Which act created community action agencies at the local level and established Head Start and Job Corps?

• A. Economic Opportunity Act of 1964
• B. Trade Act of 1974
• C. Job Training Partnership Act
• D. Workforce Investment Act of 1998

Answer: (A)

The question asks which federal measure launched the War on Poverty by creating local Community Action Agencies and by establishing Head Start and Job Corps. The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 did exactly that, setting up the Office of Economic Opportunity to coordinate antipoverty efforts and authorizing local Community Action Agencies to mobilize communities in designing and delivering services. It also funded Head Start, a program providing early education and health services for low-income children, and Job Corps, offering free education and vocational training for youths. The other acts came later and did not establish those local anti-poverty structures or the Head Start and Job Corps programs: the 1974 Trade Act dealt with trade and adjustment issues, the Job Training Partnership Act reorganized training programs in the 1980s, and the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 restructured employment services without creating the same local community action framework or Head Start and Job Corps.