Sorensen Announces Over $4.2 Million for Early Childhood Education in Central Illinois

BLOOMINGTON, IL – Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17) is announcing over $4.2 million in federal grant funding for Head Start education programs in Central Illinois. 

"Ensuring our communities are strong and sustainable for the next generation means investing in our kids today," said Sorensen. "I applaud Heartland Head Start for securing this funding and for their critical work providing early childhood education to future leaders in Central Illinois." 

“Heartland Head Start enhances the lives of children and families who meet the federal income and eligibility guidelines in McLean and Livingston Counties in Central Illinois. We do this by providing a comprehensive child and family development for both our Early Head Start and Head Start home-based services and in-class opportunities. Our vision is to implement high quality supports, services and programs in cooperation with our community partners and engaged staff. We continually strive to engage our families and put forth great effort in meeting needs through our self-assessment and development of our ongoing community assessment plan,” said Dr. Chuck Hartseil, Interim Executive Director of Heartland Head Start. 

The $4,246,985 grant was awarded by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to the Heartland Head Start, headquartered in Bloomington, to administer Head Start programming in Central Illinois. 

Head Start is a program within HHS that provides comprehensive early childhood education services to children from low-income families. 

Congressman Eric Sorensen is the first openly LGBTQ person elected to represent Illinois at the federal level and is a member of the New Democrat Coalition. He serves on the House Committee on Agriculture and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Prior to serving in Congress, Sorensen was a local meteorologist in Rockford and the Quad Cities for nearly 20 years. His district includes Illinois’ Quad Cities, Rockford, Peoria, and Bloomington-Normal.

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