MEDIA ADVISORY: PA Families, Staff, Advocates, & Members of Congress Stand up for Head Start!

Contact: Amy Kobeta, Communications Director amyk@childrenfirstpa.org, 347-607-1058 mobile

Lauren Lawson-Zilai, media@nhsa.org

PA FAMILIES, STAFF, ADVOCATES, & MEMBERS OF CONGRESS STAND UP FOR HEAD START!

(May 15, 2025) – Pennsylvania families, staff, and advocates are getting on the bus to Washington, DC to stand up for Head Start with members of congress on Friday, May 16th, in conjunction with the program’s 60th anniversary on Sunday, May 18, 2025. Stakeholders will share about the monumental support that this program provides for children, families, and communities across Pennsylvania, and across the country.  

WHAT: As Congress continues budget discussions as part of the FY2026 appropriations process, dozens of Pennsylvanians are coming to DC to highlight the vital importance of Head Start to families and children across PA. With over 30,000 children in Head Start and Early Head Start across Pennsylvania, and nearly 750,000 across the United States, children and families in our communities and across our country rely on this program for early learning and child care.   

WHO: Representative Dwight Evans (PA-3)

Representative Madeleine Dean (PA-4)

Bob Bissen, Senior Director of Government Affairs- National Head Start Association

Damaris Alvarado-Rodriguez, Executive Director- Children’s Playhouse Learning Centers (Philadelphia)

April N. Jackson-Washington, Parent & Director of Accessibility and Counseling at Bucks County Community College (Philadelphia)

Mai Miksic, Head Start Graduate and Deputy Policy Director- Children First

Zaina Cahill, Early Childhood Education Policy Director- Children First

WHEN: Friday, May 16, 2025, from 11:00 AM- 11:45 AM

WHERE: House Triangle, Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.

Children First staff and PA providers and families are available to speak to reporters after the event. You can also tune in via the livestream. 

Children First is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that improves the lives of children in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties by developing initiatives and advocating for quality health care, child care, public education, and family stability. Learn more at www.childrenfirstpa.org, and on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, Bluesky, and YouTube at @childrenfirstpa.

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