Some Head Start preschools shutter as government shutdown continues

"The government shutdown is triggering a wave of closures of Head Start centers, leaving working parents scrambling for child care and shutting some of the nation's neediest children out of preschool. Dozens of centers are missing out on federal grant payments that were due to arrive Nov. 1. Some have closed indefinitely, while others are staying afloat with emergency funding from local governments and school districts."

"The closures mean Head Start students - who come from low-income households, are homeless or are in foster care - are missing out on preschool, where they are fed two meals a day and receive therapy vital to their development. Keiliana Porter, a mother of three in Portsmouth, Ohio, had to break the news to her 4-year-old twins, Kalani and Kanoelani, that they could not return to school Monday. "It was like I was punishing them," Porter said. "They just don't understand, and that's the hardest thing.""

Federal funding interruptions from the government shutdown have caused a wave of Head Start center closures and delayed federal grant payments due Nov. 1. About 140 programs missed their annual funding infusion, affecting centers with capacity for 65,000 preschoolers and expectant parents; dozens missed anticipated October payments. Centers serving at least 8,000 families closed on Monday, with entire cities like Little Rock shutting programs. Affected children from low-income households, homeless situations, or foster care are losing preschool access, daily meals, and vital developmental therapies. Families face childcare disruptions and lost income while some local governments provide emergency support.

Read at ABC7 Los Angeles