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President Lyndon B. Johnson Declared A War On Poverty

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History In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared a "war on poverty" in his State of the Union address. Johnson 's aim was to not only relieve the symptoms of poverty, but to cure and prevent it. The war on poverty took shape as a comprehensive effort to address the needs of the nation, nearly half of whom were children. The war moved from concept to reality when the Economic Opportunity Act was passed by Congress in August 1964. The establishment of the Head Start preschool was authorized under the Economic Opportunity Act. In the summer of 1965, Project Head Start first launched as an eight-week program which had more than a half a million children nationwide enrolled. After much success, the program was implemented as a full-one year program, a couple years after the first pilot project ("PA Head Start", n.d.).
Structural Components Head Start provides children with a developmentally appropriate early childhood education. Teachers work with children, and their families, to help them gain the skills needed to succeed in school- both academically and socially. The program offers comprehensive health, nutrition, and other family support services including opportunities to learn nurturing parenting skills. "Head Start provides children with activities that help them grow mentally, socially, emotionally, and physically. Head Start children socialize with others, solve problems, and have other experiences that help them to become self-confident" ("PA Head Start",

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