Overview
- Sen. Tammy Baldwin introduced the Keep Head Start Funding Act of 2025 to authorize emergency funding retroactive to Sept. 30 so programs can operate without new appropriations.
- As of Nov. 1, about 140 programs tied to new grant cycles had not received federal funds and at least 20 had partially or fully closed, affecting nearly 10,000 children and putting roughly 65,000 at risk.
- Stopgaps are extending operations in some places, including a $20 million state advance in Massachusetts, an $8 million private loan for major Georgia providers, and a 60‑day plan under existing funds in Oregon.
- Closures and furloughs are mounting, with two Ohio providers shutting down and furloughing 150 staff affecting 600 children, East Coast Migrant Head Start suspending sites serving around 1,200 children, and Tallahassee’s program relying on donations only through mid‑November.
- Program leaders report lost access to meals and health screenings for low‑income families and warn that federal processing backlogs could delay reopenings even after funding resumes, compounding stress from SNAP and WIC disruptions.