“I found out I was having my 3rd baby pretty late in life. He was born premature. At 29 weeks 3 days. 2lb 11oz. Early Head Start helped me through my emotional rollercoaster, they helped me get the right paperwork filled out. They taught and played with my child like he was their own. This program has helped so many in our small WV community.
- Sabrina, Pine Grove, WV

October is Head Start Awareness Month is upon us and it’s a chance to reflect on 60 years of an impactful, groundbreaking program it is for millions of children and families throughout the nation. Launched in 1965 as a comprehensive child development program, Head Start has been the most important social and educational program for children, families, and communities that the United States has ever undertaken. MomsRising's new Head Start Storybook uplifts just some of the incredible Head Starts experiences of parents, families, children and providers over the last 60 years, as it provided childcare access and comprehensive services to more than 38 million children and their families. 

Unfortunately, today instead of celebrating progress, we are facing threats to this essential program. It’s been three whole weeks and counting of a Republican controlled and orchestrated government shutdown as Republican leadership refuses to prioritize health care over billionaires. A shutdown that actively puts vital programs like Head Start at risk, jeopardizing the child care access of 65,152 children. 

Do you want to TAKE ACTION? CLICK HERE to urge Congress to restore health care, end the shutdown, and eliminate the threat of Head Start closures!

How did we get into this mess?

With the passage of the disasterous Big, Ugly Bill, Republicans have created a national health care crisis. Medicaid has been slashed, Medicare has been targeted, hospitals and health centers are closing, and health care premiums on their way to doubling. 

Republicans—who control the U.S. House, the U.S. Senate, and the Oval Office have shut down the government instead of negotiating with Democrats to fix this health care crisis they created. The House isn’t even in session because Republican leaders have sent those legisalators back home. In other words, we are in the middle of a full-on Republican tantrum that is hurting families, and the pain doesn’t stop there - this insidious and completely avoidable government shutdown threatens to close 140 Head Start programs if it extends past November 1st, which is the grantee deadline for federal funding for these programs.

The shutdown is only compounding existing financial strains on local Head Start programs. Head Start has seen flat federal funding since FY24 (meaning no adjustments for inflation, etc.), so programs are already experiencing a default cut due to rising prices. Many programs are struggling to hire and retain teachers while costs for health insurance, transportation, utilities, and other important operating items continue to rise.

Due to the way Head Start grants are funded, six programs in three states serving 6,525 children are already operating without federal funding, instead relying on emergency local resources to stay open. Yet by November 1st another 134 programs across 41 states and Puerto Rico, serving 58,627 children, will also face decisions about imminent closure due to lack of federal funds. Which means thousands of children and their families are at risk of losing access to Head Start in less than two weeks. Families need Head Start and families need health care. What they don’t need is a harmful shutdown that locks families out of the most fundamental necessities. As it is, too many parents across the country cannot afford child care, with the annual cost of center-based child care for an infant exceeding the cost of housing as well as the cost of in‑state tuition at a public four‑year university. What families DON'T need is a White House wasting its energy and millions of dollars in funds on a golden ballroom for billionaires while Americans lose access to health care and child care.

Head Start enables parents to work or go to school, underscoring the importance not only for kids, but also for the financial sustainability of families and our economy. Research has shown what millions of families already know, that Early Head Start and Head Start WORK—for children, for families, for communities, for businesses, and for our economy. Head Start significantly assists in the development of early childhood mental health (like social-emotional development), language, and cognitive development. The value of infant and early mental health really can’t be understated or ignored. Children who have positive and engaging interactions in their earliest years are more likely to enjoy good physical and mental health over their lifetimes and are also better able to experience, regulate, and manage their emotions—key skills for later school readiness. Children who attend Early Head Start and transition to Head Start are more ready for kindergarten than children who do not attend Head Start. Head Start also serves a diverse group of children, families, and pregnant people. Of families served, 37% identified as Hispanic or Latino, and 27% identified as Black or African-American, non-Hispanic or Latino. Additionally, about 32% of children enrolled were dual language learners, of which two-thirds were in families that primarily spoke Spanish at home. 

“I am a former Head Start parent and current employee. I am a speech language pathologist providing speech/language services for children with special needs. Head Start allows children with special needs to participate in a classroom with their peers while receiving their special education services in their least restrictive environment, which is an important part of IDEA. 
This program is crucial for these children. Early intervention is so very important and can help reduce the need for services when the child is older. The program offers so many benefits to families..”
- Roxana, Grand Forks, ND

In addition to all these important elements, continuity of care is an absolutely critical part of healthy child development. Head Start closures or interruptions in service disrupt family stability and economic security, cutting off access to nutritious meals, physical and mental health checkups, and other vital supports. Also, in many rural and frontier communities, Head Start is the only reliable early learning and child care program available to families.

The shutdown is compounding existing financial strains on local Head Start programs, which have seen flat federal funding since FY24 (meaning no adjustments for inflation, etc.), so programs are already experiencing a default cut due to rising prices. Many programs are struggling to hire and retain teachers while costs for health insurance, transportation, utilities, and other important operating items continue to rise. Moreover, recent policies that take away legal status from immigrants are having devastating impacts on the childcare workforce, of which at least 21 percent are immigrants.

The importance of protecting and supporting Head Start  for the next generation of our littlest learners should never be a gambling chip for political gain, or used as the lining to fatten the coffers of the already ultra-wealthy. We will not sit by idly as this administration decimates crucial programs that allow parents to work, provide for their households and contribute to their communities and stay healthy. For decades Head Start has experienced a bipartisan commitment to our nation's children, that commitment still stands as we, the families, the parents, the community members, the advocates, still honor every time we come together to fight for the right to access care for those who need it  most.

Do you have a current Head Start story as a parent, provider or loved one? Don't forget to share it with us to help save Head Start from shutdown shenanigans!