The U.S. Senate has until Friday night to approve a package of funding measures or else risk another government shutdown. That package includes funding for child care subsidies, Head Start, and other services for young kids.

Senate Democrats have said they oppose the spending measure because it also includes funding the Department of Homeland Security. They want new restrictions on immigration enforcement, and to split it off from the other funding bills in the package in the  by federal officers.

In addition to Head Start and child care, the bills in the six-part package include funding for infant and early childhood mental health, maternal health, and home-heating assistance,

鈥淭here is no reason that funding for children, for babies, for meeting their very basic needs should be contingent on whether or not ICE gets funding,鈥� said Melissa Boteach, the chief policy officer at Zero to Three, an advocacy organization for babies and young kids. 鈥淸Young kids] are in the most rapid stage of brain development. They have immediate needs that need to be met.鈥�

Head Start disruption: What could happen?

The last government shutdown in the fall lasted 43 days, and several Head Start programs in California . Boteach said there may be a few centers that are immediately affected, and others later on if a shutdown drags on, depending on when the center鈥檚 grant cycles starts.

Those most at risk are programs that have a Feb. 1 start date, said Melanee Cottrill, executive director of Head Start California, of which she estimated there are around 6-10.

Head Start is a federally-funded program that provides early education and other services to children in low-income families. 鈥溾�奆or many of these children, these are also the most nutritious meals that they get every day [at Head Start],鈥� Cottrill said.

鈥淚t’s not guaranteed that they’ll close their doors if there is a government shutdown. It really depends on whether they have other funding sources,鈥� she added.

Federal funding for childcare subsidies for low-income children (which is administered through the state) is also part of the funding package. Earlier this month, President Trump said he would freeze that funding to California, though  has been tied up in court.

鈥淭here’s already been a good deal of instability in these programs and for families who rely on them and are just hopeful that the Congress can finish this off and, uh, be able to move forward,鈥� said Donna Sneeringer, president of the Child Care Resource Center, which runs Head Starts and child care subsidy programs in the Los Angeles area.

鈥淸Parents] feel very insecure 鈥� these temporary pauses鈥� the family’s lives don’t pause,鈥� said Mary Ignatius, who heads Parent Voices. 鈥溾�奟eal harm happens to the child care providers, the families, and the children who cannot afford any delays.”

This article was originally published by .

For some programs, the promise of incoming funding will be enough to restart operations. But many won鈥檛 be able to open their doors until they receive their federal dollars, which could take up to two weeks, said Tommy Sheridan, deputy director at the NHSA. 

Sheridan said the Trump administration understands the urgency and is 鈥渕oving as fast as they possibly can.鈥�

That said, this interruption had an opportunity cost, and it’s led to instability for families and providers, he said, adding that the shutdown caused staff to focus on issues they “should not be worried about,鈥� such as fundraising and contingency planning.

Some providers fear greater delays since the Trump administration shuttered half of the Head Start regional offices earlier this year. 

鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to be working as hard as they can, but they鈥檙e going to be doing it with half the capacity,鈥� said Katie Hamm, former deputy assistant secretary for early childhood development under President Joe Biden.

And even once the funding comes through, closed centers will need to go through a series of logistical hurdles, including reaching out to families who may have found alternative child care arrangements and calling back furloughed staff, some of whom have found employment elsewhere. 

鈥淗ead Start is not a light switch,鈥� Hamm said. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 just turn it back on.鈥�

This interruption has also further eroded trust between grantees and the federal government that was already shaky, she added.

The Administration for Children and Families did not respond to a request for comment on when programs can anticipate communication from the office or their funding.

Since Nov. 1, approximately 65,000 kids and their families 鈥� close to 10% of all of those served by Head Start 鈥� have been at risk of losing their seats because their programs had not received their awarded funding during the longest government shutdown in history. The early care and education program delivers a range of resources to low-income families including medical screenings, parenting courses and connections to community resources for job, food and housing assistance. 

At the peak of the Head Start closures, roughly 10,000 kids across 22 programs lost access to services, according to Sheridan. A number of the remaining programs were able to stay open through private donations, loans, alternative funding streams and staff鈥檚 willingness to go without pay.

Valerie Williams, who runs a Head Start program with two facilities in Appalachian Ohio, was excited to tell parents that classrooms would be reopening soon. Her centers have been closed since Nov. 3, impacting 177 kids and 45 staff, many of whom already live paycheck to paycheck, she said.

A number of families were doubly impacted, losing access to Head Start鈥檚 resources as well as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, simultaneously. In the days leading up to the closure, Williams and her staff prepared families as best they could, sharing information about resources for food, assistance for utilities and heating and guidance on child care options. 

On Thursday, Williams wrote to parents via an online portal that she hopes to restart the normal school schedule sometime next week. The post was quickly flooded with comments. 

鈥淭his is super exciting!!鈥� wrote one parent. 鈥淏est news in a long time. Carter has been asking every day. Hope to see u guys very soon.鈥�

鈥淵ayyy,鈥� wrote another. 鈥淭he kids miss you guys so much!”

Still, Williams knows reopening won鈥檛 be seamless. Along with program leaders across the country, she鈥檒l need to call back furloughed staff, place food orders and handle a number of other operational challenges.

And despite the excitement, the transition back may also prove tricky for some kids.

鈥淚 do think that it will feel like starting school again for a lot of our classrooms,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e been out for two weeks 鈥� You鈥檙e going to work on separation anxiety issues, you鈥檙e going to have to get into that routine again and the structure of a classroom environment. So I think that will be a big issue for a lot of our teachers.鈥� 

As of Friday afternoon, Williams was still awaiting communication from the federal Office of Head Start with information about the anticipated timeline for next steps. 

鈥淎s soon as we get that notice of award, [I want to] start our staff and kids back immediately,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he very next day.鈥�

Now that the shutdown has ended, what’s next for Head Start?

Funding for Head Start is complex. Some 80% comes from federal grants that are released to local providers on a staggered schedule throughout the year. This year, grant recipients with funding deadlines on the first of October and November were left scrambling, as the federal shutdown dragged on.

The government began to resume operations late Wednesday night after President Donald Trump signed a bill, funding through Jan. 30 and allowing programs that didn鈥檛 receive their funding on time, including Head Start, to use forthcoming dollars to backpay expenses incurred over the past month and a half.

Here鈥檚 what Hamm predicts will happen next: The Office of Head Start will recall all staff to resume, including those who were furloughed during the shutdown. The employees will review grant applications, a process which requires them to flag any language that might be reflective of diversity, equity and inclusion practices. Next, money will be sent along to the remaining regional offices, and eventually dispersed to individual grantees. The NHSA is hopeful that this process will be completed by Thanksgiving for all grantees.

There are two things the federal government can do to help centers open faster, according to Hamm. First, they could waive a typical protocol that leads to a period of seven days between when a member of Congress is notified that their state will be receiving funding and when the funding actually goes out, Hamm explained. 

Officials could also notify grantees, in writing, about how much money they鈥檒l get and when it鈥檚 expected to come through, so they can begin planning. 

Unlike SNAP, which received guaranteed funding through the budget year, money for Head Start remains uncertain beyond Jan. 30. While the fear of another shutdown has caused 鈥渜uite a bit of worry鈥� among the Head Start community, Sheridan said it would likely lead to fewer program disruptions, since it wouldn鈥檛 fall at the start of the fiscal year.

To prevent similar chaos moving forward, Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin introduced in the final days of the shutdown that would guarantee uninterrupted service for fiscal year 2026. 

鈥淭he 750,000 children and their families who use Head Start shouldn鈥檛 pay the price for Washington dysfunction,鈥� Baldwin, the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, wrote in a statement to 麻豆精品.

Multiple funding threats and deep staffing cuts by the Trump administration over the past year have plunged programs across the country into uncertainty. In the wake of that recent upheaval, a leadership change is also underway. The acting director of the Office of Head Start, Tala Hooban, accepted a new role within the Office of Administration for Children and Families and will be replaced by political appointee Laurie Todd-Smith, according to an email statement from ACF. Todd-Smith currently leads the Office of Early Childhood Development, which oversees the Office of Head Start. 

Sheridan described this move as anticipated and not particularly concerning, though others were less sure. Joel Ryan, the executive director of the Washington State Association of Head Start, noted that Hooban was a longtime civil servant and strong supporter of the Head Start program. Without her, he fears 鈥渢here鈥檚 nobody internally with any kind of power that will push back,鈥� on future threats to the program.

Another worry plaguing providers: current funding for Head Start has remained stagnant since the end of 2024, meaning that through at least Jan. 30, programs will be operating under the same budget amid rising costs across the board.

In previous years, the program鈥檚 grant recipients typically got a cost-of-living adjustment, such as the bump ($275 million) for fiscal year 2024. In May, a group of almost 200 members of Congress signed to a House Appropriations subcommittee, requesting an adjustment of 3.2% for 2026. A recent statement from NHSA suggested that instead, the proposed Senate bill for next year includes a jump of just , or $77 million.

鈥淚f we don’t see a funding increase in line with inflation, that means that Head Start will be facing a cut of that degree,鈥� said Sheridan. 鈥淚t’s just kind of a quiet cut, or a silent cut.鈥�

鈥淚 think what will end up happening,鈥� said Ryan, 鈥渋s you鈥檒l end up seeing a massive reduction in the number of kids being served.鈥�

Maia Jackson should have been cranking out a research paper for her communications class. Instead, she found herself queuing up at a food pantry to secure groceries for her household amid the nation鈥檚 longest government shutdown. 

