Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17) is announcing over $12 million in federal grant funding for Head Start education programs in Western Illinois. 

 “Making sure our kids have access to the classroom is a critical step to putting our children on the road to success,” said Sorensen. “I’m proud to see our tax dollars coming back to  

Western Illinois to support working families in the region and contribute to the growth of our communities.” 

 “The multigenerational approach of Head Start programs focuses on providing opportunities and addressing the needs of both children and their parents. Funding through HHS provides countless benefits that appear immediately, last a lifetime, and positively affect our communities and future generations. It has been proven that investing in high-quality early childhood education services such as Early Head Start/Head Start results in positive impacts on children and families of disadvantaged and under-resourced communities,” said Rachael DeSpain, Director of Head Start at Tri-Counties Opportunity Council. 

Eric Sorensen

“SAL Community Services is grateful for this renewed funding that will grow our mission and make the highest quality child care accessible for more families in Illinois. Supporting children and working families at this early stage can be absolutely life-changing. Early care is essential to building a strong future for our community and state—and it wouldn’t be possible without grants like this,” said Marcy Mendenhall, President & CEO, SAL Community Services. 

 Two grants were awarded by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to organizations in Western Illinois to administer Head Start programming in the region. $8,130,756 is awarded to Tri-County Opportunities Council based in Rock Falls, Illinois. $4,218,281 is awarded to SAL Family and Community Services based in Moline. 

 Head Start is a program within HHS that provides comprehensive early childhood education services to children from low-income families. 

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Sean Leary Director of Digital Media

Sean Leary is an author, director, artist, musician, producer and entrepreneur who has been writing professionally since debuting at age 11 in the pages of the Comics Buyers Guide. An honors graduate of the University of Southern California masters program, he has written over 50 books including the best-sellers The Arimathean, Every Number is Lucky to Someone and We Are All Characters.