50th Anniversary of Head Start

Vol. 80

Thursday,

No. 98

May 21, 2015

Part VI

The President

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Proclamation 9284--50th Anniversary of Head Start

Notice of May 19, 2015--Continuation of the National Emergency With
Respect to the Stabilization of Iraq

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 9284 of May 18, 2015

50th Anniversary of Head Start

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Supporting our children in their earliest years with
high-quality care and education is one of the best
investments we can make as a Nation--and for 50 years,
Head Start has helped to lift up millions of America's
children and their families in communities across our
country. The oldest and largest Federal program to
deliver high-quality early learning opportunities to
low-income children, Head Start was founded on the idea
that every child--no matter who they are, what they
look like, or where they grow up--deserves the chance
to reach their full potential. Since 1965, it has given
meaning to the simple truth that in America, where you
start should not determine how far you can go.

In the last half-century, Head Start has served 32
million children, supporting them in every aspect of
their development--from early learning and health and
nutrition to social and emotional well-being. Designed
to cultivate original ideas and innovative approaches
to preparing children for success later in school and
in life, Head Start has pioneered new solutions to
fight the harmful effects of poverty and build ladders
of opportunity into the middle class. In small towns
and large cities--in America's immigrant communities
and with migrant and seasonal families, faith-based
communities, and tribal leaders--Head Start programs
and providers empower children and their families to
foster positive parent-child relationships, to reach
for economic and family stability, and to make
important connections to their peers and their
communities.

During a critical period in a child's life, Head Start
sets our Nation's young people on the path to success.
We know that investments in early childhood education
boost graduation rates, increase earnings, and reduce
violent crime. And 3- and 4-year-olds who attend high-
quality preschool--including Head Start--are less
likely to repeat a grade, less likely to need special
education, and more likely to graduate from high
school. This head start in life leaves a lasting impact
on our students and fuels their curiosity, helping them
to grow up with a passion for learning, a fair shot at
good-paying jobs, and a more secure future.

This year also marks the 20th anniversary of Early Head
Start, created to enhance the impact of Head Start by
serving children from birth to age 3, as well as
expectant mothers--ensuring all children receive the
best care possible. This expansion has made a real
difference for thousands of infants, toddlers, and
their families. As President, I have endeavored to
strengthen Head Start and build on its legacy. My
Administration has expanded the program to reach tens
of thousands of additional children and families in the
depth of the economic recession. We have instituted
reforms to raise the standards and focus on improving
outcomes across Head Start programs and classrooms, so
that children and families can rely on the highest
quality of services. And we have launched new ways to
build connections between Early Head Start and
America's child care subsidy system to reach additional
infants and toddlers in need of high-quality early care
and education. We will continue to invest in Head Start

and strive to expand its reach to additional children
and families throughout America. Our children deserve
nothing less.

Despite five decades of tremendous success, too many
young people still grow up without access to a world-
class education. Instead of receiving a head start in
life, they start out a step behind. As a Nation, we
must continue our work to ensure the promise of
education is within reach for all our daughters and
sons. That is why I have proposed a series of new
investments that will establish a continuum of high-
quality early learning for every child, beginning at
birth and continuing to age 5. This year, I unveiled a
plan that would make quality child care available to
every middle-class and low-income family with young
children under the age of 3. I have also called on the
Congress to expand access to high-quality preschool and
full-day kindergarten for every child in America. And I
am calling on all Americans--including leaders of
private and philanthropic organizations, communities,
and governments at every level--to make their own
commitments to our children, an effort that has already
led to an investment of more than $1 billion to support
our next generation of thinkers, dreamers, and doers.

The history of Head Start has taught us that if our
Nation invests in the future of all our children, we
can strengthen our economy, bolster our communities,
and give every young person the chance to build a
better life. As we mark the 50th anniversary of Head
Start, let us rededicate ourselves to building an
education system worthy of our daughters' and sons'
enormous potential, and to providing a strong, healthy,
and safe head start in life for all of America's
children.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim May 18, 2015, as the
50th Anniversary of Head Start. I call upon all
Americans to observe this day with appropriate
ceremonies and activities that recognize the importance
of this vital program and support high-quality
education for all Americans.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
eighteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord two
thousand fifteen, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and thirty-ninth.