鈥淚 walked out with a shopping cart full of food,鈥� the 25-year-old college senior said. 鈥淚 could barely carry it all. I got cereal. I got some frozen meat, hamburger buns. I got a bag of black beans, and then I got a bag of rice.鈥�

Finding a package of chicken strips, a dish she knew her picky 2-year-old daughter would actually eat, almost made her cry, Jackson said. She expects the combination of perishable, bagged and canned foods to last them a month. By then, she hopes her Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments 鈥� widely known as food stamps 鈥� will have resumed.

On November 1, SNAP benefits ground to a halt during the federal budget impasse that began a month earlier, with President Donald Trump鈥檚 administration refusing to fully fund these payments, a matter now tied up in court. Even as the Senate has reached a framework deal that leaves lawmakers and the White House a step closer to ending the shutdown, the disruption in benefits has revealed how fragile the social safety net is for vulnerable Americans. That includes single parents and young adults experiencing food insecurity, a problem that occurs when people lack regular access to the nourishment needed to sustain their health. 

An estimated , including parents like Jackson, who attends North Dakota State University (NDSU) in Fargo. For such students, a delayed SNAP payment isn’t a mere hiccup, but a serious setback that can imperil their education, their health and stability for their children, experts contend.

鈥淚t鈥檚 such a distraction for me as a single mom in school,鈥� Jackson said. 鈥淚 don’t have any bandwidth to give to trying to find food at pantries.鈥�

She tried to minimize the time she spent at the food pantry last week by making an appointment first, but she was still one of a couple of dozen people in line. The visit prevented her from completing her research paper by its due date, which will likely result in her grade being docked. Jackson, who has so far maintained a 4.0 grade point average, isn鈥檛 happy about that prospect, but with her family members an hour away and her child鈥檚 father mostly out of the picture, she had to prioritize food over her education.

No college student should have to choose between a basic need and school, said Deborah Martin, a senior policy associate for The Institute for College Access & Success, a nonprofit that advocates for college access and affordability. 

鈥淎 lot of students have to make these daily tough decisions where they’re wondering, 鈥榃here am I going to get my next meal from?鈥� instead of focusing on homework, on classwork,鈥� Martin said. 鈥淲e know that when students have these unmet basic needs such as food insecurity, they’re more likely to struggle academically, less likely to persist from semester to semester, and in some cases, may even drop out of college altogether.鈥�

Roughly . For the most marginalized students, the risk of quitting school due to food insecurity may be even greater. The Government Accountability Office (GAO), a nonpartisan federal agency that provides fact-based information to Congress, reported last year that about 鈥� meaning their parents don鈥檛 financially support them, they didn鈥檛 begin college immediately after high school or they are caring for dependents. Moreover, the from the Hope Center, a research center at Temple University focused on the food, housing and health of college students, found that around three-quarters of parenting, Black and . 

Most of these students, the GAO discovered, do not sign up for services like SNAP, and those who do may hesitate to discuss their food insecurity. As a mom and a slightly older student who works part-time, Jackson has felt largely alone on campus as SNAP benefits have paused. Her classmates don鈥檛 appear to share her anxiety over the shutdown, if they know about it at all. 

鈥淎 lot of the kids that I’m in class with, they’re not in the same circumstance,鈥� Jackson said. 鈥淚t’s weird to see a lot of people just carrying on as usual.鈥�

Since most of her classmates 鈥� about an even percentage of NDSU students are women and men 鈥� are childfree and on the school meal plan, she doesn鈥檛 want to be a 鈥渄owner鈥� by bringing up her difficulties. For the same reason, she didn鈥檛 explain to her professor why her paper was late. 鈥淚 didn’t want to tell him, 鈥極h, I couldn’t write it because I was standing in the food pantry line鈥� because it just sounds so sad,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hat’s he supposed to say? I don’t want him to feel bad for me. I don’t want to be pitied.鈥�

But faking normal could come at a high cost for college students who don鈥檛 reach out for help. Martin fears these young adults will resort to using high-interest payment plans or acquire credit card debt just to afford groceries.

鈥淭he longer that students and other SNAP participants don’t receive their funds, this is just more days that students are going to have to make these difficult decisions,鈥� she said.

Some college administrators are taking action. When the shutdown began, Compton College President and CEO Keith Curry contacted Everytable, a food company that offers inexpensive made-from-scratch meals via carryout storefronts and a delivery service. The college, about 18 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, has partnered with Everytable for seven years to provide all students 鈥� 鈥� with one nutritious free meal on weekdays. 

The federal government crisis prompted Curry and Everytable CEO Sam Polk to scale up that program so SNAP-recipient and economically disadvantaged students didn鈥檛 suffer during the shutdown.

鈥淲e need to do something. Can we split the cost?鈥� Curry recalled asking Polk. 鈥淚 think if we double the meals, at least they get another meal for the day.鈥�

On November 5, Compton College鈥檚 most underprivileged students began getting two free meals per day, or 10 per week. The need for such an intervention there is substantial: A 2025 basic needs survey of students found that 81 percent of them experience at least one form of insecurity related to a basic need. That includes signs of food insecurity such as skipping meals, reducing meal sizes or fearing they will run out of food. Most Compton College students are moderately food insecure, the survey revealed, indicating persistent hardship. Women make up .

鈥淩ight now, students have other stress, and what we’re doing to them is adding more stress,鈥� Curry said of the shutdown. 鈥淭hey still want to do well in classes, but now they don’t have food.鈥� 

Together, Compton College and Everytable have the resources to supply students with 10 weekly meals for a month, Curry said. The students are deeply grateful for the additional provisions, according to Dee Garrett, who oversees Everytable鈥檚 operation at the college.

鈥淲hat better way to start your studies than with a stomach that’s full?鈥� Garrett asked. 鈥淵ou don’t have to think about, 鈥極h, my God, my stomach. I can’t concentrate or focus.鈥欌��

Asked what impact he hopes the scaled-up program makes, Curry said he鈥檚 more interested in letting students know they鈥檙e not alone.  

鈥淚t’s not about the impact. It’s about our students knowing that we were there for them during this time,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n our community, when students need us most, we have to step up and be there for them, and they’re never going to forget that.鈥�

Martin applauds the efforts of colleges and K-12 schools, which have connected students and their families to food banks, to curb food insecurity during the shutdown. But she also advocates for long-term policies to ensure students have enough food to eat. That includes the , proposed legislation to remove the barriers that prevent economically disadvantaged college students from utilizing benefits generally 鈥� not just during the current crisis. 

However, Martin continued, 鈥渢he most important thing that we can do right now in this moment is for these SNAP benefits to be fully funded and for them to go out to students as soon as possible.鈥�

Back in Fargo, Jackson has refocused her attention on her coursework now that she has a month鈥檚 worth of food. Still, she worries about the people who couldn鈥檛 make it to a pantry or that the government will cut other social services she needs. She currently earns $400 monthly working part time as an academic journal editor. The job, which she performs remotely, allows her to attend school and be her daughter鈥檚 primary caretaker when the toddler is not in day care. 

鈥淚f they cut child care, if they cut these programs I rely on, I would have to drop out of school,鈥� Jackson said. 鈥淏ut I’m trying to give my daughter a better life than that.鈥�

Jackson is majoring in university studies with a pre-law emphasis, a dramatic shift from her life before motherhood when she dropped out of school and struggled with addiction. Getting pregnant inspired her to undergo a transformation, which she largely credits to the Jeremiah Program. The national nonprofit provides single mothers with support for college, child care and housing, and it recently started a campaign to raise $190,000 to cover essential needs for families who have lost SNAP and other benefits because of the shutdown. The organization estimates that single-parent families represent nearly a third of families in the United States, with 80 percent of those headed by mothers.  

Jackson has been deeply disturbed to see the misperceptions that abound about mothers like herself. She鈥檚 encountered online commenters who have characterized SNAP recipients as 鈥渨elfare queens.鈥�

If she could confront such individuals in person, Jackson would emphasize how much value mothers add to society. 鈥淎nd on top of it鈥� we are all in school and working, too,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he insinuation is that we’re just scammers, freeloaders, when, in reality, I’m working very hard every day to hopefully not need these supports.鈥�

was originally reported by Nadra Nittle of . .

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, released guidance Thursday to states to proceed with . 

Child and nutrition advocates are glad to see it resume, but have concerns about the multiple steps needed to relaunch SNAP 鈥� particularly around states鈥� ability to quickly arrange payments through third-party vendors. 

Some 42 million Americans 鈥� including 16 million children, the elderly, veterans and those with disabilities 鈥� rely on SNAP for food.

鈥淭his is a unique situation,鈥� said Claire Borzner, director for Share Our Strength and its No Kid Hungry campaign. 鈥�There has never before been a pause in SNAP payments or a recommendation for partial benefits.鈥�

Borzner said states that issued incomplete payouts will need to ensure participants receive the remaining allotment.

The Trump administration first threatened to withhold SNAP benefits entirely for the month of November and then twice went to the U.S. Supreme Court in its legal quest to pay out only some benefits. It also moved to claw back money from states that went ahead and distributed 100% of benefits to their needy residents last week during a window of time when the USDA was authorizing it. 

