Tester Secures More Than $5 Million for Great Falls Area Head Start

Funding will provide critical resources for young families, promote early childhood development

U.S. Senator Jon Tester today announced that Opportunities, Inc. in Great Falls will receive $5,002,689 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services funding to continue providing Head Start early education opportunities and child care services for families in North Central Montana.

“Investing in the next generation of Montanans from a young age is absolutely critical for our state’s future,” said Tester. “Opportunities, Inc.’s Head Start program provides Montana kids and their families with the tools and resources they need to succeed from day one, and I’m proud to lend my support to their efforts.”

The funding comes from the Administration for Children & Families, which oversees Head Start programs across Montana. Opportunities, Inc.’s Head Start program offers preschool and infant care options for parents who need daycare for their children, information for young families on pregnancy and fetal development, and school readiness to make sure Montana kids are prepared for kindergarten.

As a former elementary school teacher and school board member, and senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Tester has been a longtime champion for Head Start programs in Montana. He recently secured $1.8 million in Head Start funding in Butte, $1.3 million for Head Start in Lame Deer, and more than $1.1 million for Head Start in Havre.