Local Head Start agencies nationwide will continue to be fully-funded to the tune of $7.57 billion until this fall after President Obama signed legislation that ended the current budget debates in the House and Senate — for now.

This year the National Head Start Association will be heading to Kansas City for its annual conference and trade show, starting off with a little help from and for the yellow bus.

The U.S. Senate rejected a bill previously passed by the House last month that would cut federal Head Start funding by a total of 25 percent and risk ending services for pre-school aged children from low-income families, according to the National Head Start Association.

The National Head Start Association is calling out to its members to lobby Congress to find new champions of the Head Start and Early Head Start programs.

STN talks with Yvette Sanchez Fuentes, the newest director of the Office of Head Start and an expert on issues affecting migrant and seasonal preschool students, on how the federal program continues to evolve and can benefit from increased funding.