SNAP benefits have historically not been cut off during prior shutdowns and President Donald Trump faced criticism that he tried to leverage Americans鈥� hunger鈥� 1 in 8 receive SNAP benefits 鈥� to break Democrats’ opposition to ending the shutdown. 

Crystal FitzSimons, president at the Food Research & Action Center, said states are moving quickly to resume aid, though she understands some families might not feel relief until it arrives. 

鈥淚t is very fluid and moving in real time,鈥� she said, speaking of getting the program up and running again. 鈥淭he delays have created so much stress for the people who really need food on the table. I totally understand why they would be worried, but the shutdown has ended and as soon as people see the money in their card, they should be able to take a deep breath and move forward.鈥�

But Melissa Boteach, chief policy officer at , an early childhood advocacy group, said 鈥渢here has been a lot of undermining of the basic government infrastructure necessary鈥� to get SNAP operational again. 

Boteach noted families have been suffering needlessly since the start of the month, making tough choices about whether to eat or pay rent and utility bills.  

鈥淭hese are the conversations American families have been having around the kitchen table,鈥� she said, calling SNAP a miracle and crediting it for preventing starvation-levels of hunger in this country since the 1970s. 

Part of the confusion about when the aid might arrive centers around the uneven distribution of benefits. Stewart Fried, a principal attorney at OFW Law in Washington, D.C., and an expert on SNAP, said 19 states have already issued full November payments 鈥� the ones the administration told to 鈥渦ndo鈥� those actions after the fact 鈥� while another 18 delivered partial allotments. 

Fried, who has represented many SNAP-eligible retailers on a wide variety of issues before the , Congress and in the federal courts, said states that issued partial payouts might need at least a week to disperse the remaining monies. The 13 states that sent out no money in November may face the easiest turnaround time.

鈥淔or states that have not issued any November benefits, that process should be quicker and benefits will hopefully be issued in the next few days,鈥� he said. 

Meanwhile, low-income families have been across the country all month while also relying on schools to help fill the nutrition gap for their kids, child advocates say. 

Ian Coon, spokesman for the Alliance for Education, an independent, local education fund that supports Seattle Public Schools, said his group set aside $150,000 for grocery store gift cards in October. The school community raised an additional $70,000 in recent weeks to bridge any further gaps as kids head home for the holidays, some to empty cupboards.

The alliance has already distributed $154,000 in funding for kids and families in need.

鈥淭here have been increased donations to food pantries,鈥� he said. 鈥淣early every local business has a food collection bin in the door and restaurants are still providing community meals or fundraising. This isn鈥檛 the time to standby. It鈥檚 the time to act and we鈥檙e so grateful to have the support of our community.鈥�

Erika Roberson, senior policy associate at The Institute for College Access & Success, a research and advocacy group that addresses issues like food insecurity in secondary education, said she鈥檚 glad for the 1.1 million college undergraduates who rely on SNAP. 

鈥淲hen students receive their benefits, they will worry less about where their next meal will come from and will be able to focus on their studies,鈥� she said, adding those who wrestle with food insecurity are more likely to struggle academically, taking on extra hours of work and leaving them less time to attend class. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge disadvantage.鈥�

SNAP benefits have been ensured for a full year and therefore won鈥檛 be subject to disruption when to fund the government that was approved this week runs out in January. Recipients also still face the effects of the $186 billion eliminated from SNAP as part of the administration鈥檚 landmark signed into law this summer.

Borzner called the most recent chaos around SNAP a manufactured crisis. 

鈥淔amilies should not have had to go through this pain,鈥� she said, adding that the government had the resources to pay benefits in full. 鈥淭his program could have continued to operate for November as it normally does. None of this needed to happen.鈥�

After the federal government failed to renew a $1.5 million federal grant by Saturday, officials at the Gogebic-Ontonagon Community Action Agency say they had little choice: They closed a free preschool program that has served two counties in Michigan鈥檚 Upper Peninsula since 1965.

The program was among that missed expected weekend payments because of the ongoing federal government shutdown. Unlike others, the UP program could not secure alternative resources in time to continue operations.

That means 85 students 鈥� along with 30 other families with children in Early Head Start 鈥� won鈥檛 be getting the education, meals and other services they rely on until funding is restored. And employees are currently out of work, program director Renee Pertile told Bridge Michigan.

鈥淲e’re kind of one big family, and now it seems like a piece is missing,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t’s awfully quiet here today.鈥�

Funded primarily by the federal government to serve low-income preschoolers and their families, Head Start programs in Michigan and around the country are among the latest to feel direct impacts from the government shutdown that鈥檚 dragged on for more than a month.

Coupled with the recent impacting 1.4 million Michigan residents, advocates warn the ongoing turmoil surrounding federal funding is putting vulnerable kids at risk.

While local schools and community groups can in some cases step in to help keep Head Start programs going, those resources are 鈥渘ot going to be universal, and it’s not going to be a one-to-one replacement,鈥� said Bob McCann, executive director of the K-12 Alliance of Michigan.

鈥淭he longer this goes on, the more damage it’s going to do,鈥� McCann continued. 鈥淭his is a crisis of choice by (politicians), and it’s kids that are paying the price for it.鈥� 

As of Tuesday, the Gogebic-Ontonagon program was the only confirmed closure in Michigan since Nov. 1, , which has so far reported 25 closures nationwide. 

Education advocates warned other programs around the state that have missed grant payments are at imminent risk of running out of money, too. 

Statewide, Michigan has 48 Head Start and Early Head Start programs that serve nearly 30,000 children, bringing in $423 million in federal funds annually, said Robin J. Bozek, executive director of the Michigan Head Start Association. 

Nine of those programs serving 2,944 children, many of them in the Upper Peninsula and northern lower Michigan, saw their funding grants expire Nov. 1, Bozek said. 

Though some of those programs have been able to piece together enough funds from local schools or community groups to temporarily keep them afloat, the lack of new federal funding means money is tight and the future is uncertain, Bozek said. 

鈥淎nytime there’s a pause or a stop鈥t totally disrupts the system for this type of grant,鈥� she said. 

For the Gogebic-Ontonagon Community Action Agency, there was no money to fall back on. When the grant didn鈥檛 come through, the Head Start program had to wind down. 

鈥淲e started looking at this in mid-October, thinking, we鈥檇 better prepare just in case this was going to happen,鈥� Pertile said. 鈥淎s it got closer to the deadline, we knew that it was highly unlikely we would get our grant.鈥�

In the short term, program employees are able to collect unemployment, and a local daycare offered to open up temporary slots to help care for kids who鈥檇 previously been attending the Head Start program, Pertile said. 

The agency is also looking at the possibility of setting up a mobile food drive for local families in need, and Pertile is planning to provide weekly updates to staff and parents as they learn more.

Even if the shutdown ends tomorrow, it will still take some time to get operations back up and running, she added, noting that many Head Start participants in their rural community don鈥檛 have other options readily available for early learning programs, health checks and meals. 

鈥淭he longer this goes on, the more concerned we get,鈥� Pertile said. 鈥淏ecause we’re such a rural program, there are limited resources鈥hey might be able to do it for a couple weeks, but then they might have to look for something more permanent.鈥�

Looking ahead to next month, grants for another four Michigan Head Start programs will come up for renewal Dec. 1, Bozek said, meaning the financial pressures felt by Gogebic-Ontonagon and eight other programs could soon extend to others across Michigan. 

Losing Head Start options would be 鈥渁 huge hardship鈥� to families whose parents need a safe place for their young children while at work, Bozek said. 

But beyond that, she said, it would put early educators out of work and cut needy families off from a connector for additional resources, including food assistance, health care, and even warm coats for kids as the cold weather creeps in. 

鈥淲hen a Head Start program closes, it impacts the entire community,鈥� Bozek said.

This first appeared on and is republished here under a .

Some Head Start providers in Louisiana have taken out loans to keep operating if the government shutdown stretches into its second month.

At least two organizations 鈥� in the Lafayette area and in New Orleans 鈥� are supposed to receive funding through the federal early-learning program for low-income families on Nov. 1. That money won鈥檛 be distributed if the government remains closed.

Local programs are funded annually, but grants are renewed on different timelines, so the shutdown won鈥檛 be felt equally across the state and country.

Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for 麻豆精品 Newsletter

Nationally, 134 centers serving more than 65,000 kids will run out of federal funds at the end of the month, according to the National Head Start Association.

More than 18,000 kids participate in Head Start programs in Louisiana, though only about 1,300 would be impacted on Nov. 1.

In Alabama, fewer than 1,000 children would be affected, and none in Mississippi. The states hardest hit next month include Florida, Georgia, Missouri, and Ohio.

Prime Time serves approximately 635 kids across four locations in the Lafayette area. Clover, formerly Kingsley House, enrolls about 700 children ages 6 weeks to 5 years in New Orleans.

approved a $650,000 loan to Prime Time, its subsidiary, earlier this month, to maintain services through November. LEH is 鈥減lanning ahead for Dec. 1, the next critical date if the shutdown continues,鈥� the head of both organizations, Miranda Restovic, said in a .

Clover has a line of credit to cover its expenses next month, its spokesperson, Sabrina Written, said, but couldn鈥檛 comment on funding beyond that.

Yolanda Motley, Clover鈥檚 head of early learning, said this is the first time the organization has had to take out a line of credit in its more than 100-year history.

鈥淭his is a very different time for all of us,鈥� Motley said. 鈥淲e are in a dire situation.鈥�

They have enough money to operate through November with 鈥渏ust the basics,鈥� she said. That means no field trips, festivities, staff travel or professional development.

