From The Hechinger Report 9/24/2025
TROY, Ohio — For almost as long as she’s been a mother, Sara Laughlin has known where she could turn for help in this western Ohio town 20 miles north of Dayton.
For years, the local Head Start program provided stability and care for her oldest son, and it now does the same for her two younger children, twin boys. Head Start was there for Laughlin and her family through tough transitions, including the end of a long relationship. She credits the free federally funded program, housed in a blue building on the edge of this manufacturing hub of 27,000, for allowing her to keep her job as a massage therapist while raising three kids.
“If we had to pay for child care, I would not be able to work,” Laughlin said. “There’s no way I could do it.”
Read more: https://hechingerreport.org/rural-americans-rely-on-head-start-federal-turmoil-has-them-worried/
