CLAREMONT, N.H. (WCAX) Families living below the poverty line are getting a boost from the most recent government funding bill when it comes to preschool. Supporters say it's a step in the right direction, but it comes as other programs are being cut. New Hampshire Senator Maggie Hassan Thursday toured a government-funded Head Start program for low-income families in Claremont.
As Senator Hassan shakes hands with Head Start staff, kids play computer games and get lost in the world of make-believe. They are all attending here at no cost to their parents, having met the guidelines -- a family of four with an income below $24,000 a year.
"I am a single mom, so I do have an absent parent in the home," said Victoria Cutting of Claremont.
Cutting has two young boys. Her youngest has been coming here for two years while she works on her associate's degree. "I do it slow and I take advance of the time my son is in school to complete my school work," Cutting said.
"This kind of investment in Head Start is really critical to working families across the region," said Sen. Hassan, D- New Hampshire.
She praises the bipartisan bill in Washington to increase funding for Head Start to a record $10.6 billion. But she's concerned about other proposed cuts that affect low-income people. "Things like food stamps and Medicaid that many of these families also rely on. And that destabilizes families just at the point where they might be getting ready to become more financially independent," Hassan said.
Families like Victoria Cutting's. "I'm in subsidized housing right now, which is a lifesaver for me, but I don't want to do that forever. And I want my kids to have a house someday," Cutting said.
And experts say early childhood education sets the foundation for that future success.
"If I was to pay for day care, my whole day job would go to the day care, so it wouldn't be worth it for me to even go to work," Cutting said.
There are seven Head Start programs throughout Sullivan and Cheshire Counties. Thirty-six children attend the Claremont program, and five more are on the waitlist, which officials say speaks to the need throughout the region.
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February 21, 2020 at 06:40AM
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Hassan pushes assistance for working families during Claremont Head Start visit - WCAX
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