Children in poverty need Head Start -- and right now, they need your help to be heard!

You know how thrilling it is watching your child develop, learn to smile, to speak, to read. We all  want the best for our children, want to provide good food and stable homes and incredible amounts of love. But right now more than six million children under six are living in circumstances that can prevent their parents from providing good food and stable homes. Their parents can provide love, but their children are going hungry and may not have a safe place to sleep tonight.

For some of those children and their families, Head Start and Early Head Start are a window of opportunity. In Early Head Start and Head Start programs, children between six weeks to five years get high-quality early education, nutritious meals, health screenings, mental health services, and more-- their families get help to build stable homes, improve parenting skills, and advocate for their children.

Early Head Start and Head Start have a powerful impact on our society because as Head Start kids grow they stay in school, stay out of trouble, get jobs, earn more, and even have better health habits. Investing in Head Start and these children returns huge benefits to our economy over time.

Yet Head Start programs have room for only a fraction of the children in need, and the need is growing. Millions of children don’t have access and are missing important developmental opportunities, crippling their ability to realize the American Dream of self-sufficiency.

The National Head Start Association is drawing attention to the importance of early childhood in general and of Head Start as a window of opportunity. Sign on and ask President Obama to champion investment in Head Start to keep that window open!

Visit us at www.KeeptheWindowOpen.org to see our video campaign and petition. Be a strong voice for vulnerable children!