Teacher Appreciation Day Emphasizes the Importance of Head Start

Head Start teachers keep Kentucky working.

FRANKFORT, KY, UNITED STATES, May 2, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- May 6 is National Teacher Appreciation Day, and schools across the state will be celebrating our educators all week. As members of the Kentucky Head Start Association and the Commonwealth’s Community Action Head Start programs, we want to show our appreciation for the critical work our early childhood educators in Head Start do by highlighting their economic importance. Head Start teachers keep Kentucky working.

A third of Kentucky’s workforce has children under the age of five, yet more than half of Kentucky's children live in a childcare desert, meaning there isn’t enough care available for every family that needs it. Often, especially in our more rural areas, Head Start is the only option available.

Gaps in childcare quality, availability, and affordability keep people out of the job market, but Head Start teachers step into these gaps. They provide thousands of workers with the means necessary to stay on the job, enter or re-enter the workforce, or pursue the training they need to help employers meet their workforce requirements.

Family success is at the core of Head Start, which is why our teachers work to keep families focused on building their individual pathways to success, which drives economic prosperity for all.

Through early childhood education, pediatric dental and primary care assistance, nutrition education, behavior management coaching, connections to community resources, and so much more, Head Start teachers set families up for success. Parents receive the education and community connections they need to raise healthy and resilient families, and children reap the benefits at school and at home.

These teachers know that Head Start's proven success means that even as their parents improve family circumstances now, these Kindergarten-ready children are more likely to graduate from high school, attend college, and boost their lifetime earning potential as adults. Head Start builds decades of success and prosperity for the nation.

To our Kentucky Head Start teachers who educate more than 16,000 children ages zero to five across thousands of families every year – we see you, we hear you, and we vow to show our appreciation by continuing to promote this vital work and the opportunities you bring to our communities.

We invite our community members to join us in celebrating our teachers by visiting https://nhsa.org/advocacy-actions/ to send a letter or by calling the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and letting our representatives know that Head Start matters to Kentuckians. Let your members of Congress know that Head Start teachers keep Kentucky learning and working, and they deserve
everyone’s acts of appreciation.

Katlyn Miller
Community Action Kentucky
+1 502-230-9060
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