John,

Right now, Republicans in Congress and the White House are considering slashing, or even eliminating entirely, Head Start, a program that has helped working families for decades. These cuts would be catastrophic for over 790,000 children under the age of five who rely on Head Start for early education, meals, and healthcare.

Funding has already been frozen this year, forcing closures and waitlists to grow. Now, extremist lawmakers are threatening to dismantle the program completely, a move that would send shockwaves through our already overwhelmed childcare system.

Let’s be clear about who this will hurt the most: Black, Brown, Indigenous, immigrant, rural, and low-income families, the very communities Head Start was created to serve. 46% of all Head Start dollars go to rural America, where in many places, there are no other options at all. And urban centers? They’d be no better off, as struggling families would be forced to choose between their jobs and their child’s care.

Without Head Start, these families would be left stranded, forced to make impossible choices between work and care. We’ve fought to expand childcare with programs like Head Start for decades because it works. It closes opportunity gaps, reduces poverty and crime, and boosts kids’ long-term success. We cannot let Washington tear it down now.

Demand Congress reject these heartless cuts and save Head Start! Countless futures depend on it.

Our fight for Head Start is personal. We’ve stood with parents and caregivers in every corner of this country, rural towns, inner cities, and everywhere in between because we know childcare is a working-class issue, a racial justice issue, and an economic survival issue.

Head Start is a promise. A promise to the child in Appalachia whose parents work double shifts to make ends meet. A promise to the immigrant family who relies on Head Start not just for education, but for meals and medical checkups their child wouldn’t get otherwise. A promise to every single parent doing the impossible with too little support.

We’ve built this movement together, now we have to defend it together. Every child deserves a fair shot, no matter where they live or how much their parents earn. Gutting Head Start would slam the door on that promise for millions of families who count on it every single day.

Stand up now. Tell Congress to fully fund Head Start and protect the future our kids deserve.

Together, we can stop these cuts and build a country where every child has a fair shot.