JOINT STATEMENT: Groups Call on Congress to Protect Head Start, End the Shutdown

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Families with young children are feeling the pain of the federal shutdown, and without immediate Congressional action, tens of thousands of children could lose access to Head Start along with the care, education, nutrition, and stability it provides. The following 106 organizations issued a joint statement urging Congress to take action to protect Head Start by ending the federal shutdown now.

“If the federal shutdown persists, tens of thousands of children are at risk of losing access to Head Start and the care, education, nutrition, and stability it provides. We are strongly urging Congress to protect Head Start by ending the federal shutdown immediately.

Families need action. If the shutdown continues past November 1, an estimated 140 Head Start programs across 41 states plus Puerto Rico will not have received their operational funding. These programs serve more than 65,000 young children, providing valuable early learning, nutrition, child care, health screenings, and other important services. Without funding, many of these programs will be forced to close their doors, leaving children without care, teachers without pay, and parents without the ability to work.

For thousands of families, Head Start is essential. This program has 60 years of bipartisan support and works in every Congressional district to keep families strong, children learning, and communities thriving. Employers rely on it for a stable workforce, and children rely on it to build the skills that set the foundation for lifelong success.

The longer this shutdown lasts, the worse the consequences will be. We cannot allow political gridlock to take away opportunities from our youngest learners and their families. It’s time for lawmakers to re-open the government and fund these programs through the Appropriations process. Our message to Congress is simple: Protect Head Start. End the shutdown today.”

Organizations included in this statement:*

National Organizations

• BridgeCare
• Child Care Aware of America
• Council for Professional Recognition
• Dr. Andy Hall Early Childhood Center
• Early Care & Education Consortium
• Educare Network
• Fight Crime: Invest in Kids
• First Five Years Fund
• Low Income Investment Fund
• Mission: Readiness
• Moms First
• National Association for the Education of Young Children
• National Child Care Center
• National Child Care Facilities Network
• National Head Start Association
• National Indian Head Start Directors Association
• Parents as Teachers National Center
• ReadyNation
• Save the Children
• Shine Early Learning
• Start Early
• TOOTRiS
• Trust for Learning

State and Local Organizations

• Alaska – Cook Inlet Native Head Start
• Arizona – Arizona Head Start Association
• Arizona – Candelen
• Arkansas – Evening Shade Daycare
• Arkansas – Mississippi County Arkansas Economic Opportunity Commission
• Arkansas – Northwest Arkansas Head Start
• California – A Place 2 Grow
• California – California Afterschool Advocacy Alliance
• California – California Alliance of Child and Family Services
• California – California Child Care Resources and Referral Network
• California – CAPSLO
• California – Children Now
• California – Early Matters Fresno
• California – Encompass Community Services
• California – EveryChild California
• California – First 5 Los Angeles
• California – GRACE/End Child Poverty California
• California – Head Start California
• California – Marin Child Care Council
• California – Marin County Child Care Commission
• California – Mendocino County Local Child Care and Development Planning Council
• California – Mendocino County State Preschool Consortium
• California – Partnership for Children and Youth
• California – Peninsula Family Service
• California – St. Anne’s Family Services
• Colorado – Early Learning Ventures
• Connecticut – Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance
• Delaware – Delaware Association for the Education of Young Children
• District of Columbia – Educare of Washington, DC
• Idaho – Friends of Children and Families Head Start and Early Head Start
• Illinois – Civic Leaders for Illinois Children
• Illinois – Community Action Partnership of Central Illinois
• Illinois – Golden Corridor Association for the Education of Young Children
• Illinois – Young Scholars Developmental Institute El Valor
• Indiana – Indiana Head Start Association
• Indiana – Paladin Head Start of LaPorte County
• Iowa – Common Good Iowa
• Kansas – Kansas Head Start Association
• Louisiana – Adventist Community Services Center, Inc.
• Louisiana – Coalition for Compassionate Schools
• Louisiana – Louisiana Policy Institute for Children
• Louisiana – New Orleans Youth and Planning Board
• Louisiana – ResourceFull Consulting
• Louisiana – United Way of Southeast Louisiana
• Massachusetts – Community Action Agency of Somerville
• Massachusetts – Massachusetts Head Start Association
• Michigan – BHK Child Development Board
• Michigan – Michigan Head Start Association
• Minnesota – Parents In Community Action
• Mississippi – Nollie Jenkins Family Center Inc.
• Missouri – Green Hills Head Start
• Missouri – Kids Win MO
• Missouri – Youth In Need
• Nebraska – Winnebago Educare
• New Jersey – Passaic Family Head Start
• New Mexico – El Grito Inc
• New York – Child Care Resource Network
• New York – Cypress Hills Child Care Corporation
• New York – Northside Center for Child Development
• New York – Western New York Child Care Action Team
• New York – Niagara Falls City School District Head Start / Early Head Start
• North Carolina – Macon Program for Progress
• Ohio – Groundwork Ohio
• Ohio – Miami Valley Child Development Centers
• Ohio – Ohio Head Start Association
• Oklahoma – CAP Tulsa
• Oklahoma – Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma Early Head Start
• Oregon – Head Start of Lane County
• Oregon – Oregon Head Start Association
• Oregon – Southern Oregon Head Start
• Pennsylvania – Columbia Child Development Program
• Rhode Island – Rhode Island KIDS COUNT
• South Carolina – Institute for Child Success
• Texas – Central Texas 4C, Inc.
• Texas – Luminosa Research
• Texas – Tri-County Community Action Inc.
• Utah – Kids on the Move Early Head Start
• Utah – Voices for Utah Children
• Virginia – Virginia Head Start Association
• Washington – Washington Parent Ambassadors
• Wyoming – Laramie Child Development Corporation

Regional Organizations

• Arizona, California, Nevada, Hawaii – Head Start WEST
• Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska – Region VII Head Start Association
• Georgia, Tennessee – Family Resource Agency

*This list will be continually updated in the coming days