LISTEN: The congresswoman wants more money for the early childhood education program Head Start amid fears of possible federal funding cuts. GPB's Sarah Kallis reports.

 

Nikema Williams

Dr. Andria McMichael (left), U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams (center) and Paulette Coleman (right) tour the YMCA Head Start program.

Credit: Sarah Kallis/GPB News

U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams wants more money for the early childhood education program Head Start amid fears of possible federal funding cuts.

Williams is doubling down on her promise to expand Head Start, a program that provides free school readiness programs to low-income children.

Williams visited the Andrew and Walter Young YMCA in Atlanta to meet the children and families enrolled in the program there.

“They just get that extra edge," she said. "It sets them up for success across their lifetime. And so that's why it's so important for me in the work that I'm doing in Congress, to make sure that funding for Head Start programs is not cut. That we need to be increasing Head Start slots, not decreasing them." 

The YMCA of Metro Atlanta is the largest single provider of Head Start programs in Georgia, serving 3,000 children.

Tags: Georgia  Politics  childcare  Education  Nikema Willams  federal funding cuts