This is the 50th year of the Head Start program, which provides early childhood education opportunities for low-income children.
Head Start’s anniversary, and its role in early childhood education, are among the topics that’ll be discussed Friday at UNO. The Buffett Early Childhood Institute and the Aspen Institute, focused on education and policy studies, are hosting the event.
Sam Meisels, founding executive director of the Buffett Early Childhood Institute, says Head Start has served 32 million children over the past five decades.
"It’s the only national program in early care and education that’s ever existed in the U.S. And it’s more or less the air we breathe, the water we swim in. It’s taken for granted to a certain extent. There are more than 16,000 Head Start programs that are in operation."
Even with the success of Head Start, Meisels says the program serves less than 40 percent of children who are eligible for it. He says Friday’s symposium will also focus on the future of early childhood education, resources, and quality.
The symposium will be held at UNO’s Strauss Performing Arts Center and is open to the public.