If the shutdown lasts, Motley said she doesn鈥檛 know if Clover can keep providing services into December.

鈥淲e need the shutdown to end,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here are children who won鈥檛 have access to learning. They get three meals a day鈥� our families won鈥檛 be able to go to work. It鈥檚 gonna be a ripple effect.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Louisiana Illuminator maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Greg LaRose for questions: info@lailluminator.com.

The Trump administration that issued full food assistance benefits to their needy residents to “undo” those actions. Officials in more than full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits on Friday before the U.S. Supreme Court halted that action late in the day.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Nov. 8 notice that it wants those SNAP funds taken back is the latest development in a chaotic legal fight playing out during the prolonged government shutdown. Advocates say the delays and ongoing uncertainty are causing severe hardship for the roughly 42 million Americans, including 16 million children, the elderly, veterans and those with disabilities, who rely on SNAP for food.

The states are now warning of 鈥渃atastrophic operational disruptions,” according to , if the federal government does not reimburse them for the money sent to recipients before the high court’s temporary stay was issued and while the USDA was telling states that it “will complete the processes necessary” on Friday to make full SNAP funding available to them.

President Donald Trump initially threatened to withhold SNAP benefits entirely for the month of November and then agreed to release partial benefits 鈥� first putting that number at 50% and then raising it to 65% 鈥� only after being successfully sued by two groups of plaintiffs, including more than 20 states, the District of Columbia and three governors and a coalition of cities, religious groups and nonprofits. The coalition plaintiffs then returned to court to argue that the federal government should be required to fully fund SNAP and a federal judge in Rhode Island agreed, ordering the administration to do so Thursday.

The administration appealed the order to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and when it did not get quick action, petitioned the Supreme Court for a temporary stay. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson . The move gives the circuit court in Boston more time to decide whether the lower court was correct in ordering the Trump administration to not only tap into contingency money set aside to keep SNAP going during government emergencies, but other funding sources needed to deliver benefits at 100%.

More than 42 million Americans who rely on federal food assistance 鈥� 16 million of them children 鈥� will apparently get their full benefits this month, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture memo sent to states Friday.

The , obtained by several news outlets, was the latest pendulum swing in an ongoing legal battle over whether the Trump administration will be forced to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program during the government shutdown.

Lawyers for the administration went before an appeals court Friday to try and overturn an order issued a day earlier by U.S. District Court Judge John McConnell saying it must provide full SNAP benefits by Friday. 

While Patrick Penn, the deputy undersecretary of Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, was informing states that the USDA 鈥渨ill complete the processes necessary to make funds available,鈥� according to the memo, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance were voicing their opposition to complying with the federal court. 

Vanced because 鈥測ou have a federal judge effectively telling us what we have to do in the midst of a Democrat government shutdown.鈥� Trump cited the country鈥檚 need to remain 鈥渧ery liquid鈥� in the event of 鈥渃atastrophes, wars鈥� as a reason why the funding would not be forthcoming.

Gina Plata-Nino, the SNAP program director at , condemned the back-and-forth and the larger dispute that has left vulnerable children and families hanging in the balance.

鈥淚t is unconscionable that the administration is using 42 million Americans as chess pieces that are going hungry,鈥� she said. 鈥淩etailers rely on these benefits, and communities and states are being forced to step up, all because the president is holding back food assistance to use as leverage in ending the government shutdown.鈥�

While the administration was pushing the federal appeals court for a decision by 4 p.m. Friday, several hours later none had been issued. It was unclear what the president might do if the appeals court ruled in its favor. 

Advocates say the continuing legal dispute is wreaking havoc. 

鈥淭his is absolutely devastating,鈥� said Erika Roberson, senior policy associate at The Institute for College Access & Success, a research and advocacy group that addresses issues like food insecurity in secondary education. 鈥淔ood should not be politicized: Everyone has a human right to food.鈥� 

McConnell also said on Thursday that with his previous order to fund SNAP. 

The government agreed last week to a partial payout using U.S. Department of Agriculture contingency monies, but the judge said it must tap $4 billion in additional resources to ensure families receive their full November allotment. 

鈥淧eople have gone without for too long,鈥� McConnell said . 

Ian Coon, spokesman for the Alliance for Education, an independent, local education fund that supports Seattle Public Schools, called the judge鈥檚 initial and subsequent orders to fund SNAP a critical win for families. 

鈥淥ur kids can鈥檛 continue to lose when adults don鈥檛 get along,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he uncertainty and distrust this has already sown will last a while and we are worried about what it will take to get this life-altering benefit back up and running in full.鈥�

His group created an emergency food aid plan that would distribute up to $100 in gift cards to assist families in need. 

鈥淎s an organization committed to advancing educational outcomes,鈥� he added, 鈥渨e know that students cannot focus on learning when they are hungry or when families are forced to make impossible choices between groceries, rent, and other essentials.鈥�

The USDA announced earlier this week that SNAP recipients would receive , up from an estimate of 50% last week. The greater percentage came after Trump to say he would defy the court order and halt SNAP altogether until the government reopened. The White House press secretary later walked back those comments. 

Friday鈥檚 memo was the first indication that the government was willing to fully fund SNAP during what is now the longest government shutdown in history. SNAP benefits have historically not been cut off during prior shutdowns.

Trump鈥檚 landmark , signed into law this summer, eliminated $186 billion from SNAP. Eligibility requirements also grew more stringent, which affects the number of students who automatically qualify for free and reduced-price meals at school and the number of schools that can offer universal free meals to all their students. 

currently provide universal school meals. Voters in Colorado this week approved two ballot measures to preserve the state鈥檚 free school meals program, including one that will .

The South Dakota district has already frozen new classified hires, slashed travel and cut overall spending. But without an expected $18 million in federal Impact Aid funding, she warns, “I have no viable path forward to maintain school operations.” Unwilling to furlough or lay off essential staff 鈥� a move that would simultaneously derail educational continuity and destabilize a community where the school system is a key employer 鈥� the district is attempting to secure a loan to bridge the gap until Impact Aid arrives.

In upstate New York near the U.S. Army鈥檚 Fort Drum, Indian River Central School District Superintendent Troy Decker is dealing with similar problems. The 鈥渨ithholding of Impact Aid, together with military and civilian pay reductions, furloughs and outright job losses has created a noticeable anxiety in our community,鈥� he says. All that, combined with uncertainty around state and federal education budgets, could lead to serious cuts in next year鈥檚 programs and increased class sizes.

The districts are among about 1,100 nationwide, serving 8 million students, that rely on Impact Aid to offset the lost local revenue and increased costs associated with nontaxable federal land, such as military installations; Indian Trust, Treaty, and Alaska Native lands; national parks; and other federal sites. The initial payments typically go out in October, after the start of the federal fiscal year. But the shutdown has stalled all payments and closed the office supporting these districts.

The National Association of Federally Impacted Schools (NAFIS) recently surveyed its members on the effects of the federal government shutdown, now in its fifth week. The response is clear: The situation is urgent, with districts across the country scrambling to meet payroll, maintain programs, and keep schools open.

Unlike most districts, these schools cannot rely on local property taxes for funding. For some, Impact Aid makes up more than half of the budget, covering teacher salaries, special education services, utilities and essential classroom programs.

Delays in federal payments can force these districts 鈥� many serving Native, military-connected, and rural students already facing inequities 鈥� to make difficult decisions. Across the country, districts are drawing on reserves, implementing spending and hiring freezes, and putting infrastructure projects on hold. 

A Wyoming district has eliminated tutoring services, while one in Wisconsin is considering cuts to after-school programming and an Oklahoma district warns that paraprofessionals will be the first to go if payments do not arrive soon. Lonnie Morin, district clerk at Arlee Joint School District in Montana, said her district has stopped all discretionary spending 鈥� including supplies, maintenance and repairs 鈥� and “anything else that is not absolutely necessary to run the school.”

Making matters worse, most staff members in the U.S. Department of Education鈥檚 Impact Aid Program Office have received reduction-in-force notices. These analysts manage payments and provide technical guidance. While the RIF is currently blocked by court order, if it moves forward, their absence could further delay funding once the shutdown ends.

Marking its 75^th anniversary this year, Impact Aid is the nation鈥檚 oldest K-12 federal education program and has earned strong bipartisan support. It is a cornerstone of the federal government鈥檚 responsibility to the communities where it holds land.

 As Jerrod Wheeler, Superintendent of Knob Noster Public Schools in Missouri says, 鈥淚mpact Aid absolutely must be protected for the sake of our military connected students and for the sake of military readiness and retention.鈥� Bryce Anderson, Superintendent of Page Unified School District in Arizona adds, 鈥淢y strongest desire is that political division does not negatively impact communities like ours, [reliant on] the federal government’s promise to pay its fair share for untaxed treaty land.鈥�

Every day of delay forces districts to make impossible choices: cutting programs, laying off staff and leaving children without the resources they need. The federal government must act now to reinstate Impact Aid payments and staff, honoring its promise to support the districts that serve our nation鈥檚 military, tribal, and federal lands 鈥� and the students whose futures depend on it.

This story was originally published by . for their newsletters.

