（Boston Orange 編譯）麻州政府今 （19）日慶祝「啟蒙計畫」（Head Start programs）在麻州及全美推行60週年，每年為麻州11,000多名低收入家庭的0-5歲幼兒提供免費的早期學習與發展服務，聘用約4,000名幼兒教育專業人士。
「啟蒙計畫」是聯邦資助的計畫，為低收入家庭的0到5歲兒童提供免費的，包括精神健康支持等學習及發展服務，有些早期啟蒙計劃還未懷孕人士提供產前服務。
麻州教育廳廳長 Patrick Tutwiler博士強調：「『啟蒙計畫』透過滿足兒童的全方位需求，是打破貧困循環的關鍵」。麻州早期教育與照護局局長Amy Kershaw補充：「啟蒙計劃在州內幼兒服務系統中扮演核心角色，推動公平、可及性與負擔能力。」
麻州政府透過「麻州關愛兒童計畫 （Commonwealth Cares for Children ，簡稱C3 」及「啟蒙計畫州級補充撥款（ Head Start State Supplemental Grants）」支持該計畫。奚莉州長在2026會計年度預算中，編列了1,850萬美元的補充撥款，重點支持師資發展、項目品質，包括員工薪資，報酬、福利，以解決招聘和留任問題，並為項目的教練，精神健康顧問，以及額外的教職員，提供直接幫助，以降低員工和兒童的比例。
麻州「啟蒙計畫」協會執行長Michelle Haimowitz指出：「60年來，『啟蒙計畫』堅守承諾，確保每個孩子，無論出身，都有公平的成功機會。其全人、全家庭模式超越課堂，關注醫療、牙科、視力與心理健康篩查服務，並賦予家長作為孩子重要老師的角色。」
麻州早期教育與照護局局長Amy Kershaw和高等教育局局長Noe Ortega 都說，早期教育對幼稚園到12年及，以及大專院校教育的成功十分重要。
Healey-Driscoll Administration Celebrates Head Start’s 60th Birthday
BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration today is celebrating the 60th birthday of Head Start programs in Massachusetts and across the country. In Massachusetts, Head Start supports over 11,000 children annually and employs approximately 4,000 early childhood professionals.
Early Head Start and Head Start programs provide free learning and development services to low-income families with children from birth to age 5, including mental health supports. Some Early Head Start programs also provide prenatal services for pregnant people.
“Happy birthday, Head Start! We are proud to lift up the importance of this program today and every day that helps break the cycle of multigenerational poverty through comprehensive early education programs that meet children’s emotional, social, health, nutritional and psychological needs,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Patrick Tutwiler.
“Head Start has been a cornerstone of opportunity for children and families across the country. Here in Massachusetts, Head Start programs play a critical role in the state’s mixed-delivery system, helping to promote equity and expand access and affordability,” said Amy Kershaw, Commissioner of the Department of Early Education and Care. “We honor the educators, staff, and families whose dedication has made Head Start a transformative force in early education and care.”
The administration and state support Head Start programs through funding from the Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) program, as well as Head Start State Supplemental Grants. Governor Healey’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget includes $18.5 million for the supplemental grants, which focus on workforce development supports and program quality. That includes staff salaries, compensation, and benefits to address recruitment and retention of staff, as well as provide direct support to programs that may include coaches, mental health consultants, and additional teaching staff to reduce staff to child ratios.
“For 60 years, Head Start has maintained an unwavering commitment to ensuring that every child — regardless of their circumstances — has a fair shot at success. The Head Start model’s whole-child, whole-family approach goes beyond the classroom addressing key factors that impact long-term success, such as access to medical, dental, vision, and mental health screenings and services, while also empowering parents as their children’s first and most important teachers,” said Michelle Haimowitz, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Head Start Association. “We are proud to stand with the Healey-Driscoll Administration in our shared commitment to ensuring every child advances academically, physically, emotionally, and socially.”
In celebration of this incredible milestone, Early Education and Care Commissioner Amy Kershaw sat down with Department of Higher Education Commissioner Noe Ortega who attended a Head Start program as a child to talk about the impact Head Start had on his life. You can watch the video online.
“Early learning is crucial to success in K-12 education and college, and I’m honored to have had the chance to recognize this milestone with Commissioner Kershaw,” said Commissioner of Higher Education Noe Ortega. “I’m grateful for the opportunities Head Start gave me and continues to give thousands of students and families across Massachusetts.”
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