In Massachusetts, roughly 1,300 slots for children across Head Start’s 28 agencies have been eliminated in the last three years because federal funding has plateaued over that time, while the cost of running the program continues to rise, according to the Massachusetts Head Start Association. Nationally, Head Start enrollment dropped from 1.1 million kids in 2013 to around 785,000 in 2022, according to research by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

“If they didn’t get into a Head Start program, they would be sitting at home,” said Brittany Acosta, a Head Start parent in Dorchester.

It’s teachers are drastically underpaid, and there’s a serious need for a rainy day-type fund should the federal government shut down again, the association says. As they’ve done in years past, state lawmakers have offered to provide financial relief, but the Massachusetts Head Start Association’s request for 3 percent above the amount it received last year, an additional $4.6 million to help its staff keep up with the state’s rising cost of living, so far has not been allocated.

Last year, President Trump’s leaked budget proposal revealed he considered eliminating Head Start entirely. Then, in the summer, he cut off Head Start enrollment for immigrants without legal status. And during the fall’s government shutdown, four Head Start centers in Massachusetts closed because they couldn’t access their funding.

Trump’s latest budget proposal shows a fourth year without increasing funding for the program, which was established in the mid-1960s.

Michelle Haimowitz, executive director of the Massachusetts Head Start Association, said the program doesn’t want to eliminate more child slots than it already has, but paying teachers a competitive salary is equally important in order to keep them from leaving for higher paying jobs. Head Start teachers make under $50,000 annually compared to over $85,000 for the average Massachusetts kindergarten teacher.

“It’s an impossible choice,” Haimowitz said. “When we reduce the size of our programs, we’re not reducing the size of the need.”

Massachusetts is one of few states that supplements federal funding for Head Start, and last year it increased the program’s state grant from $5 million to $20 million, adding to the $189 million in federal aid it receives in this state.

“We can’t run a program without giving staff a raise for three years,” Haimowitz said. “Our next fight now is not just for survival, but it’s for thriving and growth.”

The Massachusetts House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday released its budget, which doesn’t grant Head Start’s request of a 3 percent boost. But state Representative Christopher Worrell filed an amendment for additional funding. Worrell, whose district covers parts of Dorchester and Roxbury, said he loves Head Start’s embrace of culture, recalling one visit to a center where he could smell staff cooking stew chicken, a traditional Caribbean dish.

“I’ve been to dozens of schools throughout the district, and you don’t get that home-cooked meal,” Worrell said. “[The state is] stepping up and doing the best we can with what we have.”

At the Action for Boston Community Development’s Head Start and Early Head Start center in Dorchester, the children of Classroom 7 arrived one Monday morning and dove into bins of magnetic tiles before their teachers, Paola Polanco and Leolina Rasundar Chinnappa, served breakfast. Acosta dropped off her 4-year-old daughter, Violeta, before reporting to her teaching position at the center, where several other Head Start parents also work.

“It’s important for all Head Start parents to have the opportunity to give their child an experience in a learning environment before they actually start kindergarten,” Acosta said.

Beyond providing early education and care to children of low-income families, from birth to age 5, the program helps them access other resources, including mental health services, SNAP benefits, homelessness assistance, and employment opportunities.

It also serves as daycare for parents who might not be able to afford it, while they’re at work.

Research has shown the importance of preschool in a child’s development with one 2023 study, focused on Boston public preschools, finding that it improves student behavior and increases the likelihood of high school graduation and college enrollment.

For Rickencia Clerveaux and Christopher Mclean, the Dorchester Head Start center is the only place they feel comfortable sending their 3-year-old son, Shontz, who is on the autism spectrum. Shontz’s stimming — repetitive movements that stimulate the senses — has reduced, and his speech has improved since he joined the center in 2024, Clerveaux said.

His parents say he’s also come out of his shell. Mclean now drops his son off and gets a simple “bye” as Shontz joins his classmates, he said.

He and Clerveaux said they appreciate the specialized attention Shontz can receive from teachers, such as when staff identified that Shontz might have hearing issues. His parents were able to follow up with their doctor and get Shontz to have surgery to improve his hearing.

“It’s a safe net for parents,” Clerveaux said. “There’s so many ways that him being here helps him grow better.”

Without Head Start, Clerveaux said a lot of pressure would be put on parents to find care for their children, “knowing that they’re already struggling or not getting the ends to meet.”

“That’s a burden for everybody in the community,” she said. “If there’s no funding, there’s no daycare and parents cannot work.”

Lauren Albano can be reached at lauren.albano@globe.com. Follow her on X @LaurenAlbano_.

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Correspondent Cam Pellegrino was in Norwell where the 15th-ranked Clippers’ boys’ lacrosse team stayed perfect with a win over No. 16 Scituate with help from Teddy Glynn’s five goals.

In boys’ volleyball, No. 3 Natick swept No. 8 Newton North as Luke Dratch handed out 32 assists.

