Head Start, Pre-K to return to school tomorrow

Per Ninth District Opportunity, Inc. Director Kay Laws, alternative funding is being negotiated and all children will be allowed to return to school beginning tomorrow. The following was provided by Ninth District Opportunity, Inc., on how this is being achieved.October 7, 2013

Philanthropists Keep Head Start Open During Government Shutdown

Laura and John Arnold provide up to $10 million in emergency funding to help children and families

Washington, DC – This week, more than 7,000 at-risk children will be able to return to their Head Start classrooms after philanthropists Laura and John Arnold extended up to $10 million in emergency funding support to the National Head Start Association. The support will provide assistance to Head Start and Early Head Start programs that were forced to close or are facing closure this month as a result of the government shutdown. The programs have been allocated federal money but are unable to access it due to the stalemate in Washington.

When Head Start doors close, many low-income parents must miss work and school as they scramble to find alternative child care. They rely on Head Start to provide nutritious meals, medical screenings and early learning opportunities to prepare their children for kindergarten.

“For nearly fifty years, Head Start has been the window of opportunity for more than 27 million of our nation’s poorest children as they embark on their journey to achieve the American Dream,” said Yasmina Vinci, Executive Director of the National Head Start Association. “The Arnolds’ most generous act epitomizes what it means to be an angel investor; they have selflessly stepped up for Head Start children to ensure their path toward kindergarten readiness is not interrupted by the inability of government to get the nation’s fiscal house in order.”

At the end of the first week of the government shutdown, seven Head Start programs in six states (AL, CT, FL, GA, SC and MS) were closed, leaving 7,195 of our nation’s most vulnerable children without access to Head Start. More than 11,000 additional children risk losing access to comprehensive Head Start services if the shutdown continues through October. If the government does not reopen by November 1, additional Head Start programs serving more than 86,000 children in 41 states and one U.S. Territory stand to lose access to Head Start funding.

After learning about the devastating impact the government shutdown would have on Head Start children, the Arnolds came forward and offered assistance that will allow the programs that have been recently closed to re-open and those facing imminent closure to remain in operation. If after the government shutdown, the government provides Head Start programs funding sufficient to fund their operations for a fifty-two week period, Head Start programs will repay the funds made available by the National Head Start Association at no interest through the generosity of Laura and John Arnold.

“The entire Head Start community and the at-risk children we serve are tremendously grateful to the Arnolds for their compassion and generosity,” Vinci said. “The bottom line, however, is that angel investors like the Arnolds cannot possibly offer a sustainable solution to the funding crisis threatening thousands of our poorest children. Our elected officials simply must find a fiscal solution that protects, preserves and promotes the promise that quality early learning opportunities like Head Start offer to nearly one million at-risk children each year.”

October 4:

“The ongoing stalemate in Washington DC over the federal budget will continue to impact people all over the country just like it’s affecting Georgians right here at home. We are seeing firsthand what the shutdown means with the closure of Head Start Centers across the state,”

Speaker of the House David Ralston offered.

Georgians expect their government to find solutions to issues just as we did at the state level when we balanced the state’s budget during the worst economic downturn in decades. In fact we cut the state budget by nearly 20 percent without raising taxes on hard working Georgians and then implemented an important tax reform measure in 2012. Here, our state government remains fully functioning and operational while the federal government and many of its programs are shuttered or are preparing to close. Washington DC could learn a whole lot from Georgia,”

Ralston stated.

The picture remains bleak for Head Start and Pre-K programs in Pickens, Gilmer and Fannin counties, as well as statewide as they are set to close indefinitely at the end of their program day today. Unless the federal government finds a solution to the current financial crisis, the programs will have their doors closed.

As explained in a previous article, the Head Start and Pre-K programs are dependent upon federal and lottery funds.

While those lottery funds are state-issued, the funds that mostly cover the salaries of administrators and kitchen personnel in the pre-k programs come from the federal government. By Georgia childcare licensing policy, there must be an administrator on-site whenever the facility is in operation. So although the pre-k has funds from lottery, they are unable to run due to no administrators or lunch personnel available.

