HHS statement says $60 million will go to Head Start nutrition improvements

In a recorded statement, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who in the recording identified himself as “your HHS secretary,” said the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families is awarding more than $60 million to more than 290 Head Start programs nationwide to support nutrition services.

Kennedy said the funds will be used to expand nutrition education, upgrade or build food-preparation facilities and support local efforts such as community gardens. “The first thousand days of life matter most,” he said in the recording, adding that improved access to high-quality food gives children advantages in growth, development and learning.

Head Start is the federal early-childhood program that serves children from birth to age 5. The recorded remarks said Head Start began in 1964 and referenced an individual identified as “Sarge Driver.” Historical records show Head Start was launched in 1965 and that Sargent Shriver is widely credited as a principal founder of the program.

The recording included claims about diet and youth consumption patterns: Kennedy stated that “added sugars and unhealthy fats” make up 40% of daily intake for children between ages 2 and 18. That statement is presented here as an assertion from the recording and is not independently verified in this article.

The Administration for Children and Families did not provide additional details in the recording about how the grants would be allocated among local programs, which providers would receive awards, or the timeline for dispersing funds. The recording concluded with the statement, “At HHS, we're making sure a head start also means a healthy start,” and a production credit to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

No formal vote or action by an elected body is recorded in the transcript; the text is a departmental announcement attributed to HHS.