The MHCC Head Start Program Celebrates 50 Years; Head Start not Expected to See Cuts After Trump Administration Releases Budget Proposal

On Saturday, May 3, Mt. Hood Community College celebrated the 50th year of Head Start, which it hosts on its Gresham campus.

The fiesta-themed event was attended by various community organizations involved in early childhood education and community support, which the federally funded Head Start program provides to about 800,000 children nationally.

Dr. Hilda Pena-Alfaro, MHCC executive director of childhood development and family services, told The Advocate, “We are celebrating 50 years serving Multnomah County.”

Mt. Hood President Lisa Skari read a statement of support from Oregon state Rep. Ricki Ruiz, D-Gresham, who was unable to attend in person. Various speakers shared how the Head Start program supported them personally and also families in the community, with services focused on early learning and school readiness for low-resource households.

Pena-Alfaro said the local community embraced the program “because parents get empowered by seeing how their children succeed not only at the school but also beyond.”

The celebration occurred in the context of uncertainty about whether the federal government would continue to fund Head Start after a draft budget document from inside the Trump Administration indicated it might ask Congress to discontinue funding, which runs about $12 billion a year.

The effect of such a reduction could have a big impact on the lives of numerous families.

“Without Head Start, children would not have access to early learning education, health services, and family support resources,” Pena-Alfaro said.

However, one day before the event, the Trump Administration’s budget recommendations to Congress were made public, and cuts to the Head Start program were notincluded.

“We are happy to see that Head Start wouldn’t be touched,” said Pena-Alfaro, meaning services will continue for the foreseeable future.

She spoke of the importance of the Head Start program for making sure that every family has the chance to thrive, and for its positive benefit for the community at large.

Pena-Alfaro said that “research has shown that every dollar invested in Head Start multiplies as a ripple effect for the community.” Further, she believes that, “Head Start helps break the cycle of poverty”.

Yasmina Vinci, the executive director of the National Head Start Association, wrote at the end of May that although a budget proposal making its way through Congress did not include cuts to the Head Start program “[m]aintaining funding for a third consecutive year — without accounting for inflation, workforce competition, or increased needs — is effectively a deep cut.”

Note: In the fall of 2024 the author canvassed for Ricki Ruiz with East County Rising Action.