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Congressman Cohen Announces More Than $13.3 Million in Head Start Grants

December 19, 2019

Shelby County Board of Education and Porter-Leath receive funding

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that two Head Start programs in Memphis will be receiving major grants from the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Head Start. The Shelby County Board of Education will receive $12,163,727 and Porter-Leath will receive $1,185,656 to further their work in early childhood development.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

"I'm pleased that the Shelby County Board of Education and Porter-Leath will be receiving this substantial support. These funds help underwrite programs for young children in our community to gain access to resources they need. Disadvantaged children need early help to prepare for an increasingly complex and competitive world. Providing young children access to that help benefits our community as a whole."

Porter-Leath has served the Memphis community for over 160 years, offering resources to at-risk children and their families. Partnering with the Tennessee Department of Children Services, Porter-Leath offers residential, foster care, and adoption services alongside numerous other forms of assistance for families. The Early Head Start and Head Start programs are initiatives designed to promote developmental skills in children from birth to five years old, with home-based and center-based services catering to over 5,000 children and families in Shelby County each year.

The Administration of Children and Families partners with local providers to address and respond to the needs of vulnerable families, while the Office of Head Start allocates grant funding to 1,700 nonprofit and for-profit agencies that offer Head Start services. Both organizations emphasize inclusive and holistic early development programs in order to better communities across the United States.

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