WASHINGTON, DC — Congressional Rep. Josh Riley (D, NY-19) sent a letter alongside other members of the New York delegation to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. demanding answers on closures of Office of Head Start (OHS) regional offices across the nation, including in New York.

Head Start and Early Head Start are the only federally supported early care and education programs specifically dedicated to serving low-income households. The members reinforced the critical role that these regional offices have in serving Head Start and Early Head Start grantees to ensure that these programs continue to help to reduce poverty by providing the unique combination of early childhood education and support services that foster social and economic advancement for families.

Head Start and Early Head Start programs serve over 50,000 children in New York State, and as the members note, there are long-term benefits that show these programs work. Research consistently finds that “children enrolled in Head Start and Early Head Start programs are more likely to graduate from high school, attend college and demonstrate improved social, emotional and behavioral development.”

The letter requests answers about: 

• The timeline for developing and implementing a comprehensive plan to replace or supplement the services that are provided by staff in these regional offices; 
• The interim or temporary services OHS has in place to ensure the continuity of services to local Head Start and Early Head Start grantees;
• What plans are in place to ensure that grant contracts and renewals, some as soon as May 1, will not be delayed or otherwise disrupted by these personnel decisions; and
• Documentation of OHS’s communication with regional staff and local grantees on the status of closures.  

A full copy of the letter text can be found at gillen.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/gillen.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/25.04.09_hhsletter-ohs-region-ii-closure-final.pdf