SC New York News

U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro (NY-19) introduced the Head Start Accountability Act following the temporary closure of Sullivan County Head Start earlier this year. The bill aims to provide stronger oversight over local Head Start programs, such as the one in Sullivan County.

Head Start and Early Head Start programs, administered by the Office of Head Start (OHS), offer comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to children from low-income families. In February, Sullivan County Head Start abruptly closed its doors, affecting nearly 400 families and leaving almost 100 providers without employment.

By law, Head Start facilities are required to submit an annual financial audit. In 2021 and 2022, Sullivan County Head Start did not submit their audits but faced no repercussions due to a lack of oversight from OHS. Rep. Molinaro’s bill mandates that the Office of the Inspector General at the Department of Health & Human Services investigate local head start programs when a financial audit is not submitted so corrections can be made before a closure occurs.

Rep. Molinaro stated, “When Sullivan County Head Start abruptly closed, children, parents, and Head Start employees were left out to dry. In the aftermath, I worked around the clock with county and local leaders to get Sullivan County Head Start back open. Now, I’m working to strengthen oversight so something like this can never happen again.”

Nadia Rajsz, Sullivan County Legislature Chair said, “I’m very appreciative of the Congressman’s efforts to help reopen this critical service so that our most vulnerable children were able to continue with their education. I very much agree with his efforts to establish oversight to ensure that this will never happen again anywhere.”

Following the closure of Sullivan County Head Start, Rep. Molinaro collaborated with local officials by holding mobile office hours, providing updates, and calling for accountability to reopen the office in Sullivan County. He also voted to increase federal funding for Head Start Programs by over $1 billion in the Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bill.