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Head Start locations across the country are warning that their programs will be imperiled — potentially throwing tens of thousands of preschool children and their families into limbo — if the government shutdown stretches into November. Some, such as those in Tallahassee, Florida, have already reached that point. They didn’t get their annual funding at the start of this month and will need to close their doors on Friday after burning through limited reserves. Shantell Jackson, a teacher at one of the programs who has been working without pay this week, said Head Start is a critical lifeline for families and was transformational for her daughter, who has autism. “They helped me find all the resources to help her,” Jackson said. “She went from just screaming, to nobody knows what she wanted, to now she’s able to communicate and say exactly what she wants and what she needs." Head Start classrooms, which are federally funded, provide free learning programs, health screenings and meals to young children from low-income families. Individual programs operate on different fiscal calendars, meaning that some, like Tallahassee’s, have already missed federal funds that were supposed to arrive at the start of October. Those programs serve more than 6,500 children, according to the National Head Start Association, an advocacy group for the programs around the country. Darrel James, the director of the programs for the Capital Area Community Action Agency, which provide services to 378 families in several counties around Tallahassee, said he hopes to be able to back-pay teachers and staff once funding resumes. "Everybody's stressed, everybody's asking a lot of questions, everybody's looking for alternatives," he said, describing the mood of parents and staff. Other programs that expected funds in November are eying alternative funding sources as they prepare for the fiscal year without having the vast majority of their budgets covered. Now, Head Start advocates are urging Congress to reopen the government before 134 programs that serve almost 59,000 children miss their annual funding on Nov. 1, forcing them to find other sources or risk closing. “We believe firmly that children and families should never be put at risk because of political gridlock, and that’s really exactly what’s happening right now,” Tommy Sheridan, the deputy director of the National Head Start Association, said. Local programs search for funds In Michigan, Michelle LaJoie is scouring for money for her community organization’s Head Start programs. The executive director of Community Action Alger-Marquette, LaJoie said they’re examining agency reserves and considering fundraisers to help keep the doors open. They also might ask to defer some utility or lease payments. Even so, they would still only be able to operate week to week and will have to consider closing programs if the federal government doesn’t reopen soon — a move that would ultimately affect children's access to food and health care, she said. “For many kids, children in our community, this is where they get nutritious meals,” LaJoie said. “They receive health screenings and early intervention for development delays, and these services can’t wait. Early childhood development happens on a child’s timeline, not on Washington’s.” In Massachusetts, six Head Start programs serving more than 2,800 children were scheduled to receive federal funds at the start of November, said Michelle Haimowitz, the executive director of the Massachusetts Head Start Association. Federal funds account for about 80% of the programs’ budgets, but they’ve been forced to look to state funds that were meant to be supplemental to continue operating, she said. “It’s going to take some real juggling and financial work to make those funds support program operations beyond Nov. 1,” Haimowitz said. One of those programs, PACE Head Start, will “have to go week to week” with state money, said Pam Kuechler, the executive director of the organization that runs it, PACE Inc. The program, which serves 204 families, is planning to cut student transportation until federal funding comes through, “which will make it difficult for families to get kids to come to the program,” Kuechler said. She added that they may ultimately be forced to reduce staff and classrooms. Donna Doyon, whose 4-year-old son attends PACE Head Start, said he would be “devastated” if the program is forced to close. “My son thrives here, and he was not given a preschool placement in the city, so if it wasn’t for Head Start, he wouldn’t be developing the social skills he desperately needed,” she said. The program has supported Doyon’s family in other ways too, providing her son with a winter coat and informing her about a local food bank. Without her son in the program, she would have to leave her job to care for him, she said. Elsewhere, a program serving a rural part of Illinois is not expecting to receive its annual funding in November, said Lauri Morrison-Frichtl, executive director of Illinois Head Start Association. Her organization is working to get a state grant for the program to continue. Any such award, however, would be “a temporary Band-Aid fix just to get them into November for a few weeks,” Morrison-Frichtl said. And in Virginia, two programs with November funding cycles are part of school divisions that plan to cover the funding and seek reimbursement from the federal government once it reopens, said Dawn Ault, executive director of the Virginia Head Start Association. Ripple effects As the government shutdown drags on without an end in sight, advocates are warning about what Head Start closures could mean for children and their families. “What it’s going to mean is children out of school, out of classrooms, out of learning environments with trusted teachers,” said Haimowitz. They will also miss meals, health care and mental health services, she said. Parents also rely on the programs to care for their children while they are at work. Advocates are concerned that closures could keep people out of the workforce, sending ripple effects through local economies. Families qualify for Head Start if they are living at or below the poverty level, meaning paying for alternative child care could be prohibitive for some. “Head Start isn’t just preschool,” said Juanita Yancey, the executive officer of the Georgia Head Start Association. “It allows working parents in our communities to keep their jobs, and without affordable and reliable childcare, parents working multiple jobs or attending school will be forced to choose between earning a paycheck and caring for their children.” Head Start staff, too, are facing uncertainty. The early childhood workforce is “very fragile” with programs “just recovering from Covid, Morrison-Frichtl noted. “Our workforce is beginning to say, ‘I don’t know if this is going to bring enough security to my financial outlook and provide stability. If the government shuts down, I might not be paid,’” she said. In Congress, lawmakers have not inched any closer to a resolution. The Senate has rejected a House-passed Republican temporary funding bill nearly a dozen times, and House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he would keep his chamber out of session until that GOP-backed bill passes the Senate. Advocates are urging politicians not to allow the Head Start programs to fly off a November funding cliff. “We want them to get together and work this out, like we work with our children in our classroom around conflict and negotiation and sharing and communicating with each other," said Morrison-Frichtl. "We do that every day. And children come in and have different feelings, but we expect Congress to do the same thing."
