Tester Secures More Than $1 Million for Action for Eastern Montana Head Start

Grant will help fund early childhood development programs in 17 Montana counties

U.S. Senator Jon Tester today announced a $1,382,611 grant for the Action for Eastern Montana Head Start program—which serves 17 counties in the state—as part of his continued effort to expand access to childcare and early education to families across Montana.

“In order to secure their futures, kids in Montana’s frontier communities must have the same access to quality education as the kids in our cities,” said Tester. “This funding will help the Action for Eastern Montana Head Start program get families the tools they need to provide their kids with the building blocks for success, regardless of where they live.”

The funding comes from the Administration for Children & Families, which oversees Head Start programs across Montana. The grant aims to provide better access to crucial resources for early childhood education and for successful nutrition, health, and families, including information on pre- and postnatal health.

As a former teacher and school board member and a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Tester has been a long-time champion for education, particularly for low income families. In recent government funding negotiations, he secured more than $10 billion for Head Start Programs nationwide, an increase of more than $550 million over the previous year. He also recently announced a grant of nearly $1 million for Kootenai Valley Head Start, $1.5 million for Missoula Head Start, and more than $1 million for Havre’s program.