U.S. Rep Rick Larsen visits with children, families and SVC staff at the Head Start Center in Oak Harbor.
OAK HARBOR, Wash. — U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen visited Skagit Valley College’s Head Start Center in Oak Harbor Aug. 18, meeting with children, families, and staff and hearing firsthand about the opportunities and challenges facing Head Start programs in the region.
During the visit, Larsen toured the center and learned more about SVC’s Head Start and Early Head Start programs and the comprehensive early learning, health, nutrition, and family support services they provide to children and families.
Larsen also spent time with children and families at the center, providing an opportunity to see firsthand how Head Start supports children’s development and school readiness while partnering with families to help them thrive.
SVC staff shared some of the challenges currently facing Head Start programs, including concerns surrounding proposed federal changes to Head Start Program Performance Standards and the potential impact those changes could have on program operations, services, staffing, and the children and families Head Start serves.
“Having Representative Larsen visit our center gave us an important opportunity to show him what Head Start looks like in our community and to share directly the challenges our programs and families are facing,” said Mary Ellen Lykins, director of early learning grants at SVC. “We appreciate his willingness to listen to our staff and families and his continued commitment to children and families across our region.”
The visit was coordinated by Skagit Valley College Head Start in partnership with the Washington State Association of Head Start and ECEAP.
For more than 60 years, Head Start has provided comprehensive early childhood education and family support to children and families across the country. SVC operates Head Start and Early Head Start programs that provide high-quality early learning experiences while connecting families with health, nutrition, and other support services.
Through partnerships with families and communities, SVC’s Head Start programs help children build the skills and foundations they need to enter kindergarten ready to learn and succeed.
For more information about Skagit Valley College Head Start, visit https://www.sihs.skagit.edu/index.php.
Media Contact Info
Marisa Pierce, Executive Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications
360.416.7957
marisa.pierce@skagit.edu