By Noah Jeffries, WV News
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WV News) — For 60 years, the Head Start program has been serving kids and families across West Virginia. With the possibility of federal budget cuts, the program’s future is up in the air.
Head Start helps thousands of kids across the country every year, said Philip Keith, executive director of Central WV Community Action, a nonprofit that provides Head Start services in several West Virginia counties.
“The Head Start program is a federal grant-funded program that’s nationwide and serves about 800,000 children across the nation,” he said. “Our little portion is four counties here in Central West Virginia … Ritchie County, Lewis County, Gilmer County and Harrison County.”
Through their Head Start centers, the program is able to provide much needed services to low-income homes, Keith said.
“We serve about 318 children and families in those four counties,” he said. “We actually have six standalone centers that we operate. One is in Lewis County and the rest are in Harrison County.”
