Grants, reserves keep Head Start centers open; others closing

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(The Center Square) – Florida centers in the Head Start program are either running on reserves, grants or have closed due to the federal government shutdown.

Tuesday marked the record-tying 35th day of the federal government closure. A vote was held in the Senate, and for the 14th time, the needed 60 votes to end a filibuster led by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., was not met.

Florida Republican Sens. Ashley Moody and Rick Scott were yeas in the 54-44 count.

Whether Head Start programs are able to stay open can be a local issue. For example, centers in Tallahassee and Leon County were closed on Oct. 27 and reopened the next day through a grant from the Children’s Services Council of the county.

Suwannee Valley, operating eight centers for just under 400 children, is on reserves through the end of November.

All of the East Coast Migrant Head Start Project centers across seven states closed this past weekend. In Florida, that meant in Bartow, Belle Glade, Bowling Green, Dundee, Fort Pierce, Indiantown, Jennings, Myakka, two in Okeechobee, Palmetto, South Bay and Wauchula.

Centers in Jefferson and Franklin counties are also shuttered.

Head Start promotes school readiness among children in low-income families. It serves up to age 5, including pregnant women through Early Head Start. The services include education, health, nutrition and parental involvement.

The federal government shut down on Oct. 1 for the first time since a 35-day stoppage bridging 2018 and 2019. 

The Republican majority U.S. House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution in September. The Republican majority Senate is stalled in filibuster, unable to get seven votes to reach the threshold of 60 needed to pass the legislation and unwilling to compromise on the House legislation.

Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., the deputy whip in the chamber, in a network interview said, “Shutdowns are terrible, and, of course, there will be families who will suffer. We take that responsibility very seriously. But it is one of the few leverage points we have.”

Schumer has asked for closed-door meetings with second-term Republican President Donald Trump, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota. Transparency has been Johnson’s repeated response.