The Community Action Council of Howard County received a $12.6 million federal Head Start grant, allowing it to provide Early Head Start for the first time, the organization announced Wednesday.
“Early care is not a luxury… it’s a necessity for families to build assets, grow their wages and reach true self-sufficiency, resulting in stronger communities and a more viable community that will continue to grow,” CAC President Tracy Broccolino said at a news conference at the Dasher Green Early Childhood Education Center.
The Community Action Council, Howard County’s anti-poverty organization, has been the sole Head Start provider in the county since 1979. For decades, the organization has helped children ages 3 to 5 and their families through early education, assigned social workers, access to its food bank and other services. Since 2013, the organization has educated nearly 4,100 children, Broccolino said.
The community has also shown a need for infant and toddler care, Broccolino said, which often rivals the cost of housing. With the grant, the CAC can now provide care from birth to 2 years of age through Early Head Start, which includes formula, diapers, nutrition and other services. The organization is going through the enrollment process and will open its doors to the younger students in late August, Broccolino said. The hiring process to staff the new service with educators is also under way.
Early Head Start will be available for 2-year-olds at the Bauder Education Center and infants, toddlers and 2-year-olds at the Children’s Learning Center at Howard Community College, Erin Adelsberger, director of education for the CAC, said. The classrooms operate for the full day, year round, Adelsberger said.
“We’re not just preparing children for kindergarten, but we’re helping families build a future that they deserve, and we get to make a little Howard County history while we do it,” Adelsberger said.
Not only does Head Start uplift children, but it also uplifts families and parents who can build a career and contribute further to the economy, Broccolino said. The government’s investment isn’t just for individuals, she said, but for the whole community. It’s an investment that “brings calm, brings peace, brings stability” to the whole community, County Executive Calvin Ball said.
“As we look to the future and continue to build an inclusive economy in Howard County, affordable and accessible childcare will be at the center,” Ball said.
After applying for the grant in January, Broccolino said it feels like “we can finally exhale” now that it’s been received. Head Start programs nationwide faced uncertainty with several cuts to grants made by the federal government, but the CAC was able to be awarded the grant in early July. However, the organization had been developing various contingency plans in case funding wasn’t received, Broccolino said.
“To be able to know that we have been awarded this grant is a statement of confidence from our federal partners and from the community at large, knowing that CAC of Howard County is an organization that can be counted on to meet community needs and is a reliable partner,” Broccolino said in an interview.
Lola Tanimowo counted on CAC enrolling her daughters in the Head Start programs. As she went back to school to receive certifications through Howard Community College to build on her bachelor’s degree from her home country, the program helped her be able to reach her career goals. Now, she serves as a Head Start Policy Council Chair and as a board member for the CAC while informing other parents about the programs. The grant will help parents navigate life and work while experiencing personal growth, she said.
“But I’m just thankful that I’m being here, being a parent, being a student, for programs like this, it has become easy for me. So, thank you for letting me live my dream and letting my kids live their dream,” Tanimowo said to a small crowd.
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