U.S. Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers (KY-05) announced today that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded $199,819 to the Bell-Whitley Community Action Agency in Pineville to administer the Head Start program.

“Head Start gives children the boost they need in their formative years,” said Rogers. “The Bell-Whitley Head Start Program is 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 Bell-Whitley Community Action Agency which is one of more than 1,000 similar agencies in the nation. Organized in 1968 and incorporated in 1969, as part of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 to fight America’s War on Poverty, Bell-Whitley Community Action Agency utilizes all resources available to help others become self-sufficient. In addition to the Head Start program, the Bell-Whitley Community Action Agency provides other services to the community such as weatherization, PRIDE, housing initiatives and Winter Care.

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