The Niagara Falls School District’s Head Start and Early Head Start programs received a substantial financial boost on Monday.
U.S. Rep. Tim Kennedy, D-Buffalo, visited the DiFrancesco Center on 24th Street where he joined local officials in announcing $2.49 million to support both programs which are designed to better prepare pre-kindergarten-aged children — ages 3 and 4 — for learning in the classroom setting. The funding will help cover costs associated with enrolling 141 children in Head Start and another 40 children in Early Head Start. The funding headed to the Falls school district comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families.
“We know that Head Start programs really focus on early childhood education, but they also take into account the holistic approach to family education as well,” Kennedy said.
The Niagara Falls School District assumed responsibility for the operation of Head Start and Early Head Start programs in 2022. District officials said both programs have grown in recent years to the point where there is currently a waiting list of families attempting to enroll in the programs, which offer children under 5 assistance with basic education, including those involving appropriate classroom behaviors like listening and sharing. The district provides the Head Start program for 3- and 4-year-old children at the DiFrancesco Center and Early Head Start for children up to 3 years old at the Community Education Center on Lindbergh Avenue in LaSalle.
District Superintendent Mark Laurrie said the funds announced on Monday will be used primarily to offset personnel costs for district educators and support staff that oversee both programs.
The goal, he said, is to ensure a “stronger beginning” for children so they can make a “better completion” of their education.
By providing younger children with help in early literacy and classroom practices, Laurrie said the district is helping them be better prepared for educational success in kindergarten and beyond.
“That investment in young children makes them better students,” Laurrie said.