Looming shutdown rattles families who rely on Head Start program for disadvantaged children
Head Start programs serving more than 10,000 disadvantaged children would immediately lose federal funding if the government shutdown isn't averted
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As Monette Ferguson braces for the looming government shutdown to strip funding from her Head Start program for disadvantaged children in Connecticut, she harkens back to a decade ago when another congressional budget fight forced her to close preschools.
This time around she is more prepared, with money in reserve to keep serving around 550 children at 14 Head Start sites operating in three different towns. But only for about 30 days.
“It’s like a gut punch to our system,” said Ferguson, who is the executive director of the Alliance for Community Empowerment.
If the shutdown isn’t averted, Head Start programs serving more than 10,000 children would immediately lose federal funding, including Ferguson's program. Lawmakers have until Saturday to reach a deal, but that is looking less and less likely.
The programs set to lose money serve just a fraction of the 820,000 children enrolled nationally at any given time. Located in Florida, Alabama, Connecticut, Georgia, Massachusetts and South Carolina, they are in trouble because their grants start on Sunday, just as the shutdown would begin, said Tommy Sheridan, the deputy director for the National Head Start Association.
They wouldn’t necessarily close their doors immediately. Various entities run the programs, including school districts, YMCAs and other nonprofits. Depending on how deep their pockets are, some of these operators, like Ferguson's program, could readjust their finances to keep the programs going, at least short term.
“But from the ones that I’ve spoken to, there are some that really don’t
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