4.21.2004 ET

(CSRwire) Anaheim, California - At the National Head Start Association's 31st Annual Training Conference taking place this week, Nike was among one of several organizations honored for its commitment to Head Start and support of early childhood education. For the past six years, Nike has worked with Head Start on a state-of-the-art educational outreach program, making Nike one of the largest corporate supporters of the national school readiness program.

"We are proud of our association with Head Start and the effective work it does," said Kirk Stewart, Nike Vice President of Corporate Communications in accepting the award. "As James Baldwin said, 'These are all our children. We will all profit by, or pay for, whatever they become."

Stewart said Nike this fall would announce an expansion of its partnership with Head Start as part of NikeGO, the company's signature community affairs and the company's long-term commitment to get kids moving and give them the means to do it.

In 1998, Head Start alum and Dallas Cowboy superstar Deion Sanders and his mother Connie Knight helped National Head Start Association President Ron Herndon and Nike launch Start Line at the Chapel of Peace Head Start Center in Los Angeles. Start Line is an educational outreach program designed to provide computers, software and staff training in selected Head Start centers in Oregon, Washington and California for the benefit of children and their parents.

Herndon approached Philip H. Knight, founder and CEO of Nike with the Start Line idea. Knight and Nike supported Herndon's vision and initially made a three-year $2.6 million commitment to the program. That commitment was renewed for another three years in 2001, for a total contribution of $5.2 million. Since 1998, Start Line has provided a total of 2,102 computers in a total of 198 Head Start Programs to reach thousands of kids and their families with Nike as the sole sponsor. "Recent studies show that computers not only provide children with an effective tool for learning but also give parents essential job-training skills," said Ron Herndon, National Head Start Association President.

Thousands of Head Start staff and parents were on hand in Anaheim where they are participating in extensive training. U.S. Representative and Head Start alumna Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) and U.S. Representative and former Head Start teacher Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) also were in attendance. In addition, Johnson & Johnson, UCLA's Anderson School of Business and Childcraft, abc. and School Specialty Companies also received awards for their contributions to Head Start.

ABOUT HEAD START
Created in 1965, Head Start is the most successful, longest-running, national school readiness program in the United States. It provides comprehensive education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and their families. More than 21 million pre-school aged children have benefited from Head Start.

ABOUT NHSA
The National Head Start Association is a private, not-for-profit membership organization dedicated exclusively to meeting the needs of Head Start children and their families. It represents more than 900,000 children, 200,000 staff and 2,700 Head Start programs in the United States. The Association provides support for the entire Head Start community by advocating for policies that strengthen services to Head Start children and their families, by providing extensive training and professional development to Head Start staff, and by developing and disseminating research, information, and resources that enrich Head Start program delivery.

ABOUT NIKE
NIKE, Inc., based in Beaverton, Oregon USA, is the world's leading designer and marketer of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Nike focuses its philanthropic effort on two key areas: bringing the benefits of physical activity to young people, and investing in innovative solutions to the challenges of globalization faced by women and girls. Each year, Nike targets to give three percent of its prior fiscal year's pre-tax profits to charitable organizations around the world. In fiscal year 2003, Nike donated more than $30 million in cash, product and in-kind contributions, meeting its three percent goal for the third consecutive year. For more information, visit www.nikeresponsibility.com.

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