Head Start program expands in the Bronx

"

Parents will soon have more options for child care in the Bronx. Manhattan based nonprofit Grand Street Settlement is partnering with New Settlement to expand the Head Start program in the South Bronx. The Head Start program offers free year-round child care to low-income families with children ages 3 to 4 years old. "Preschoolers who attend head start have higher rates of success in every single metric of life, children are more likely to graduate from high school and college, they stay out of institutions, they stay out of prison at a much higher rate, they are healthier and when they become parents, measurably we know because we have 50 years of data, they are better parents," said Robert Cordero, CEO of the Grand Street Settlement. Data from the United States Department of Labor shows that Bronx families spend about 47% of their income on out-of-home child care. "I remember when I had to return back to work, I had put him in daycare and i was paying about $250 a week by myself as a mom and it was a lot," said Lucette Clermont, parent of a 4-year-old. The expansion was made possible by an $18.4-million federal grant that will open more than 500 seats for child care and create six new centers in the borough. Families must meet certain criteria to qualify for the head start program. To learn more, click here. "