{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://finkenauer.house.gov/media/press-releases/finkenauer-announces-federal-grant-early-childhood-development-programs", "Finkenauer Announces Federal Grant for Early Childhood Development Programs", "2019-11-15", "2019", "2019-11", "Democrat", "House", "IA", "Abby Finkenauer", "F000467", "finkenauer.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC  Today, Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer (IA-01)announced Mid-Iowa Community Action (MICA) will receive a $1,718,924 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. MICA primarily serves families in Hardin, Marshall, Poweshiek, Story, and Tama counties. The grant money can be applied to Head Start programs which help young children from low-income families be prepared to begin and succeed in school. Congresswoman Finkenauer recently visited Woodbury Elementary School in Marshalltown to talk with students there about the importance of education and leadership, and has been prioritizing ensuring Iowa's children and students have the support they need to be successful and contribute to Iowa's economic growth. We need to make sure our young kids have every opportunity to start on a level playing field. We know that early childhood development is an incredibly important, and has a direct link to success, Congresswoman Finkenauer said, This grant will mean more kids from our community get the chance to start school on the right foot, and I'm happy to see this type of investment. I will continue fighting to ensure all our young kids get opportunities to participate in early childhood development programs. Mid-Iowa Community Action, Inc. (MICA) is a private, nonprofit organization serving children and families in central Iowa. Established in 1965 to serve children and families affected by the conditions of poverty, MICA provides early childhood, health, family development and housing services as well as community enrichment programs. BACKGROUND ON HEAD START: Head Start promotes the school readiness of young children from low-income families through agencies in their local community. Head Start and Early Head Start programs support the comprehensive development of children from birth to age 5, in centers, child care partner locations, and in their own homes. Head Start services include early learning, health, and family well-being. Since Head Start was founded in 1965, Head Start has grown from an eight-week demonstration project to include full day/year services and numerous program options. Head Start has served over 30 million children.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://finkenauer.house.gov/media/press-releases/finkenauer-announces-federal-grant-early-childhood-development-programs"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.3741590082645416, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}