Collins, King Announce More Than $1 Million HHS Grant for Head Start Programs in Sanford Region

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Office of Head Start (OHS) has awarded the York County Community Action Corporation a total of $1,046,496 for its Head Start and Early Head Start programs in Sanford. The funding aims to support the well-being and school preparedness of families and their children in the Sanford community.

“Head Start provides children in communities across Maine with a healthy learning environment where they can develop, grow, and succeed,” Senators Collins and King said in a joint statement. “This grant funding will build an educational foundation for children in the Sanford region and will help parents access the services they need during their child’s early years.”

The York County Community Action Corporation helps alleviate and solve poverty for the people of York County by assisting families and seniors within the York County community. York County Community Action Corporation helps to administer economic stability services such as Head Start, Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), and Women with Infants and Children (WIC). In Sanford, there are three classrooms that provide services in the Head Start and Early Head Start programs, Monday through Friday.

The grant, awarded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), funds local agencies that provide Head Start services across the country. With this funding, the Head Start programs in Sanford will continue to work with community members to provide early educational and developmental resources for parents and their children. These programs offer support for children in low-income families from infancy to pre-school age. They prepare children for school, host classes with educational activities, provide health screenings, and connect families with disability and other health care services. The Early Head Start program provides support at their center locations as well as in the home.