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COLUMBUS, Ohio - Thousands of Ohio Head Start children – about 3,700 – risk losing services if the federal government shutdown continues through Nov. 1. The impact could mean working parents that rely on the programs suddenly will face a day care challenge. Most of these programs are in rural areas, and the children represent nearly 14% of the 27,000 kids in Head Start in Ohio, said Julie Stone, executive director of the Ohio Head Start Association. Head Start programs in Cuyahoga County, run by Step Forward and Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Cleveland, are expected to remain open, as their grant cycles fall during different times of the year, Stone and spokeswomen for the agencies said. For those facing closure, the potential shuttering of child care services will be among the first areas in which the federal shutdown will begin to hurt the private sector. If parents cannot find alternate daycare, they will have to call out of work. “The vast majority of Head Start parents are working parents and they rely on Head Start to provide a safe, nurturing environment for their child,” Stone said. “They’re going to have to make tough decisions about whether or not they can go to work.” About 940 Head Start employees would also be affected – educators, family service staff, administrators, bus drivers, classroom aides and kitchen staff, she said. Generally, rural Ohio has less child care availability than in the state’s urban areas, although the state’s urban areas tend to have more expensive child care. Head Start centers in Allen, Highland, Scioto, Lawrence and Coshocton counties are among those with grants that are supposed to be renewed Nov. 1, Stone said. Some of these locations are trying to find contingency funding to stay open next week, she said. The shutdown began when congressional Republicans and Democrats couldn’t agree on a federal budget for the fiscal year that started Oct. 1. Democrats want the budget to include Affordable Care Act subsidies; Republicans are pushing for a clean bill, saying they’ll address subsidies later. It’s the second-longest shutdown in U.S. history. Democrats say Republicans have refuses to enter negotiations for a month. Stone said that without a full budget or a short-term continuing resolution that President Donald Trump can sign, the Ohio Head Start programs are in trouble. Stories by Laura Hancock Gov. DeWine says the MLB is heading a ‘microprop’ betting ban across pro sports: Capitol LetterOct. 28, 2025, 8:00a.m. Success Sequence: Ohio bill mandates anti-poverty curriculum despite racial disparityOct. 27, 2025, 3:54p.m. Would consolidating Ohio’s 607 school districts reduce property taxes?: Capitol LetterOct. 27, 2025, 8:00a.m. Are Ohio’s 607 school districts excessive and should the state consolidate? Oct. 26, 2025, 5:30a.m. “It just all feels so different than what we’ve experienced before,” she said, about the impasse and length of time of this shutdown. “And yeah, it’s unsettling, for sure.” Head Start provides comprehensive early learning, nutrition and family support services to low-income children ages birth to five. At least 10% of children in Head Start have diagnosed disabilities. Head Start also serves children in the foster care system and families experiencing homelessness. Program closures would disrupt care, learning and access to meals and health screenings, Stone said. “These are really the most vulnerable children and families in our communities,” she said. “Any disruption to the stability that they’ve built can be devastating.
