Head Start education program in jaws of US government shutdown
Source: Reuters
October 30, 2025 6:07 AM EDT Updated 10 hours ago
WASHINGTON, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Education, child care and nutrition services for tens of thousands of young American children will begin to be cut off on Saturday, as Republicans and Democrats in Congress fail to reach a deal to end the second-longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
Funding for the $12.3 billion program that serves some 65,000 children aged up to five years old is set to run out beginning on Saturday, which would be the 32nd day of the shutdown, hitting more than 130 Head Start operations in 41 states and Puerto Rico. "We will not be providing service to 438 kids in southwest Washington" and their parents, said Rekah Strong, CEO of Educational Opportunities for Children and Families, which operates Head Start programs in Vancouver, just 9 miles (14.5 km) from Portland, Oregon. "It breaks my heart."
The government shutdown has hit a vast range of programs, including grants for small business loans, federally-backed scientific research and Federal Housing Administration loan applications. Around 700,000 federal workers have been furloughed and are without paychecks.
Starting on Saturday, 42 million people could lose aid through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps. Some Head Start programs temporarily can continue operating normally during the shutdown because their annual grant renewals are months away. Others up against deadlines have some reserve funds from private contributors that would let them operate for a few days or weeks more.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-government-shutdown-threatens-shutter-head-start-child-programs-2025-10-30/
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