Government Shutdown Threatens Vital Head Start Programs Serving America’s Most Vulnerable

The government shutdown has quietly placed tens of thousands of America’s neediest preschoolers in jeopardy by halting funding for Head Start programs, the cornerstone early education initiative that serves low-income children nationwide. With federal grants frozen and no reserve funds to carry forward, these programs face an unprecedented crisis that threatens not just classrooms but the very futures of struggling families. Head Start is almost entirely dependent on federal funding, making it uniquely vulnerable when Washington fails to do its job. Programs run by schools, nonprofits, and local governments across the country have already missed critical disbursements as of October...