RFK Jr. visits Toledo child care facility to announce Head Start funding
Health and Human Services secretary says program was nearly defunded
TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited a Toledo child care facility Tuesday to announce federal funding for Head Start programs.
Kennedy toured Clever Bee Academy on City Park as part of what his department is calling a push on Head Start. The facility received $30,000 for supplemental nutrition and a community garden.
Clever Bee and its two other locations serve Head Start children. The program is funded by the federal government.
Kennedy told a parent and administrator panel that Head Start was almost completely defunded but he worked to keep it funded.
The 13 Action News I-TEAM asked RFK Jr. how the administration can reconcile trying to put more money in Head Start while school districts, like Toledo Public Schools, are facing challenges from federal and state cuts.
He said it’s a state issue and went on to describe long-term challenges students are facing.
“We have a huge debt in this country, $39 trillion. And that is ... that’s really a crime against our kids,” Kennedy said. “Because when they get out of school, they’re going to be spending a lot of their time and a lot of their energy paying back that debt. The administration is taking... you know, making difficult choices about cuts.”
Clever Bee is at capacity for children and has about 70 on the waiting list at the City Park location alone.
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