WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters has introduced legislation to protect children and families in the Head Start program from the impacts of the ongoing government shutdown.
Waters, D-Inglewood, introduced the Head Start Shutdown Protection Act Oct. 17, The bill will require the federal government to reimburse states, local governments and school districts that use their own funds to continue the operations of Head Start programs in their communities and enable Head Start grant recipients to remain open and continue to serve the children and families who depend on them.
“Head Start supports early childhood education and school readiness for our nation’s most vulnerable children,” Waters said in a statement. “Head Start serves low-income children from birth to age 5, including those living in poverty, in foster care, and experiencing homelessness. Head Start grant recipients provide quality education, health, and nutrition services to these children as well as parenting, employment, and educational support to their parents.
“As a former Head Start teacher, I know that Head Start provides a strong foundation for vulnerable young children, setting them up for academic success and a lifetime of learning,” Waters added. “We cannot allow the government shutdown to disrupt their education, their families, and their potential for success.”
The National Head Start Association reported that six Head Start programs serving 6,525 children are already operating without federal funding, drawing on emergency local resources to stay open. By Nov. 1, the shutdown will affect 134 additional Head Start programs across 41 states and Puerto Rico, serving 58,627 children, threatening the programs with closure.
Previous government shutdowns have caused some local Head Start grant recipients to close temporarily, suspending programs and services with little or no warning to the affected families. During the October 2013 shutdown, the Office of Management and Budget reported that six Head Start grant recipients serving nearly 6,300 children were temporarily closed for several days, until their states or philanthropists provided funds for them to reopen.
Furthermore, a White House press release about a possible October 2023 shutdown estimated that “10,000 children across the country would immediately lose access to Head Start … with the impacts only growing worse over time.”
“Vulnerable children and families and the dedicated Head Start teachers and staff who serve them should not have to suffer because of a government shutdown that is beyond their control,” Waters said. “I introduced this bill to ensure that Head Start grant recipients will be able to remain open and continue to serve the children and families who depend on them.”