Nine Michigan Head Start programs — and the nearly 3,000 kids they serve across the state — that were expecting to receive federal funds by Nov. 1 are at risk of losing these dollars if the federal government shutdown continues into next month, according to the executive director of the Michigan Head Start Association, Robin Bozek.
Head Start provides free child care and early education to kids living in poverty, while also serving as a coordinator of services, like health care and food access, to their families.
Some of the nine programs have said that they are finding ways to temporarily extend their programs through non-federal funding sources. Others say they don’t have that option and will be forced to close their doors after Nov. 1 if grants aren’t disbursed.
“The shutdown is pushing programs to a breaking point at a time when children and families can least afford it,” said Michelle LaJoie, executive director at the Alger-Marquette Community Action Board, which provides Head Start programming to 224 kids between birth and 4 years old, in addition to home visiting for pregnant moms.
LaJoie said the Alger-Marquette Community Action Board is using some of the small amount of funding it has to continue its Head Start program through Nov. 14 if needed, but after that it will have to close its doors, laying off the majority of its Head Start staff and stopping those services for kids and families..........