It all started with good news for the hockey community, as the proposed return of the Super 8/Division 1A tournament cleared a major hurdle, gaining approval from the MIAA’s Tournament Management Committee during a morning meeting in Franklin. All it needs now is approval from the finance committee and Board of Directors.

Find the rest of Thursday’s results on our scoreboard. Looking for a certain game? Try our sport-specific scoreboards: Baseball | Softball | Boys’ lacrosse | Girls’ lacrosse | Boys’ volleyball | Boys’ tennis| Girls’ tennis

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▪ King Philip senior McCoy Walsh, commited to Hofstra, eclipsed 700 career strikeouts during a 3-1 loss to Dighton-Rehoboth.

▪ Plymouth North sophomore Chloe Stasinos notched her 100th career strikeout with six whiffs in a 14-4 win over Duxbury.

▪ Acton-Boxborough boys’ lacrosse scored a program-record 13 goals in the first period of an 18-10 win over Westford, paced by Will Cronin, who finished with six goals, Ethan Fennell, who scored five, and Thomas Quirk, who whipped five assists.

▪ Hoosac Valley senior Reagan Shea collected her 100th career goal during a win over Hampshire.

It’s hard to say any game involving Bumila on the mound is an upset, but technically Feehan’s win over St. John’s (Shrewsbury) was a No. 9 over a No. 2 in the Globe’s baseball Top 20 poll.

It’s also difficult to consider any Dighton-Rehoboth win an upset as the Falcons seek a third-straight state title, taking down No. 2 King Philip, 3-1, in the process thanks to junior Maddie Simonds’s game-tying solo homer in the fifth inning and sophomore Courtney Botelho’s two-run homer moments later.

The unranked Middleborough softball team took took down No. 9 Bishop Feehan, riding a solo homer from Taylynn Robinson and a two-way performance from senior Taryn Clancy, who drove in two runs in the sixth inning and struck out 11 in the circle while scattering five hits to a 3-1 victory.

Also in softball action, No. 7 Norton defeated No. 4 Attleboro, 4-1.

▪ Freshman Payton Scuilli delivered the walkoff single to complete a 4-3 come-from-behind softball win for Silver Lake. Down 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh, Madisyn Thompson and Megan Arseneau walked before Katelyn Taylor’s sacrifice fly tied the game, setting the stage for Scuilli.

▪ With the clock winding down in overtime, Monomoy goalie Harry Beaumont walked the ball up the field and found Nick Garneau coming out of the substitution box. Garneau sprinted to the cage and deposited the winner with under 10 seconds remaining as the Sharks escaped with a 3-2 boys’ lacrosse win over Cape Cod Academy.

▪ With 11 seconds left, senior middie Zach Brady buried the winner for Milton, which beat Natick, 9-8, two days after scoring its first win over Needham in 20 years.

Plymouth North junior Emerson Boyd crushed a grand slam, and four schools featured two home-run hitters Thursday.

Dighton-Rehoboth got homers from Simonds and Botelho, John King and Manny Delcarmen III both left the yard for East Bridgewater, Norton’s Natalia Faria and Avery Tinkham launched longballs, and Greater Lowell’s Lauryn Ducharme and Cora Wilder cranked round-trippers.

The rest of the day’s blasts belonged to Woburn’s Aislin Grammer, Minuteman’s Alyssa Collins, East Bridgewater’s Maggie Schlossberg, and Middleborough’s Robinson.

Alyssa Collins, Minuteman — The senior stacked up 17 strikeouts without a walk, tossing a shutout and going 3 for 3 with a homer at the plate in a 12-0 softball win over Nashoba Valley Tech.

Danny Kenney, Plymouth North — The senior nearly no-hit Duxbury in a 1-0 baseball win, settling for a one-hitter.

John King, East Bridgewater — The junior nearly hit for the cycle, finishing a double shy and driving in four runs during a 10-0 baseball win over Rockland.

Julia Kipperman, Nauset — The Merrimack-bound junior followed up a 13-goal performance on Monday with nine goals in Thursday’s 20-5 win over St. John Paul II.

Ava MacLean, Walpole — The senior orchestrated the Timberwolves’ attack with eight assists, adding five goals in an 18-9 girls’ lacrosse victory over Wellesley.

Camryn Pendergast, Woburn — The sophomore fired a five-inning no-hitter, striking out five to blank Watertown, 13-0.

Senny Walton, Cape Cod Tech — The junior hit on fours, with 4 hits, 4 RBIs, and 4 runs scored in a 28-5 baseball rout of Mashpee.

Cormac Heney, Hamilton-Wenham — The senior not only fired a five-inning no-hitter, he tripled and doubled in a 10-0 win over Lynnfield.

