding that make it even harder for them to serve our communities. These federal dollars from the American Rescue Plan will help offset that financial burden so our local Head Start programs can continue providing high-quality services and parents can return to work knowing their children are in good hands. I’m proud to have helped get this funding over the finish line and I will continue working in Congress to ensure every child has the tools they need to succeed.”

“I am pleased to announce with the rest of the Congressional Delegation that the American Rescue Plan will invest an additional $400,000 in Head Start Programs across the state,” said Representative Pappas. “During a child’s early years we must provide them with a strong health and educational foundation if we want them to succeed and become productive members of our community.  These federal dollars will go a long way toward investing in the children and families that have been hardest by the pandemic.”

The following organizations in New Hampshire received funding through the American Rescue Plan to support local Head Start programs:

Shaheen and Hassan have led efforts in Congress to assist the child care sector, which has been among the hardest hit the pandemic. In the emergency COVID-19 relief legislation that passed Congress and was signed into law in December, Shaheen successfully included language that provided billions of dollars in urgently needed relief for child care providers, which Hassan supported, and resulted in New Hampshire receiving nearly $20 million to support child care programs during the pandemic. During negotiations for the American Rescue Plan, Shaheen successfully worked with the White House and in the Senate to provide additional financial support to child care providers that will allow them to continue operating and support New Hampshire’s recovery. Earlier this week, the New Hampshire Congressional delegation announced that New Hampshire will receive $77,393,843 in grants from the American Rescue Plan to provide relief for child care providers and support working families who need access to affordable child care. Senator Hassan recently introduced bipartisan legislation that builds on the American Rescue Plan by permanently increasing the amount of tax-free dollars working parents and their employers can set aside in a dependent care assistance plan to use toward child care expenses.