Bipartisan Legislators Honored as “Head Start Heroes” for Efforts to Protect Program

Sacramento, CA (March 18, 2026) — During Head Start Advocacy Day at the State Capitol, Assemblymembers Heather Hadwick (R–Alturas) and Patrick Ahrens (D–Silicon Valley) were honored with the Head Start Hero Award in recognition of their bipartisan leadership to help protect and preserve Head Start funding last year.

At a time of deep political division, the two lawmakers found common ground rooted in shared experience. Both Assemblymembers are graduates of Head Start and worked together—alongside a broad…