Government Shutdown Imperils Head Start Preschool Programs

Olivia Starr clings to her father, Thaxter Hall, as Associate Educator Jessica Clark works to comfort her as she is dropped off for the last day of school at the Meadow Lakes CCS Early... (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File) WASHINGTON (AP) — Head Start programs that serve tens of thousands of the nation’s neediest preschoolers are facing a cutoff of federal funding at the end of the month because of the government shutdown,... The early education initiative is funded almost entirely by the federal government, making it particularly vulnerable to funding disruptions. The programs — which are run by schools, local governments and nonprofits — receive new grants annually and are not allowed to carry over unspent money. With new grants on hold, a half dozen Head Start programs already missed federal disbursements they were expecting on Oct.

1 and are staying open with fast-dwindling reserves or help from local governments. Another 134 programs will not receive federal money that is due Nov. 1 if the government does not reopen, according to the National Head Start Association. All told, more than 65,000 seats at Head Start programs across the country could be affected. In Tallahassee, Florida, a Head Start program run by Capital Area Community Action Agency Inc. has been running on “fumes” since it stopped receiving federal money at the start of the month, interim CEO Nina Singleton Self said.

It is drawing down reserves, getting an advance on a city grant and taking out a line of credit, but those funds will run dry this week. Head Start programs that serve tens of thousands of the nation's neediest preschoolers are facing a cutoff of federal funding at the end of the month because of the government shutdown, leaving many scrambling... The early education initiative is funded almost entirely by the federal government, making it particularly vulnerable to funding disruptions. The programs — which are run by schools, local governments and nonprofits — receive new grants annually and are not allowed to carry over unspent money. Stream NBC4 newscasts for free right here, right now. With new grants on hold, a half dozen Head Start programs already missed federal disbursements they were expecting on Oct.

1 and are staying open with fast-dwindling reserves or help from local governments. Another 134 programs will not receive federal money that is due Nov. 1 if the government does not reopen, according to the National Head Start Association. All told, more than 65,000 seats at Head Start programs across the country could be affected. In Tallahassee, Florida, a Head Start program run by Capital Area Community Action Agency Inc. has been running on “fumes” since it stopped receiving federal money at the start of the month, interim CEO Nina Singleton Self said.

It is drawing down reserves, getting an advance on a city grant and taking out a line of credit, but those funds will run dry this week. About 134 programs could be affected in 41 states and Puerto Rico. Tens of thousands of children and families could be affected by dozens of Head Start programs potentially closing if the federal government shutdown extends past Nov. 1. About 134 programs across 41 states and Puerto Rico will see their operational funding cease on Saturday, affecting nearly 65,000 kids, or 10% of all Head Start children, according to the National Head Start... Florida, Georgia, Missouri and Ohio may see the most impacts, potentially affecting more than 24,000 children and more than 7,500 staff members, NHSA data shows.

Head Start is a federal program run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that provides early childhood education, health, nutrition and family support services to low-income children and families. Children play with Play-Doh at a Head Start center in Michigan. Cory Turner/NPR hide caption Beginning Nov. 1, more than 65,000 children will be at risk of losing access to Head Start, the federal early-learning program for low-income families.

That's because federal funding for individual Head Start programs cannot be disbursed while the government is shut down. The leaders of 134 local Head Start programs, as well as another half-dozen whose funding lapsed on Oct. 1, are now debating how long they can go before closing their doors, says Tommy Sheridan of the National Head Start Association. "They are scrambling," Sheridan says. "There is a ton of hard work, a ton of goodwill, a ton of dedication – but hard work, goodwill and dedication don't keep your doors open, unfortunately." Among the states hit hardest by this Nov.

1 deadline: Florida, Georgia, Missouri and Ohio. Head Start programs that serve tens of thousands of the nation's neediest preschoolers are facing a cutoff of federal funding at the end of the month because of the government shutdown, leaving many scrambling... The early education initiative is funded almost entirely by the federal government, making it particularly vulnerable to funding disruptions. The programs — which are run by schools, local governments and nonprofits — receive new grants annually and are not allowed to carry over unspent money. With new grants on hold, a half-dozen Head Start programs already missed federal disbursements they were expecting on Oct. 1 and are staying open with fast-dwindling reserves or help from local governments.

Another 134 programs will not receive federal money that is due Nov. 1 if the government does not reopen, according to the National Head Start Association. All told, more than 65,000 seats at Head Start programs across the country could be affected. ALSO READ: As shutdown continues, Floridians voice concerns at town hall Federal funding for Head Start programs is dispersed on a staggered grant cycle, meaning different programs receive their funding at different times throughout the year. (One Head Start program may operate multiple Head Start sites, each with a set number of “funded slots” available for eligible children.) During a shutdown, this funding is not dispersed, putting many Head Start...

When Head Start programs are forced to close, children lose access to the care, early learning, nutrition, and stability Head Start provides. Below you’ll find a map and chart showing what this looks like at the state level, as well as stories from local, state, and national news sources as they cover the impact. Every morning, FFYF reports on the latest child care & early learning news from across the country. Subscribe and take 5 minutes to know what's happening in early childhood education. What an incredible Day of Action! Yesterday, voices nationwide united with a single message to Congress: Protect Head Start and end the shutdown.

Nearly 50 organizations across the country took … UPDATE 10/27/25 What We’re Watching: National Day Of Action The child care and early learning community is uniting around a Day of Action on Wednesday, October 29. If Congress does … Head Start programming for about 60,000 children is at risk if the federal government shutdown continues into November, leaders of the National Head Start Association and its state chapters say. On Nov. 1, 134 Head Start programs in 41 states are scheduled to receive their annual federal funding allocations, but if the government remains shut down—as it has been since Oct.

1—those funds likely will not flow. Federal money funds the majority of Head Start programs’ budgets—typically about 80%—and, without them, many programs will be forced to lay off staff they cannot pay, suspend operations, and close buildings. “It is really concerning that children and families are stuck in this position of effectively being collateral damage due to political gridlock,” said Tommy Sheridan, the deputy director of the National Head Start Association. Still, even if the shutdown continues through Nov. 1, not every program slated to receive money will close immediately, Sheridan said. US Government Shutdown Threatens to Shutter Head Start Child Programs

FILE PHOTO: A sign marks the ABDC Parker Hill Head Start & Children’s Services facility in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., September 15, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Education, child care and nutrition services for tens of thousands of young American children will begin to be cut off on Saturday, as Republicans and Democrats in Congress fail to reach a... history. Funding for the $12.3 billion program that serves some 65,000 children aged up to five years old is set to run out beginning on Saturday, which would be the 32nd day of the shutdown,... "We will not be providing service to 438 kids in southwest Washington" and their parents, said Rekah Strong, CEO of Educational Opportunities for Children and Families, which operates Head Start programs in Vancouver, just...

"It breaks my heart."

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