State Representative Joey Andrews is sounding the alarm about the possible elimination of Head Start programs with a new federal budget.
As congressional Republicans work on a major spending package, Andrews tells us the proposal is to eliminate Head Start funding altogether. Andrews says that would deprive 222 children and families in the 37th District alone of early education and care services.
“Given we’re already sort of in a childcare desert and the crisis everybody is having trying to find childcare, I think it would be pretty devastating,” Andrews said. “Most of the families who send their kids there are working multiple jobs already, or at least both parents are working, so you’re talking about pretty huge disruptions.”
Andrews says eliminating Head Start would mean parents couldn’t work or would have to face a major budget crunch to find childcare. He tells us Head Start programs at Flowers Early Learning in Southwest Michigan have already been affected by changes in Washington since President Trump took office.
“Their grant funding got temporarily frozen in the federal funding freeze earlier this year. The regional office in Chicago was shut down recently, which is causing funding issues and communication delays. So they’ve already been having a lot of difficulty this year.”
Andrews says studies have shown kids who get an early start on education through Head Start have better educational outcomes later on.
Flowers Early Learning currently supports 583 children across Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties, and has affected more than 40,000 children since 1972. Andrews says losing Head Start would harm those children and worsen the region’s childcare crisis.
Andrews is urging everyone to reach out to the offices of Congressman Tim Walberg and Bill Huizenga to ask that they oppose the program’s elimination.
