Editorials / Opinion

Seattle Times letters to the editor

Cuts to Head Start will affect families, society

I have a child enrolled in the Virginia Searls Head Start program located in Bothell. I think making a 5 percent budget reduction to Head Start will be harmful for a lot of families that can’t provide preschool education [“How budget cuts could affect you,” seattletimes.com, March 7].

I also feel it would not benefit the general society, because every dollar we invest in high-quality early education can save more than seven dollars later on — by boosting graduation rates, reducing teen pregnancy, even reducing violent crime.

The Head Start model addresses the needs of the whole child — emphasizing health, nutrition and social-emotional development — and being compassionate partners with parents.

In my family, Head Start has been a powerful resource. We as a family were having a difficult transition moment, and enrolling my son in a Head Start program helped him on his social-emotional development. Early learning education is so important for each child, not only for those who can pay for it. Every single child should have the same opportunity of quality education no matter what their level in society.

–Maricela Rodriguez, Kirkland