The government shutdown threatens vital funding for Head Start programs

William Brangham:

Welcome to the News Hour.

Two federal judges ruled today that the Trump administration must continue paying SNAP benefits during the government shutdown using emergency funds earlier appropriated by Congress. This comes one day before a freeze on the country’s largest food aid program, also known as food stamps, is set to take effect.

Before the justices’ rulings, House Speaker Mike Johnson held a press conference, along with Agriculture Secretary Brock Rollins. They warned that her department’s $5 billion emergency fund could not cover SNAP for long if the shutdown continued.

BROOK ROLLINS, USDA SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE: It’s an emergency fund that can’t flow unless core appropriations are approved. And listen, even if it could flow, it doesn’t even cover half of November. And here we are again two weeks later having the exact same conversation.

William Brangham:

Democrats have argued that a separate fund of about $23 billion could be tapped to keep the food stamp program going. SNAP pays about $8 billion a month and goes to roughly one in eight Americans.

Another social safety net program that may be at risk due to this closure is Head Start, the federal program that provides early childhood education, health, and nutritional support to low-income families. Without the funding, hundreds of Head Start programs across the country would have to close their doors, potentially impacting tens of thousands of children across the country.

Here’s what Rica Strong, who runs some Head Start programs in Vancouver, Washington, described.

Rica Strong, Executive Director, Educational Opportunities for Children and Families: When I look at our families, when I look at our kids and I walk into the classroom — and I’m sorry that it makes me emotional.

Because I know the support and the impact that our programs have on our kids and our families, and knowing that there are some classes that come Monday, when I go out to check on them and see how people are doing, our families won’t be there.

William Brangham:

Joining us now is Tommy Sheridan. He is the Deputy Director of the National Head Start Association, a non-profit organization.

Tommy, thanks for being here.

Without this funding, how many programs, how many children are we talking about losing?

Tommy Sheridan, Deputy Director of the National Head Start Association:

Yes, well William, thank you so much for having me and telling this important story.

As of Monday of this next week, if the government does not reopen before then, we will see approximately 140 people – that’s out of 100 – 1,600 Head Start grant recipients nationwide – 140 of whom will be at risk of losing access to their federal resources. This means a total of 65,000 children and families benefit from Head Start, which these programs serve.

William Brangham:

Can you remind us, for people who aren’t familiar with the program, what Head Start does for families and children?

Tommy Sheridan:

Yes, many people think of Head Start as a preschool program, and it is. But it is much more than that.

Head Start is already a place where some children can get nutritious meals. It is where they contact health and dental services. It is a place where children who may have developmental delays can connect to the support services they need to succeed in school and in life.

It also provides family support. So it’s a much more comprehensive program than just a regular preschool program, which is very important as well. But this is actually one of the most important programs for many Americans across the country.

Children and families who participate in Head Start are some of the most at-risk children and families in our communities. We’re talking about families who are income eligible, i.e. below the federal poverty guidelines, experiencing homelessness, in the foster care system or eligible for food stamps.

Head Start has truly been a launching pad for success for millions of children and families across America for 60 years. We are terrified about what will happen if the government shutdown continues.

William Brangham:

Will this pain spread evenly across the country? Will some countries feel this and see it impact more than others?

Tommy Sheridan:

So, no, the beauty of Head Start is that it’s actually a federal-to-local program. So the federal government, the Department of Health and Human Services, provides grant money for community programs. It could be a school district, a nonprofit agency, a religious organization, or a city or county government.

In the way the Head Start program is structured, each of these individual grants has different start dates. That’s why we’re only talking about 140 out of 1,600 across the country.

William Brangham:

Show.

Has this happened before in previous lockdowns?

Tommy Sheridan:

Yes, the last similar shutdown was during the Obama administration in 2013. That’s because of the timing. This shutdown occurred at the beginning of the federal fiscal year, beginning October 1. For this reason, the programs are in such a difficult situation. Neither Congress nor the President has appropriated any funds so far this fiscal year.

This was the case in 2013. At that time, there were a number of programs that were forced to close. Likewise, we are very concerned that we are on track to do exactly the same thing.

William Brangham:

So, from that past experience, what is your understanding – what is your understanding of what the ultimate consequences will be for these children and families?

Tommy Sheridan:

Yeah, so the good part of the previous lockdown was that it was only a short period of time, it was only a few weeks.

Unfortunately, with this closure, we are looking longer at the impact here. The impact is real on four different groups. It’s for kids who depend on Head Start for their health services, nutritious meals, things like that. It’s on families who depend on Head Start to be able to work their multiple jobs or go to school, go to trade school, whatever that may be.

William Brangham:

Because it’s like – in some ways childcare of sorts.

Tommy Sheridan:

It’s child care for a lot of these families. It is reliable childcare that provides these additional services that so many families rely on.

There are also, of course, the employees who work in Head Start programs, highly trained professional individuals who are often at the lowest salary levels we have across the USA. The early childhood sector is considered one of the lowest paying sectors…

William Brangham:

Professions.

Tommy Sheridan:

Careers, thank you.

And then, of course, there will also be ripple effects on communities. Head Start, because it’s federal to local, we have local businesses, we have small businesses, suppliers, contractors that we rely on to be able to provide the local launching pad for the success that Head Start provides.

William Brangham:

Well, Tommy Sheridan from the National Head Start Association, thank you so much for being here.

Tommy Sheridan:

Thanks for having me.