The government shutdown preventing the distribution of federal funds is being felt across the United States.
The impact is forcing nearly 600 families in southeast Georgia communities to search for help with hundreds of infants, toddlers and other young children in the area affected.
Federal funding expired Saturday, November 1, marking the end of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Action Pact Executive Director Diane Rogers announced the community organization would be discontinuing Head Start and Early Head Start programs at all of its locations.
Action Pact operates more than a dozen Head Start/Early Head Start centers in Southeast Georgia, including in Ware, Pierce and Brantley counties. Others are Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Candler, Charlton, Clinch, Coffee, Jeff Davis and Toombs.
The programs provide early education to children from at-risk or low income situations to ensure they have the tools they need to succeed in school. Head Start students range in age from infant to five years old.
“We are truly sorry for the inconvenience the closure will cause for the families we serve,” Rogers said in Action Pact’s statement announcing the closures. “We pledge to reopen the program as soon as we have access to the necessary funding.” In the statement, Rogers said, “Through a federal Head Start grant, Action Pact provides childcare, health screenings, and wrap around services to 548 children and employs 187 teachers and staff. Our working families who depend on this care will need to scramble for alternative arrangements.
“Some may turn to relatives or friends for help, while others may be forced to stay home from work, jeopardizing their income and potentially impacting their reputation as reliable employees. In rural communities like ours, one of four childcare slots is a Head Start slot. The ripple effects will inevitably be felt across households, workplaces, and our communities.”
The Trump Administration has been ordered by a federal judge to restart funding for the program, but it could take time to get a plan finalized and money disbursed.
Lawmakers were expected to return to negotiations in the U.S. Senate Monday, the 34th day of the shutdown, after Minority Leader Chuck Schumer acquiesced Friday on some Democrat demands. A similar shutdown in 2019 lasted a record 35 days.
The House of Representatives has already passed the continuing resolution (CR) needed to fund the government for several months. The measure has been held up in the Senate by Democrats seeking funding for healthcare subsidies approved during the Obama Administration.
The continuing resolution has been rejected 14 times in the Senate during the shutdown with no Democrat support. The measure needs 60 votes for passage, meaning six Democrats are needed to join those who’ve voted for the CR so far to end the shutdown.
Funding for Action Pact and other community assistance organizations has had bipartisan support in the past.
“Despite the shutdown, elected officials at the federal and state level must act to protect the children and families of South Georgia who are at risk of losing these vital services,” Rogers said in closing the Action Pact statement. “Lawmakers can and should ensure that Head Start programs remain open, so our youngest learners don’t suffer the consequences of gridlock in Washington.”
