Ohio Head Start programs suffer, close as federal government shutdown rolls on

With child care access already considered a crisis in Ohio, the state’s Head Start locations are facing their own challenges, including closure for some, as the federal government shutdown continues.

Head Start is an income-based federal program with preschool programs and Early Head Start, which targets infants, toddlers, and pregnant individuals.

The program funding is delivered through local agencies who “tailor the federal program to the local needs of families in their service area, according to a federal website on the program.

In fiscal year 2024, 62 grants were distributed to Ohio, for a total of more than $440 million in funding, data from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services showed.

But that money is quickly fading away because of the stalemate in the U.S. Congress over reopening the federal government.

Funding lapses began Oct. 1 when no agreement came from Capitol Hill, with Democrats standing their ground on demands to renew Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, and Republicans digging their heels in, with leaders saying they won’t negotiate until the government is reopened.

Without action, Head Start programs across the country saw Nov. 1 go by without grant funding, affecting more than 65,000 children in 140 programs across 41 states and Puerto Rico. Seven programs in Ohio expected to receive grant funding on Nov. 1.

Other funding aimed at community programs may also be impacted, including about 1,600 across the country.

As of 2024, the 59 total Head Start programs in Ohio had enrolled more than 33,000 children, with 1,741 children in foster care being served, along with 1,660 children experiencing homelessness.

The biggest age group enrolled in state Head Start is 4-year-olds, with more than 12,000 enrolled, according to federal data.

Head Start closures “represent a significant loss for Ohio’s children and workforce, and highlighting the profound impact of these shutdowns on the community,” said Jodi Norton Trimble, spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Children & Youth.

The program employs 1,335 preschool classroom teachers in Ohio at a salary of $40,013 per year, and nearly 1,000 infant and toddler classroom teachers.

Early Head Start teachers in the state are paid $36,152, the HHS data stated.

Without the return of federal funding sources, all seven of Ohio’s Head Start providers who were on a Nov. 1 grant schedule face the potential for closure, according to the Ohio Head Start Association, Inc.

Two Ohio programs have already closed classrooms due to the shutdown, in Scioto County and Highland County.

Allen County and Coshocton County are scheduled to close in less than two weeks, according to the association.

Highland County Community Action Organization, Inc., announced its Nov. 1 closures at the end of October, saying staff will be furloughed and classrooms would be closed until the government reopens.

Coshocton County Head Start, Inc., has been active since 1972, and has 140 children enrolled, with 57 employees.

In October, the program said with the shutdown still in place, the organization would need $220,000 to get through the month of November.

Coshocton County Head Start’s executive director, Susan Craddock, said in a statement they were “doing everything we can to keep our classrooms open because our families depend on us.”

“Parents need to work and go to school knowing their children are safe, learning and cared for,” Craddock said in October. “But we can’t sustain this without federal and local support.”

Then, in a Nov. 6 letter to families, Craddock said the community and “many individuals have rallied around us to keep our program open these last two weeks.”

“Unfortunately, due to the continued government shutdown and pause in federal funding, our program will have to temporarily close starting Nov. 14,” Craddock wrote.

The program plans to reopen after the shutdown has ended and grant funding has been received.

The state’s Head Start Association said providers “have exhausted their federal funds,” and the five remaining locations “are operating on borrowed time — cobbling together donations, community support and organizational reserves.”

“This shutdown is pulling the rug out from under working families,” said Julie Stone, executive director of the Ohio Head Start Association.

“Parents are losing child care, teachers are losing paychecks and children are losing the stable, nurturing environments that help them thrive. These are real people with real consequences — and Ohio’s youngest citizens deserve better.”

Stone told the Capital Journal that the total potential impact from the Scioto and Highland closures, along with the planned Allen and Coshocton closures impact 1,042 children, 55 classrooms and 286 staff members.

“We are hopeful the government shutdown will end soon, but not sure what a reopening will look like with reduced federal staff to support the review and awarding of grants,” Stone said.

This story includes a clarification on the grant schedule for affected Head Start locations.

This story is republished from the Ohio Capital Journal. View the original article.