Since its inception in 1965 in President Lyndon B. Johnson's "war on poverty," the federal Head Start program has served nearly 40 million children and their families in preparing to succeed in school and life. Head Start has faced a number of challenges in recent years, including flat funding, new mandates, attacks from the Trump Administration and a proposal to eliminate the program entirely. On this episode, we here from different Head Start stakeholders in Iowa about the services this program provides to young children and their families, how they are managing this changing landscape and what the future may hold for this program.
Madeleine Charis King
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Iowa Public Radio
James Kelley
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Iowa Public Radio
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Hundreds of low-income families will need to choose between working or taking care of their kids because two federally funded child care programs are about to run out of money. As the federal shutdown starts affecting social services, families also have to consider the impending loss of SNAP benefits. -
A new community land trust aims to help more low-income families become homeowners by providing affordable housing options in the Des Moines metro. The Central Iowa Community Land Trust will be the state's only one of its kind. -
A new report shows Linn County has higher cancer rates than both the state and national averages. Public health officials say it’s hard to pin down exactly which culprits are responsible for the high rates.
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Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ summer food program for children that is meant to replace Summer EBT got off to a rocky start this month, according to food bank and pantry officials tasked with distributing food for Healthy Kids Iowa. -
Gov. Kim Reynolds’ plan to provide “healthy” foods for low-income Iowa kids over the summer, instead of sending their families money for food, has been approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. -
The right to an attorney doesn't mean that an attorney will be free in states like Iowa.
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Over 700 people in Polk County are waiting for help getting into housing as homeless shelters continue to operate at overflow capacity. But finding affordable housing isn’t the only challenge — there’s also the problem of staying housed. -
DMARC food pantries in Des Moines face even more stress on their budget deficit after seeing a record high demand for food assistance this holiday season. -
IPR's Meghan McKinney spoke with Polk County Attorney Kimberly Graham on Morning Edition about camping ordinances in Des Moines.
