Laura and John Arnold provided the money needed to reopen the seven Head Start programs in six states that were expecting to receive their federally allotted grants on Oct. 1 but were forced to close when the government closed many of their own offices on Tuesday, said Sally Aman, a Head Start spokeswoman.
Head Start serves “the poorest of the poor in our country from ages 0-5 to get them ready for kindergarten,” Aman said. She added that over 7,000 children have been affected by the closures.
The Association noted that many low-income parents do not have the luxury of alternative care for their children and when Head Start centers close, they are forced to miss work.
A former hedge fund manager, John Arnold, 39, is worth $2.8 billion, according to Forbes. He and his wife started a charity foundation bearing their name in 2008, but Larson said the $10 million that are giving to Head Start is a personal donation.
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/07/20860381-billionaire-couple-donates-10-million-to-head-start-programs-closed-by-us-government-shutdown?lite
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