One California Head Start program has closed and three others face imminent closure due to the federal government shutdown, affecting about 1,000 very-low-income children and 270 teachers.聽

The closures would leave families scrambling for child care and teachers without income. The longer the shutdown drags on, the more programs are at risk of shuttering.聽

鈥淟osing a Head Start program has detrimental effects not just on children and families, but also has immense ripple effects on the community,鈥� said Melanee Cottrill, executive director of Head Start California. 鈥淗ead Start is far more than a safe place for children to learn and grow 鈥� it鈥檚 a community hub 鈥� The negative effect on regional employment and the local economy would be felt many times over.鈥澛�

A Head Start program in Santa Cruz County has already closed, upending child care arrangements for hundreds of families.

Encompass Community Services, a Santa Cruz nonprofit, was forced to close all 11 of its Head Start centers on Thursday because no one at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services was available to process the group鈥檚 Nov. 1 grant renewal or send money.

鈥淗ead Start is part of the fabric of this community,鈥� said Elaine Johnson, chair of the Encompass board. 鈥淭his is about babies, children, and families not having access to basic needs.鈥�

The centers, mostly clustered in the farmlands around Watsonville, serve some of the lowest-income families in the region. About 300 children are enrolled in its program.

3,000 children at risk聽

Three more Head Start programs in California 鈥� in Los Angeles, the Central Valley and the far northern part of the state 鈥� also have Nov. 1 grant deadlines and face imminent closure. Another four programs with Dec. 1 deadlines would be the next to shutter if the government shutdown continues.聽

In all, more than 3,000 children and hundreds of teachers at those eight centers would be affected within the next month if Congress fails to adopt a budget.

Nationwide, about 134 programs serving 65,000 children face closure this week due to the shutdown 鈥� with Florida, Georgia, Ohio and Missouri having the of children affected, according to the National Head Start Association. Even if Congress agrees to fund the federal government this week, re-opening would not happen immediately: It could take up to six weeks for the money to reach individual Head Start centers.

Popular and effective

Founded in the mid-1960s, Head Start is a free child care program providing meals and a play-based academic curriculum for children from birth through age 5. Families can get prenatal visits, referrals for medical and dental care, housing and job assistance and other services.聽

To qualify, families must earn below the federal poverty level 鈥� $26,650 a year for a family of three. In California, that bar is very difficult to meet due to the . Last year, the state鈥檚 Head Start centers enrolled about 83,000 children at 1,835 centers.

Head Start, created to give low-income families a boost, has largely been successful: Alumni have higher graduation rates, higher college-going rates and are less likely to live in poverty as adults, .

It鈥檚 also very popular. When President Donald Trump threatened to cut the entire program this past spring, Head Start supporters flooded Congress with urgent pleas to save it from the budget axe. , although other government cuts have left a deep impact on the organization and its families.

Potential cuts to the federal , or SNAP, and Medicaid would have an immediate impact on Head Start families, while other recent cuts have already hampered Head Start鈥檚 day-to-day operations, Cottrill said.

The U.S. Health and Human Services Department, which oversees Head Start, closed half of its regional offices in April, leading to long delays in processing paperwork. For Head Start centers, that鈥檚 meant months-long holdups for routine purchases such as dishwashers, Cottrill said, along with delays related to minor program changes.

Back-up plans

In Santa Cruz, Encompass was able to partner with the Pajaro Valley Unified School District in Watsonville to temporarily provide child care to most of the families enrolled in Head Start, starting next week. But the past few months of budget uncertainty have been nerve-wracking, Kim Morrisson, interim executive director, said.

The organization has been in talks with a slew of state and local agencies to come up with back-up plans for funding the $9-million-a-year program.

鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to roll with the punches and just focus on serving our families,鈥� Morrison said. 鈥淗ead Start is a big, national program. We just can鈥檛 imagine a world where it doesn鈥檛 exist.鈥�

This article was and was republished under the license.

Meanwhile, families 鈥� especially families of color and low-income families 鈥� are left to hold their breath and wonder what this shutdown means for them. As members of Congress keep making their rounds on television, babies still need formula, toddlers still need , children still need breakfast and lunch at school and in their child care programs, and parents still need child care so they can work. Amid extreme stress, families are left, wondering how they will be able to take care of their children.

The demands of children and their families do not stop just because Congress is at a standstill. 

According to , an annual report published by the Urban Institute about federal expenditures, children received only about 9% of all federal spending in 2023, while about 43% of federal spending went toward health and retirement benefits for adults 18 years and older. That鈥檚 a very small percentage for a nation in which politicians on have expressed interest in increased government investment in children. These numbers contradict the narrative that claims children matter because they are our future.

That 9% starts to feel even smaller during a government shutdown. Some programs, like Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare, are mandatory, meaning they don鈥檛 require annual congressional approval. But others, including a number of crucial children鈥檚 programs, such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), are funded through the annual appropriations process, which Congress must approve. This means when lawmakers can鈥檛 agree on a budget, these critical programs are left in limbo.

The fallout on the horizon from this needless dysfunction is becoming clearer.

, the National WIC Association reminded the public that WIC only had enough funds to temporarily remain open during a government shutdown. Now, according to Reuters, at least two dozen state websites warn there could be an for more than 41 million people in America who get aid from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the nearly 7 million people . 

Georgia Machell, president and chief executive officer of the National WIC Association, delivered this sobering news week.

鈥淲ithout additional support, State WIC Agencies face another looming crisis,鈥� she said. 鈥淪everal are set to run out of funds to pay for WIC benefits on November 1 and may need to start making contingency plans.鈥�

Many families in historically marginalized communities, who already face greater barriers to health care, housing and early education, will feel this impact even more sharply. For example, we know that tens of thousands of young children and families rely on vital support received through Head Start, a service that promotes early learning and development, health and well-being. The shutdown is already in its fourth week, and, according to a issued on Oct. 16 from the National Head Start Association, if the government shutdown doesn鈥檛 end by Nov. 1, more than 65,000 children and families will be at risk of losing critical services. 

A missed doctor鈥檚 appointment, a delay in SNAP benefits or a gap in child care isn鈥檛 just inconvenient. It can destabilize a family and hinder a child鈥檚 development, especially in the classroom.

A research brief by The Food Research & Action Center highlighted the links between hunger and learning, stating that 鈥渂ehavioral, emotional, mental health, and academic problems are more prevalent among children and adolescents struggling with hunger鈥� and that young people experiencing hunger have lower math scores and poorer grades. The shutdown will have real and lasting consequences on the learning, development and well-being of America鈥檚 children because these programs are being impacted.

It鈥檚 frustrating to watch lawmakers stand at podiums and declare how much they care about children while their actions 鈥� or inaction 鈥� puts children at risk. 

Words don鈥檛 put food on the table. Words don鈥檛 pay rent. But actions do. 

And right now, the actions coming out of Congress are sending an unfortunate message to families: protecting children is not the priority.

If children truly are our future, then they cannot be treated as bargaining chips. Children deserve more than 9% of America鈥檚 federal spending budget. We need federal budgets that reflect children鈥檚 needs and protection for essential services. Critical programs that protect child health and well-being should never be disrupted by a government shutdown.

Finally, Americans deserve government accountability. Policymakers should be held responsible for their words and actions, especially when they fail to deliver on the promises they make about protecting children.

Children cannot wait. They are growing, learning and developing right now. The choices we make as a country today will shape their tomorrow.

But this Monday, she won鈥檛 have a classroom to go to.

That鈥檚 because the ongoing government shutdown has forced her Highland County, Ohio, program to shutter, impacting 177 kids and 45 staffers. Across the state, at least three providers will close their doors, cutting off services to at least 1,000 young children and employment to 286 Head Start workers.

And Ohio is not alone. In all, 134 programs across 41 states and Puerto Rico serving are at risk of closing Monday morning as federal funds expire this weekend. Since the beginning of October, an additional six Head Start programs serving 6,525 children in Florida, South Carolina and Alabama have been operating without federal funding, drawing on emergency local resources to keep their doors open.聽

In total, these approximately 65,000 kids account for close to 10% of all of those served by the early learning and child care program for lower-income families.

News of their Head Start program鈥檚 closure has hit Price鈥檚 community in the Appalachia foothills particularly hard.

鈥淚 had a parent come up and grab me and hug me and she cried and I cried,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou know, a lot of parents really rely on our program. It’s pretty much invaluable in our county.鈥�

Sarah Allen’s family is among those feeling the pain. Her 3-year-old daughter Hallie attends Head Start while Allen, a former Head Start teacher herself, works on obtaining her state teaching license and substitute teaches at the local school to make extra money. Her husband is a firefighter.

Starting next week, they鈥檒l both have to work fewer hours to stay home with Hallie, creating financial hardship for the family.

鈥淚 can鈥檛 work if I don鈥檛 have a babysitter and prices keep going up for everything 鈥� and food costs are crazy,鈥� said Allen, who is also worried about the interruption to her daughter鈥檚 education.

Many Head Start families could face a double blow, losing access to the program and food assistance on the same day, with funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, set to run out Saturday as well. An infusion of contingency funding from the White House earlier this month for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, also known as WIC, is expected

About 50 miles south of Highland, right along the Ohio river, sits Scioto County, another Appalachian stretch, parts of it so rural that some communities don鈥檛 have stop lights. Come Monday morning, Head Start classrooms across 10 centers in the region 鈥� serving 400 early learners and infants 鈥� will shut down and all 100 staff members, 60% of whom are former Head Start parents, will be furloughed. 

Communities in , leaving many kids to be raised by grandparents or other family members, who are heavily reliant on Head Start programming, said Sarah Sloan, early childhood director of the county鈥檚 Community Action Organization. Other parents are in recovery themselves, she added, and lean on Head Start to provide a safe and stable place for their kids.

