UMass institute gets Head Start contract

BOSTON – The University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute has been awarded a five-year, $14 million contract for Head Start and Early Head Start training and technical assistance across New England.
The Institute will work with local Head Start programs on educational, health and family services as well as management systems to strengthen service children and their families.
Head Start and Early Head Start programs support the comprehensive development of children from birth to age five in centers, child care partner locations and in their own homes. Early Head Start also provides services to pregnant women. Both programs address early learning, health and family well-being.
The contract was awarded by the Office of Head Start in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“We are very proud that the University of Massachusetts has emerged as one of the national leaders in providing training and technical assistance to Head Start programs,’’ said UMass President Marty Meehan. “The Donahue Institute’s work – which complements the early childhood programs at UMass Boston and UMass Amherst – is another outstanding example of the impact that UMass is having, not just in Massachusetts but across all of New England.’’
J. Lynn Griesemer, executive director of the UMass Donahue Institute, eagerly accepted the funding award.
“We have been the predominant provider of training and technical assistance to Head Start in this region for the past 12 years and have gained an outstanding reputation,” Griesemer said.
Nationally, Head Start/Early Head Start is divided into 12 regions. UMass Donahue Institute will be the sole provider of training and technical assistance to Region 1, which includes Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
The UMass Donahue Institute is the public service, outreach and economic development group of the University of Massachusetts president’s office. Established in 1971, the Institute strives to connect the Commonwealth with the resources of the university.

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