MACHIAS, Maine (AP)   Heart Start programs in Down East Maine will receive nearly $2 million to improve service.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins and independent Sen. Angus King say the federal money will go to Downeast Community Partners for its Head Start and Early Head Start programs. The senators say the money will help build educational foundations for children and families in one of the most rural parts of the state.

Downeast Community Partners began in October 2017 when two other organizations merged. The group focuses on the needs of low-income and at-risk residents in Down East Maine.