WASHINGTON — Federally funded programs are bracing for the impacts of a potential government shutdown if Congress fails to reach a budget deal by the end of the month.
Among the programs at risk are those that provide early learning services for children up to five in low-income families.
“No matter the length, a federal shutdown has the potential to unleash a wave of uncertainty and hardship on the children and their families who depend on Early Head Start and Head Start as well as further decimate the workforce that cares for them," the National Head Start Association (NHSA)said in a statement.
Head Start receives monthly federal grants, and in the event of a government shutdown, the White House warned that the federal government would be unable to fund the program.
"If a shutdown happens on October 1, there are 10 programs serving more than 10,000 children and families across the nation who will be immediately impacted. And if the shutdown stretches from days to weeks or even months, the likelihood of closed classrooms increases drastically," NHSA added.
The Head Start associations in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia say that so far there are no immediate closures in the event of a government shutdown.
However local leaders like Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland say time will tell how the budget impasse will trickle down on families.
"Every federal program is going to be affected one way or another. Depending on the length of the shutdown, if God forbid we have one, it could become extremely serious," Raskin told reporters during a joint briefing with Montgomery County's County Executive.
Data from the association shows that locally in 2023 the District has 105 Head Start-funded centers with over 2,300 slots. Maryland has 185 centers with over 9,100 slots and Virginia has the most with almost 400 centers with over 14,500 slots.
"To those who are holding us back from a resolution, we plead: putting children and families at risk doesn’t help anything. This entirely avoidable situation is yet another blow to families and providers who are already at a breaking point," the NHSA wrote in a statement.
Government officials like Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich have echoed the NHSA's statements. He says his team is looking into how Head Start Centers in his county could be impacted by a potential shutdown.
"We don't get a weekly check for every government center or program we operate in the county, so we are going to have to analyze you know which programs have how much funding in the bank and how long that funding will carry them."