Their programming is where families already under stress come to get help, she said. 

Despite this, the reception to the grim news that classrooms would close 鈥� from both families and staff 鈥� 鈥漢as just been so generous,鈥� Sloan said Wednesday, her voice cracking.

鈥淚 have not heard one negative word from our parents. They have said things like, 鈥榃e are in this together. We understand. We hate it for your staff. We’re worried.鈥欌��

Some states find last-minute funding, others don鈥檛

麻豆精品 spoke with over a dozen Head Start Association presidents, providers, teachers and parents in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Missouri, Ohio and Washington, the six states with the largest number of seats at risk.

Some states, such as Ohio and Washington, are bracing for imminent closures, but others, such as Missouri and most of Georgia, have been able to access other sources of funding, giving them a runway of a week or two. This means that where a young child lives will determine whether or not they have a staffed classroom in a few days and if their families can access the range of other resources Head Start offers, from health care services to parenting courses.

While each state faces it own challenges, a few universal themes emerged: an assertion that even if local Head Start organizations are able to scrape together enough funding to keep their doors open, it will only be temporary, extending access for a few days or weeks; fear that the borrowed funds to stay operational may not be reimbursed once the federal government reopens; and concern that low-income families will lose access to food assistance at the same time. 

Head Start, which turned 60 this year, provides children at least two meals a day. All of this is setting off alarm bells about the unprecedented nature of the government crisis and the devastating effect it will likely have on the country’s most vulnerable families.

They will begin feeling the blowback from D.C. this weekend, as some parents are forced to choose between caring for their kids and showing up for work.

Funding for Head Start is complex. Some 80% comes from federal grants that are released to local providers on a staggered schedule throughout the year. Grant recipients with funding deadlines on the first of October and November are now scrambling, as the second-longest federal shutdown in history heads into its fourth week.

While there this week, Senate Republicans and Democrats have repeatedly failed to come to an agreement on a funding bill. Democrats are that have allowed millions of people to access health care since the pandemic, while Republicans say they won鈥檛 negotiate until Congress passes a bill to reopen the government. 

President Donald Trump has with cuts so far, though interruptions to Head Start funding would impact thousands of families across the political spectrum, with some of the severest programming losses falling on red states.

This has all compounded existing financial strain on local programs, many of which have struggled to hire and retain teachers, according to the National Head Start Association. It also follows multiple funding threats and deep staffing cuts by the Trump administration that have plunged Head Start programs across the country into chaos and uncertainty this year. 

鈥楾hese are actual people鈥�

No state has more seats at risk than Florida, with 9,711. While the majority of centers across the state will be able to remain open through the first two weeks of November, at least one program in West Palm Beach serving children of migrant families and seasonal workers will be forced to shutter this weekend, according to Wanda Minick, executive director of the Florida Head Start Association. The closure will impact 386 children and 283 staff across six centers, she said.

Minick wants Congress and the president to understand, 鈥淭hese are not just data points. These are actual people.鈥�

In neighboring Georgia, policymakers were preparing to potentially close centers serving 6,499 children and infants, until a last-minute, bridge loan from The Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta鈥檚 Impact Investing Fund came through The $8 million means that three major providers, serving 5,800 kids, will remain open for at least 45 days, though that leaves hundreds of others throughout the state still in a lurch. 

Juanita Yancey, executive officer of the Georgia Head Start Association, expressed her gratitude for the money while emphasizing that it鈥檚 only a stopgap measure.

鈥淭ime is running out,鈥� she said. 鈥淧rograms are doing everything possible to keep their doors open, but they cannot run a program on reserves or goodwill. Every day of inaction is another day of uncertainty for families who count on Head Start services.鈥�

鈥淭his shutdown is pushing programs to the breaking point when children and families can least afford it,鈥� she added.

The bulk of Head Start seats in Missouri also appear to be safe 鈥� at least for now, according to Kasey Lawson, director of the Mid-America Regional Council, which serves 2,350 kids across 17 providers. Though that still leaves about 1,500 seats unaccounted for. 

For Lawson鈥檚 17 providers, the choice to remain open is both temporary and a risk, she said, since the centers don鈥檛 have that money 鈥渏ust sitting in the bank,鈥� and they fear they won鈥檛 receive backpay once the federal government does reopen.

Lawson said they鈥檝e asked legislators, members of Congress and the federal Office of Head Start, which is under the Department of Health and Human Services, to guarantee reimbursement as they have in the past, yet 鈥渘obody’s willing to do that. And so it is the reality of where we sit right now, that it is a true risk that all of our agencies are taking.鈥�

And even though most Head Start families in Missouri will have a place to send their kids Monday morning, many may still face a significant burden as at least 1,100 rely on expiring SNAP benefits.

In North Carolina, where 4,697 seats are at risk, at least one center will be forced to close this Friday, said Terry David, president of the state鈥檚 Head Start Association. Classrooms that are based in the local school district should be able to remain open through the end of the calendar year, he said, but that only accounts for about 140 kids.

Across the country, in Washington state, at least one program in the city of Vancouver, which serves at least 175 kids, will close this weekend. Another in the same region, The Margaret Selway Early Learning Center, will remain open through Nov. 7, but each day beyond that is uncertain, according to Nancy Trevena, chief strategy officer at the Educational Opportunities for Children and Families.

Kimberly Gusey鈥檚 foster son, Ranger, is a student at Margaret Selway and is especially dependent on Head Start services. The program was able to secure a one-to-one certified nursing assistant for Ranger, who has cerebral palsy, is nonverbal and is fed through a G-tube. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing,鈥� Gusey said, her voice breaking. 鈥淚t brings me to tears how much they鈥檝e done for us.鈥�

If the program closes next week, Gusey鈥檚 husband will have to quit his job as a mechanic to care for Ranger.

鈥淲e鈥檙e talking a large amount of money not coming into our home, but we鈥檙e willing to do that because we love these children,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut in so many ways it affects us. Not [just] the pocketbook. The routines for the kids. The routines for us. Everything is affected by this.鈥�

The 49% of families who reported not being able to access these necessities 鈥� including food, housing, utilities and child care 鈥� marks a 13 percentage-point jump since June and one of the highest rates recorded since the began collecting data in 2020. 

The economic struggles were paired with significant emotional distress among parents, including anxiety and depression. 

鈥淲e’re really seeing for the first time rates that are this high,鈥� said Philip Fisher, director of the early childhood center, which runs the monthly data collection. 鈥淣ever 鈥� even during the midst of the pandemic 鈥� have we seen anything like this 鈥� And the fact that it’s now going into its third month where we see rates around this high suggests that it’s not a one-time anomaly.鈥�

The numbers are a warning sign for the state of families鈥� financial well-being writ large, he noted.

鈥淲e’re talking about half of families now that are saying, 鈥業 can’t afford child care,鈥� or 鈥業’m skipping meals in order to feed my kids,鈥欌�� he added. 鈥淎nd that should be of concern, regardless of your political affiliation or where you live.鈥�

While the latest data is from Sept. 1, more detailed research is available for the month of July. In response to open-ended questions posed that month, parents expressed significant anxiety and upset.

鈥淓very bill feels heavier than the last,鈥� wrote one Tennessee parent. 鈥淚t鈥檚 exhausting to live like this. We鈥檙e not asking for luxury, we just want to be able to meet our basic needs without constant fear.鈥�

鈥淎 huge portion of our monthly budget goes just to keeping a roof over our heads, leaving very little for savings, groceries, transportation, or emergencies,鈥� said one Florida parent. 鈥淭he pressure to stay housed is constant, and it forces tough trade-offs, sometimes delaying bills, cutting back on essentials, or skipping activities for the kids.鈥�

An Oklahoma parent cited the cost of baby diapers and formula as their biggest concern, while another in Alabama wrote about the rising cost of utilities.

The three-month period between June and September marked the highest rates of material hardship for parents since the survey鈥檚 inception, with a record 56% reporting at least one basic necessity being out of reach or difficult to access in August. Since the pandemic started, at least a quarter of families have reported living with this challenge every month.

The spring and summer of 2021 saw a drop in these rates. Fisher said this coincided with the majority of the pandemic relief efforts, including the expanded Child Tax Credit, which increased the maximum credit amount, widened the scope of coverage to include 17-year- olds and allowed some people to receive monthly advance payments. The expansion was credited with cutting child poverty rates nearly

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act approved by Congress and signed by President Trump this summer increased the maximum credit amount though it also cuts other benefits for lower-income families.

The most recent survey numbers were recorded before the ongoing government shutdown began earlier this month, which experts warn will likely exacerbate the pain families were already feeling. Advocates are particularly concerned about programs such as Head Start, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, also known as WIC, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, all of which may be at risk if the shutdown continues. 

Several states have that families may lose access to SNAP and funding for 65,000 Head Start seats is in jeopardy if the three-week-old shutdown drags into November.

And even once the government re-opens, many of these challenges will persist, according to Amy Matsui, vice president of Income Security and Child Care at the National Women鈥檚 Law Center.

鈥淏etween the ongoing increase in housing costs and the cost of living, the aggravating impact of tariff policies, we really are seeing everyday costs for families continuing to increase, and it鈥檚 really putting women and children in an impossible situation,鈥� she said.