Unfortunately, the Head Start centers are completely dependent on federal funds. Per Juanita Yancey, executive officer for Georgia Head Start this closure will put 500 employees statewide out of work.

In our three local counties slightly more than 250 children will be directly affected. Ninth District Opportunity, Inc., Director Kay Laws said the closure of the federal government also coincides with their budget year-end so not only is the funding delayed until the government is operational, they also have to reinstate the grants after the federal budget is finalized. In the event the government gets back online,

“as soon as we’re notified that we can begin operations then we will open back up,”

Laws related. She continued,

“Unfortunately, I can’t give parents or my staff any time frame because we don’t know.”

“We regret that we’re having to close our centers. It is beyond our control. We hope there will be a speedy resolution to the budget and we can open back up quickly,”

Laws said.

Gilmer is the only county of the three that doesn’t operate a Pre-K center along with the Head Start.

October 3, 2013:

The local head start/pre k programs located in Pickens, Gilmer and Fannin counties will be closed effective Monday due to the federal government shutdown.In a press release Wednesday from Ninth District Opportunity, Inc. the Head Start closures, which cover several counties, will mean 2,153 low-income children will no longer be served until such time as the government is operational again and funding is re-secured. Funding is dependent on federal monies and lottery proceeds.

The Ninth District also provides housing assistance in Pickens, Gilmer and Fannin Counties. In the announcement, they state the offices in these counties will be closed on Fridays.

The press release outlines the following service areas as affected and/or closed:

The current GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN brought on by Congress’s failure to pass a budget for Fiscal Year 2014 will result in the following service modifications, effective October 7, 2013 until further notice:

 The Agency’s Central Administrative Office Staff will be substantially reduced.
 All 13 Community Services offices will be closed on Fridays.
 All federally funded Home Weatherization activities will cease.
 All 113 Head Start and Early Head Start classrooms (serving 2,153 children) will be closed.
 27 Pre-K classrooms (serving 652 children) will be closed. The following Pre-K centers will remain open.
 Carnesville Pre-K
 Hall County Pre-K classrooms located in Hall County school buildings
 Forsyth County Pre-K classrooms located in the Forsyth Elementary Schools
 Cherokee County Pre-K
 Monarch Pre-K
We apologize for the inconvenience, and will restore all services as soon as funding allocations are awarded. Ninth District Opportunity, Inc. will continue to post any updates on the agency website www.ndo.org.

Although unable to comment on the listed closures at this time, State Senator Steve Gooch related the following regarding the government shutdown,

“The whole situation is very fluid at this point. We need to get this resolved as quickly as we can. A lot of people are depending on it – armed forces, retirees, veterans, among others.”

In a memo penned by Kay Laws, Head Start/Pre K Director of the Ninth District, the local pinch of the government shutdown was foreseen in the following letter:

The letter, dated September 30, stated,

“Dear Parents,

You undoubtedly have heard the news that there is a possibility the government will shut down at midnight tonight. Because our centers operate solely on federal and lottery dollars, if there is an extended shut down of the government, we will be forced to close our Head Start/Pre K centers until the government is operational.

Our program has been able to secure funding to keep the centers open through Friday, October 4, 2013. Your Center Director will notify you if it will be necessary to close the center after this date.

I am hopeful that Congress can find a resolution and we will not be forced to close the centers. However, I wanted to give you as much notice as possible as I know this news is troublesome and will require you to make adjustments to your to schedule. For that, I apologize.

I want to thank you in advance for your understanding of the situation and trust that your child will return to our center once our center has reopened. If you have any questions about this process, your Center Director will be happy to answer them.”

Messages to Ninth District U.S. Representative Doug Collins and State Representative Rick haven’t yet been returned. Speaker of the House David Ralston’s office has been in contact and will provide more information as they’re able. FYN will continue to follow this story as more information becomes available.