By Liam McLoughlin | Special to The Republican
SPRINGFIELD — Preschools around the state haven’t always been receiving millions of dollars every year from the Governor’s Office. In fact, many of the first preschool programs were run out of dusty old basements, while teachers were treated as babysitters.
Education has come a long way since then, thanks largely in part to the work of Head Start. This federally funded early childhood education program is dedicated to serving children, up to age 5, from low-income families. Since 1965, Head Start been focused on setting up centers in locations with high numbers of children and families living in poverty.