Matsui also emphasized the extraordinary cost of child care, noting that this administration鈥檚 鈥渟ustained attacks鈥� on programs such as Head Start have only added to this stressor.

Fisher warned that high levels of fiscal strain among parents can lead to a 鈥渃hain reaction of hardship,鈥� which ultimately trickles down to kids.

Indeed in July, about 3 in 4 parents surveyed said their kids were also experiencing emotional distress. Chronic anxiety in kids can have long-term effects on their learning, relationships and health.

鈥淲e know uncertainty and instability for families is very destabilizing and very, very stressful, particularly with young children,鈥� said Ruth Friedman, senior fellow at The Century Foundation and former director of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Child Care.

鈥淚f parents’ economic conditions are uncertain and more challenging,鈥� she added, 鈥渢hat absolutely has an impact on children’s development and well-being both in the short term, and beyond.鈥�

This accounts for close to 10% of all of those served by the early learning programs for lower-income families. 

Due to the timing of federal grants, six Head Start programs serving 6,525 children in Florida, South Carolina and Alabama are already operating without federal funding, the association said. So far, they鈥檝e been able to keep their doors open by drawing on emergency local resources, but that money could soon dry up.  

By Nov. 1, an additional 134 programs across 41 states and Puerto Rico, serving 58,627 children, will face the same fate. In Florida alone, 9,711 Head Start and Early Head Start seats are threatened.

鈥淧rograms are scrambling,鈥� said Tommy Sheridan, deputy director of the National Head Start Association. 鈥淲e don’t want to see our children become the victims or [get] caught in the crosshairs of these types of political fights.鈥�

Katie Hamm, former deputy assistant secretary for early childhood development under President Joe Biden, called it a significant threat and 鈥渢he latest attack in a series of attacks on Head Start鈥� since President Donald Trump took office for a second time in January.

鈥淲hat we don’t know is who’s going to have to close immediately, but some will,鈥� Hamm told 麻豆精品 Friday, noting the damaging impact closures would have on some of the nation鈥檚 most vulnerable children and their families.

Sheridan expressed similar fears: 鈥渓osing that type of routine, which is so critical for young children 鈥� especially young children who have so much going on in their lives 鈥� is really problematic for their development.鈥�

鈥淏eyond that,鈥� he said, 鈥渋t鈥檚 going to force parents into making some really tough decisions.”

Head Start parents often work multiple jobs, yet still live under the federal poverty line and so are unable to afford other sources of child care and early learning. If the shutdown continues, Sheridan said, some may have to leave the workforce to care for their kids themselves.

The government shutdown has now dragged into its third week, after Senate Republicans and Democrats have repeatedly failed to come to an agreement on a funding bill. Democrats are that have allowed millions of people to access health care since the pandemic, while Republicans say they won鈥檛 negotiate until Congress passes a bill to reopen the government. 

President Donald Trump has with cuts so far, though interruptions to Head Start funding would impact thousands of families across the political spectrum. For example, in alone, just over 3,700 children are in jeopardy of losing services as of Nov. 1.

This has all compounded existing financial strain on local programs, many of which have struggled to hire and retain teachers, according to the national association. It also follows multiple funding threats and deep staffing cuts by the Trump administration that have plunged Head Start programs across the country into chaos and uncertainty this year. 

The administration froze 鈥� then quickly unfroze, then delayed 鈥� grant funding, shuttered five regional offices and fired scores of employees. They also grant recipients that funding would be denied for any programming that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, without defining what that might include 鈥� leading to confusion and a lawsuit. 

Then, in July, the administration announced a drastic federal policy shift that would bar many immigrant families from the early education centers. In September, a Seattle judge ruled that these kids can remain in Head Start programs throughout the country, while a case challenging Trump鈥檚 order makes its way through the courts.

The Department of Health and Human Services, which houses the Office of Head Start, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Hamm emphasized that cuts to Head Start services would have a ripple effect across communities, especially rural ones for whom the program may be the only early learning program available as well as a relied-upon contributor to the local economy.

And once a program closes, it can鈥檛 always quickly re-open, as laid off staff may be forced to find employment elsewhere.

鈥淗ead Start is not a light switch,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou can’t just turn it off and then two weeks later open it back up.鈥�

Since its inception in the 1960s, Head Start programs have reached and their families, the majority of whom meet federal low-income guidelines. the $12.1 billion program served about 754,800 children from birth to age 5, as well as pregnant mothers and their families in urban, suburban and rural areas in all 50 states and six territories.

They also connect families to community and federal assistance and can help provide a career pathway for parents into early child care and education. The 1,600 local agencies are funded by the federal government, though many also tap into state and local revenue sources.

Historically during shutdowns, Head Start agencies were able to take out loans or dip into reserve funding with confidence that they鈥檇 be reimbursed once the government re-opened. While Hamm said she doesn鈥檛 have any reason to believe this administration will change that policy, 鈥渢he way that they have been targeting certain programs and federal staff is leading people to worry,鈥� including banks that have in the past acted as lenders. 

Compounding this anxiety is a concern around other programs that Head Start families often rely on, such as Medicaid; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, also known as WIC; and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP.

Despite these hurdles, Sheridan said the Head Start community has really rallied to try and protect and support kids. That being said, the coming challenges are “really disheartening, because children and families should never be put at risk because of political gridlock.鈥�

April Perez was 22 years old when she had her first daughter. Enrolling in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, commonly known as WIC, was a lifesaver. 鈥淲ith her being my first child,鈥� she said, 鈥淚 was still finding my way through motherhood.鈥� The program helped her access healthy foods for her family, get formula when she wasn鈥檛 able to produce enough breastmilk to breastfeed her daughter, and even get a referral to sign up her daughter, now 4 years old, for health insurance.

WIC provides food, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and health care referrals to low-income mothers and young children ages 5 and under. Perez said the benefits for formula and foods like milk, fruit and vegetables alleviated some of the financial pressure around her transition to motherhood. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have to stress about whether I was going to feed her or not,鈥� she said. The benefits also made it possible for Perez and her husband to save up for their own apartment and move out of the friend鈥檚 house they were staying in. 

Perez鈥檚 husband works long days in construction, but she doesn鈥檛 work due to a number of health issues. She has cerebral palsy, which makes it hard for her to stand, use her arms and hands, or sometimes even walk, and hydrocephalus. WIC benefits help keep her family afloat. Perez, who lives in Virginia, now has two more daughters, a 3-year-old and a 3-month-old, and all three of her children are enrolled in WIC. Her 3-year-old, who has been diagnosed with autism, is very particular about food given her sensory sensitivities, but Perez is able to get her plenty of milk, bananas and other foods she likes with her WIC benefits. 鈥淚t gives me peace of mind for my kid,鈥� she said. Her infant, meanwhile, needs a special formula because she has acid reflux, which she said would cost her $50 if she didn鈥檛 get it through WIC.

But the government shutdown has now put the WIC program at risk. Unlike Social Security, WIC isn鈥檛 an entitlement program, so it relies on Congress to appropriate money every year, but Congress wasn鈥檛 able to pass bills funding the government before the fiscal year lapsed on September 30. The program is on funds, operating mostly on a contingency fund of , which is , as the shutdown continues. 

Federal funds would likely have lasted just two weeks from the start of the shutdown, estimated Zo毛 Neuberger, a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Then on Oct. 7, the Trump administration it had found a 鈥渃reative solution鈥� to use tariff revenue to keep federal WIC funding flowing. In a briefing for Congressional staffers three days later, the administration said it would about $300 million in unused tariff revenue into WIC, allowing it to continue until the end of October.

After federal funding is gone, states will have to use their own money if they want to keep the program going and try to get the federal government to pay them back when it reopens. The administration recently sent states an email saying that if they use their own funds for WIC allowable purposes they may be reimbursed, according to Neuberger and the National WIC Association. But 鈥渢here isn鈥檛 a guarantee鈥� of reimbursement, Neuberger noted, and 鈥渋t would be helpful to have assurances.鈥� 

States have used their funds to keep WIC going in past shutdowns, and some plan to do so now. Colorado lawmakers a bill to fund the program for a month in the event of a shutdown, and the governors of and Montana have that they鈥檒l keep their programs running for the near term. But not every state currently has that capacity.

While Mississippi not to disrupt benefits for current recipients, the state has suspended enrolling new ones. The Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada WIC, which serves Nevada鈥檚 Native tribes and is open to all of the state鈥檚 residents, announced that it would benefits starting on Oct. 9, but then unspent federal recovery funds that allowed it to stay open through the end of October. Similarly, Washington state officials they don鈥檛 have the money to keep WIC open, but also federal funding on Oct. 9 that allows the state program to keep operating through the end of the month. If the shutdown drags on longer than that, states in similar situations will either have to stop enrolling new families to stretch their funds or risk having to cut off benefits entirely.

Losing benefits would be devastating for parents like Ashely Gooden-Stewart, a mother of three from Texas. She first enrolled in WIC in 2014, when her first baby, who died as an infant, was born. She enrolled when each of her other children were born and is currently receiving benefits for her 1-year-old. Gooden-Stewart works remotely on a contract basis, but the work is seasonal and spotty. She said she doesn鈥檛 have any current projects and doesn鈥檛 expect to before the end of the month, but in order to get a full-time job she needs child care, which she cannot afford. 

WIC helps fill in the gaps. 鈥淓ggs is expensive, milk is expensive, life is expensive,鈥� Gooden-Stewart said. Her family relies on getting those staples through the program. If these benefits dry up, 鈥淲e would have to go with less,鈥� she said. 

