Arizona Head Start programs face uncertainty amid government shutdown

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Around 17,000 children in Arizona are currently enrolled in Head Start programs. But funding uncertainty amid the ongoing government shutdown threatens to disrupt the help the program gives.

The 60-year-old federally funded program helps the youngest in a community by providing education, nutrition and family services to help set children up for success.

“I love watching when families and children enter our program,” said Keri Flathers, the child development manager at Educare Arizona. “It’s a concern on everyone’s minds.”

According to the National Head Start Association, 140 programs nationwide will lose their operational funding if the government shutdown continues into November, including about 210 kids and 37 staff in Arizona.

“For Head Start programs, the November 1st date has a significant impact. One, because there’s many grantees who are still waiting for their notice of award to continue providing services. But then we also serve families that are SNAP recipients,” said Eve Del Real, president of the Arizona Head Start Association.

Program grants are approved on a rolling basis, but the longer the government shutdown lasts, the greater the impact. Del Real says more than 2,200 kids could be impacted by December, depending on how the shutdown continues to play out.

“One of the biggest challenges that we have in projecting out how to prepare if a notice of award does get issued is the backlog of fiscal actions,” Del Real explained.

Without the Head Start program, Del Real said it could be devastating for families who rely on it.

“Families would have to rely then on unlicensed care or relying on family, friends, neighbors, to be able to compensate for the loss of this service,” she said.

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