Sen Jon. Ossoff was in downtown Augusta on Monday morning to announce new funding in the area for early childhood education.
About $15 million has been secured for the Central Savannah River Area Economic Opportunity Authority’s Head Start Program, which will be delivered as grants.
The Head Start programs across the state help support the growth of over 23,000 low-income children from birth through age 5 and their families. The statewide non-profit Georgia Head Start Association has benefitted 18,715 children in the state.
“These are essential years in a child’s life,” Ossoff said at the press conference.
There are Head Start programs in Bulloch, Burke, Columbia, Emanuel, Jefferson, Jenkins, Lincoln, Mcduffie, Richmond, Screven and Warren counties.
The Georgia Democrat said the Head Start programs were particularly important coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic when many children were kept home in stressful situations and missed out on essential development opportunities.
The millions in funding will be used in 2023, with some resources already deployed, Ossoff said. The money will help increase staff salaries, among other things.
His visit serves as a prelude to one from First Lady Jill Biden on Tuesday. She’s visiting as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America tour to show how the administration is bringing jobs to communities.
Augusta is part of her tour because in May, the city was named one of five U.S. workforce hub cities, which are each receiving funding to help create pathways to good-paying jobs. The four other chosen hubs are Phoenix; Columbus, Ohio; Baltimore; and Pittsburgh.
