NHSA’s Response to Senate Appropriations Committee Action on FY25 Labor/HHS Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor/HHS) Appropriations bill on a bipartisan 25-3 vote. The legislation will provide Head Start a $700 million increase above FY24 to support workforce compensation and provide support to address long-standing facility needs and deferred maintenance. Following the committee's action, the National Head Start Association (NHSA)’s Executive Director Yasmina S. Vinci made the following statement:

“The Head Start staffing crisis is unfortunately still a very real crisis. If our elected leaders want to end the cycle of poverty, enable parents to get a diploma or to finish a job training program, and most importantly, empower and enable our youngest children for a lifetime of learning success, we must pay Head Start teachers and staff an honest, living wage and provide them and the children they serve a safe, suitable place to work and learn. We are grateful for the Senate Appropriations Committee's continued bipartisan prioritization of Head Start children and families across our great nation and applaud the steadfast leadership of Chairwomen Murray and Baldwin and Ranking Members Collins and Capito. These Senators are standing in the gap on behalf of too many families stretched thin in our cities, towns, and rural communities. We thank them for their continually reasoned, thoughtful leadership in the halls of Congress. NHSA looks forward to working with our Senate and House allies to see this strong result in the final FY25 funding package.”