▪ Pembroke announced the promotion of former Braintree star Bella Scarpa to head coach of its girls’ basketball program. She takes over for Tim Lopes, who had helmed the program since 2018, winning a Patriot League title and South sectional in 2019. Scarpa, whose sister Allie is an assistant coach at UMass Boston, played at Regis and Eastern Connecticut after winning a state title with the Wamps.

“Bella’s basketball acumen combined with her strong ability to connect with young athletes will surely bring the program to new heights,” Lopes wrote on social media.

▪ Former Norwell and Nobles basketball star Grace Oliver is headed home. The 2023 Gatorade Player of the Year has committed to transfer to Boston College after playing one season at Colorado and one season at Wake Forest, where she averaged 14.3 points and 6.1 rebounds while starting 29 games and shooting 38.8 percent from deep.

▪ Bishop Feehan held a signing ceremony for its college-bound football players that featured Kane Mankins (Ole Miss), Mason Nealand (Bryant), Max Pennellatore (Utica), Momo Mills (RPI), Kaden Baltzar (Bentley), and Colin Lahiff (UNE).

▪ Masconomet senior Jimmy Farrell announced his commitment to play men’s basketball at WPI. The 1,000-point scorer averaged 19.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.8 assists while leading the Chieftans to the Division 2 championship game.

Former Nobles standout Caroline Ducharme, the two-time Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year, has signed a training camp invite with the Golden State Valkyries after wrapping up her challenging collegiate career at UConn.

The Milton native played 86 games at UConn, making 19 starts, and won the 2025 national title with the Huskies. If she makes the Valkeries roster, she will be teamamtes with Newton South graduate Veronica Burton, who is coming off winning the WNBA’s Most Improved Player award.

Cambridge Rindge and Latin sophomore Natalya Cafasso rose to No. 3 in the world in junior women’s épée after capturing a silver medal at the Junior & Cadet Fencing World Championships in Rio de Janeiro.

The 16-year-old Cafasso placed eighth in junior women’s épée and helped Team USA secure a bronze medal in the team event. Her run included a victory over the reigning junior world champion in the quarterfinals.

Julia Kipperman, Nauset, 9

Ciara Hendricks, Mashpee, 8

Cam Guedner, Tewksbury, 7

Riley Halloran, Walpole, 7

Bobby Olsen, Dover-Sherborn, 7

Pat Connor, North Quincy/Quincy, 6

Will Cronin, Acton-Boxborough, 6

Amelia Hawkins, Nashoba Valley Tech, 6

Claire Howard, Mashpee, 6

Sophia Morin, Mashpee, 6

Emily Regan, Cohasset, 6

Hanane Aboutoui, Methuen, 5

Ryan Brennan, Tewksbury, 5

Molly Campbell, Cohasset, 5

Avery Croteau, Barnstable, 5

Ethan Fennel, Acton-Boxborough, 5

Lucy Francis, Bridgewater-Raynham, 5

Teddy Glynn, Norwell, 5

Quinn Gray, Waltham, 5

Ava MacLean, Walpole, 5

Will Sesselman, Westwood, 5

Meg Sullivan, Nauset, 5

Reese Sullivan, Scituate, 5

Ava MacLean, Walpole, 8

Shea Sullivan, Scituate, 6

Thomas Quirk, Acton-Boxborough, 5

Anya Kelsch, Sandwich, 4

Grayson Ryder, Tewksbury, 4

Maddie Campbell, Scituate, 3

Quinn Gray, Waltham, 3

Trey Sweder, Methuen, 27

Harry Beaumont, Monomoy, 16

Jake Fiore, Newton North, 15

Ipp Routo, Brookline, 15

Devyn Blige, Norwell, 13

Norah Swanson, Nauset, 13

Than Hunt, Sandwich, 11

Julia Dunfey, Greater Lowell, 10

Alyssa Collins, Minuteman, 17

Amaya Flood, Greater Lowell, 14

Taryn Clancy, Middleborough, 11

Brody Bumila, Bishop Feehan, 9

Delaney D’Hondt, Methuen, 8

Danny Kenney, Plymouth North, 8

Lidia Miedema, Beverly, 8

Bob Widdop, Duxbury, 7

Hailey Boutin, Seekonk, 5

Sophia Cappiello, Tewksbury, 5

Erin Gunn, Somerset Berkley, 5

Aislin Grammer, Woburn, 4

John King, East Bridgewater, 4

Lila Sullivan, Cape Cod Tech, 4

Ryan Tullish, Middleborough, 4

Senny Walton, Cape Cod Tech, 4

Mia Basile, Woburn, 3

Mia Davis, Tewksbury, 3

MC Gambino, Concord-Carlisle, 3

Maggie Schlossberg, East Bridgewater, 3

Senny Walton, Cape Cod Tech, 4

Julius Soto, Methuen, 3

Lila Sullivan, Cape Cod Tech, 3

Brendan Kurie can be reached at brendan.kurie@globe.com. Follow him on X @BrendanKurie.