The educational aspects of WIC are also very valuable to her. She said the breastfeeding classes are 鈥渋ncredible鈥� and the classes on child development milestones, which she currently attends, have been very useful. 鈥淎lthough I鈥檝e been a mother for years, it鈥檚 different each time,鈥� she said. She loves the cooking classes that are offered, which help her discover more ways to incorporate vegetables into her family鈥檚 meals. 鈥淚t helps our family eat healthier,鈥� she said, adding that losing access to these classes would be 鈥渄etrimental.鈥� 

The uncertainty of the shutdown itself may be disrupting benefits for some people by making them hesitate to enroll. 鈥淛ust the news about a shutdown or WIC possibly being affected leads people to not get benefits that they need,鈥� Neuberger noted. And even after the government eventually reopens, WIC鈥檚 future remains uncertain. The program still has to be funded for the next year, and it鈥檚 unclear if it will get enough money to keep operating as it has been. In his , President Trump called for a significant cut to WIC鈥檚 fruit and vegetable benefits, which would between 62% to 75% for 5.2 million participants, according to an analysis by the Center on Budget Policy and Priorities (CBPP). 

Although the Republican-led House proposed a smaller cut to the fruit and vegetable benefits in its latest appropriations bill, the proposal still calls for a reduction and doesn鈥檛 include enough funding to keep serving everyone that is likely to enroll over the next year. Under the proposal, recipients would see a reduction in their food benefits and states would have to turn away nearly a half million eligible families, according to a . The Senate Agriculture Appropriations , by contrast, fully funds WIC. Congressional Democrats, meanwhile, have a bill that would make WIC a mandatory program, sparing it from running out of money during a government shutdown or if enrollment surges more than expected.

There is also that if an agreement to reopen the government doesn鈥檛 include guardrails that ensure that the Trump administration actually spends the money Congress appropriates as is the law, WIC could be cut through measures the administration to withhold funding for other programs, such as impoundment and rescission. With higher enrollment from eligible families and rising food costs, WIC is in need of more funding than in past years to continue serving all eligible participants who enroll.

If WIC benefits are disrupted, Perez鈥檚 family will feel the impact immediately. 鈥淚t scares me,鈥� Perez said. Her family receives food stamps, but with food prices so high, 鈥渋t only lasts me for one week,鈥� she said. Perez knows she can鈥檛 work, and she doesn鈥檛 have child care, but she said that if WIC funding runs short in the shutdown, she might be forced to find some kind of job to make ends meet. The only alternative would be for her husband, who already works from 6 a.m. into the evening, to get a second job during night hours. She worries about how that would impact her children, especially her daughter with autism who doesn鈥檛 do well with change.

They might even have to move. Perez fears that if their WIC benefits are interrupted, her family may not be able to afford their monthly rent of $1,650 on top of utilities, internet and car payments. 

Growing up, Perez said she watched her parents go without food so she and her siblings could eat. WIC benefits have meant she hasn鈥檛 yet had to do the same. But that will change if WIC鈥檚 food benefits disappear. 鈥淭he thought of that happening 鈥� and me having to do that for my kids 鈥� that hurts,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he thought of having to worry about that is scary. I don鈥檛 want to have to worry about if I鈥檓 going to be able to feed my kids or not.鈥�

鈥淸If] I wasn鈥檛 able to take care of my kids like I want to,鈥� Perez said, 鈥渢hat would really make me disappointed in this country.鈥�

WASHINGTON 鈥� As Congress barrels toward a partial government shutdown, the White House Monday warned that a program that helps millions of low-income families afford healthy food could see substantial cuts.

The White House released a , estimating that nearly 7 million people who rely on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, also known as WIC, could be at risk of losing funds to purchase select food and receive vouchers for vegetables and fruit.

The program provides financial support for those who are low-income and pregnant or nursing, as well as for children up to 5 years old.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said during a Monday White House briefing that WIC recipients could feel the impact of the shutdown within days.

鈥淢illions of those moms, (babies) and young children would see a lack of nutrition assistance,鈥� he said.

Vilsack, Iowa鈥檚 former governor, said some states have leftover WIC benefits and 鈥渃ould extend (WIC) for a week or so.鈥�

鈥淭he vast majority of WIC participants would see an immediate reduction and elimination of those benefits, which means the nutrition assistance that鈥檚 provided would not be available,鈥� he said.

For example, in Alabama, about 112,000 WIC recipients could lose their benefits, and in Florida, more than 421,000 as well. In Michigan, more than 207,000 recipients could lose their WIC benefits and in North Carolina, it鈥檚 more than 268,000 WIC recipients.

Additionally, new eligible participants could face a backlog.

鈥淲ithout the urgent investment of additional funds, state WIC offices could soon be forced to consider waiting lists for prospective participants 鈥� a drastic step not seen in nearly 30 years,鈥� Kate Franken, board chair of the National WIC Association, which is the non-profit advocacy arm of WIC, said in a statement.

The impending shutdown comes after President Joe Biden with Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy earlier this year to raise the debt ceiling. set maximum spending levels for the next fiscal year.

However, none of the 12 appropriations bills has been passed by the House, and a handful of far-right Republicans are , even if it means a partial government shutdown.

鈥淗ouse Republicans have turned their backs on the bipartisan budget deal that a large majority of them voted for just a few months ago and proposed a continuing resolution (CR) that makes devastating cuts to programs that millions of hardworking Americans count on,鈥� the White House said in a press release.

A continuing resolution, or CR, is regularly used to keep the government funded for weeks or a couple of months while the House and Senate finish work on the 12 annual spending bills.

Without a CR by Saturday, the end of the fiscal year, a partial shutdown will occur and programs that have discretionary funding, like WIC, will lapse.

Funding for WIC is not mandatory spending, meaning the program won鈥檛 be automatically funded regardless of a government shutdown. It鈥檚 funded through the Agriculture appropriations bill, which has not been passed by Congress.

The White House criticized the Agriculture appropriations bill the House passed out of its committee that did not include the supplemental funding the Biden administration requested.

鈥淲ithout the Administration鈥檚 funding request, states could soon be forced to institute waiting lists for WIC, causing mothers and children to lose access to the vital nutrition assistance,鈥� the White House said.

WIC funding is distributed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture鈥檚 Food and Nutrition Service to states through a formula. The share of eligible people who participate in WIC can vary between states 鈥� California, Massachusetts, and Minnesota, have a coverage rate for WIC by over 60%.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Arkansas Advocate maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sonny Albarado for questions: info@arkansasadvocate.com. Follow Arkansas Advocate on and .

In a key step toward coronavirus vaccine access for over 28 million U.S. children, Pfizer-BioNTech Thursday morning that they have submitted their formal request to federal regulators for authorization to deliver shots to youth ages 5 to 11.

The move comes after the pharmaceutical companies announced positive topline results among that age group in clinical trials in late September. The testing regimen delivered two reduced-potency doses to more than 2,000 youngsters, producing a 鈥渞obust鈥� antibody response, including immunity and side effects comparable to that produced by the larger dose in 16- to 25-year-old patients.聽

Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for 麻豆精品 Newsletter

鈥淲ith new cases in children in the U.S. continuing to be at a high level, this submission is an important step in our ongoing effort against COVID-19,鈥� Pfizer Thursday.

The Food and Drug Administration has an Oct. 26 advisory committee meeting to review Pfizer-BioNTech鈥檚 request to expand authorization to younger children.聽

Pressed on what issues will be on the table during that meeting and how soon afterward authorization might be granted, a spokesperson responded to 麻豆精品 that the 鈥淔DA cannot comment on its interactions with manufacturers about their investigational products.鈥�

Should the review process follow a similar timeline as it did for 12- to 15-year olds, which stretched just over a month from an April 9 submission to a May 10 authorization, children ages 5 to 11 could receive the greenlight for COVID immunizations by early- to mid-November, sometime between Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Meanwhile, schools are facing a third straight school year disrupted by the virus, which as of last week had even as cases overall have begun to fall. As of Sunday, outbreaks had triggered some across 561 districts since buildings opened their doors for the 2021-22 school year, according to the website Burbio, which has tracked school policies and schedules through the pandemic.

Although children rarely fall seriously ill from the virus, the Delta variant has driven up caseloads among unvaccinated Americans, including youth. Last week, over 173,000 pediatric cases were reported, accounting for nationwide, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Vaccines are currently authorized for youth ages 12 to 15, and fully approved for those 16 and up. As of Sept. 29, of 12- to 17-year olds in the U.S. had received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the pediatrics academy, while of adults 18 and older are fully vaccinated.

Youth immunization rates, however, vary greatly by locale. In 10 states, ages 12 to 17 have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while in 21 states, the same is true for less than half of youth that age.

Last week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that for all eligible students in the state, though the rule will likely not go into effect until July 2022.

Some districts have moved to implement more immediate mandates for children ages 12 and up including Los Angeles, Oakland and Culver City, all in California; and Hoboken, New Jersey. Washington D.C. is also that would require all students to be fully immunized against the virus by Dec. 15.

Though it may prove a challenge to persuade the parents of K-12 students to receive vaccinations in some districts, COVID shots are the most effective way to defend children against the virus, Benjamin Linas, professor of medicine at Boston University, told 麻豆精品 last month.

鈥淲ith the vaccine, you鈥檙e very well protected from the bad outcomes.鈥