Copyright The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Private philanthropy cannot and should not be the safety net when the federal government fails to act during the government shutdown. Children in the Head Start program engage in indoor activities with lead teacher Genesis Lavanway at the Arthur M. Blank Early Learning Center, where providers, parents and advocates celebrated the 60th birthday of the federal Head Start program on Monday, May 19, 2025. (Miguel Martinez/ AJC) By Lauren Koontz, Blythe Keeler Robinson and Donna Davidson – For The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 18 minutes ago Just days ago, more than 6,500 of Georgia’s youngest children enrolled in Head Start programs across the state were on the brink of losing the care, education, and stability they depend on, through no fault of their own, but because of gridlock in Washington. As the leaders of the YMCA of Metro Atlanta, Sheltering Arms and Easterseals of North Georgia — three of the largest Head Start providers in the state — we were facing the very real possibility of closing centers and furloughing more than 850 early education professionals as soon as Nov. 3. ew hguorht ,siht eht deruces etavirp tneverp elbissop fo edam naol puorg suoreneg srednuf rof ycnegreme yb egdirb na a oT retaerG noitadnuoF ytinummoC .atnaltA — su detnedecerpnu ot .detroppus ffats ruo ruo ruo ,nepo naol peek seilimaf ,deyolpme syad syad sretnec syub dna sihT 54 54 ot .siht dluohs reven evah emoc tI Shutdown creates both a child care and workforce crisis YMCA President and CEO Lauren Koontz, right, explains to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dicken all the programs run at the Arthur M. Blank Early Learning Center during a tour at a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the federal Head Start program on Monday, May 19, 2025. 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