NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Supporting families and educating young children are the main principles of the Head Start Center in Newport News.
“We teach them about nutrition, how to work side-by-side with their students at home and outside of the classroom,” Shikee Franklin, the Head Start/Early Head Start director for Hampton Roads Community Action Program, said.
Franklin said they support around 1,300 children across Hampton Roads. Though, they face some challenges, like a lack of space in the Marshall-Ridley neighborhood and teacher shortages.
“Ridley Circle housed one of our largest centers as well as a smaller center,” Franklin said. “When that area was demolished, it eliminated 90 Head Start slots for us.”
Franklin hopes a bill reintroduced by U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott last week will help further their efforts on the Peninsula. It’s called the Child Care for Working Families Act, which Scott said will provide funding for child care and limit the cost to 7% of a family’s income.
He toured the Newport News Head Start Center Thursday advocating for the bill. He also shared concerns about a new bill Republicans passed creating more requirements for assistance programs.
Republicans say they're trying to get spending under control as the federal government faces a looming debt crisis, but Democrats warn as many as 200,000 children could lose access to Head Start programs.
“This has already jeopardized the economy,” Scott said. “The stock market is already beginning to respond because people didn’t believe this was a real threat.”
Though, Scott said he’s fighting to get resources for programs like Head Start so they can continue to serve families.