U.S. Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers (KY-05) announced today that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded $331,501 to the LKLP Community Action Council in Redfox to administer the Head Start program.

“Head Start gives children the boost they need in their formative years,” said Rogers. “Leslie, Knott, Letcher and Perry Counties Head Start Programs are well deserving of this grant as they provide new opportunities for our children and grandchildren. By reaching out to our young children and providing them with skills they need to excel at school as they grow older, we are raising healthy, well-educated children who grow up ready to work, raise families and lead our region forward.”

Head Start provides comprehensive child development services to economically disadvantaged families, with a special focus on helping preschoolers develop the early reading and math skills they need to be successful in school. This national initiative also promotes school readiness by enhancing the development of children through educational, health and nutritional services.

The funds go to the LKLP Community Action Council, Inc. which is a private, non-profit organization serving the Kentucky counties of Leslie, Knott, Letcher and Perry. It is designed to be a community action service and planning agency, as well as developing the fullest potential of the resources in the four county area. Although the Council’s primary focus is the poor, it seeks to actively and substantially involve all segments of the community in an effort to alleviate the distress of poverty.

As a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, Rogers works to secure funding for important initiatives in the fifth Congressional district.