A group of Head Start program leaders and advocates in San Mateo County warned that some local child care centers may have to close classrooms next year if Congress doesn’t end the federal government shutdown and restore funding for the early education programs.
In a series of speeches at the Izzi Early Education school in South San Francisco, Rep. Kevin Mullin, D-San Mateo, stood alongside Bay Area Head Start leaders Thursday to highlight the importance of accessible early childhood education and child care, and to call on Congress to craft a bipartisan deal to reopen the federal government and restore funding for Head Start programs.
“There is no better public investment than tax dollars spent on early childhood education,” Mullin said. “Child care is the backbone of our economy. Without it, parents are unable to work and thousands of jobs are lost.”
Head Start is a federally funded program that provides early childhood education, health and family support to low-income families and their children ages 5 and under. On Monday, the National Head Start Association warned that if the government shutdown extends past Nov. 1, an additional 134 Head Start programs across the country were at risk of closing, impacting about 65,000 children and families.
In San Mateo County, Head Start program leaders said some of their grant funding for renovation and expansion plans was paused because of the government shutdown. If the shutdown lasts until next year and funding for local centers dries up, some leaders said they might have to close classrooms.
“We have two months to figure out how we’re going to keep our classrooms open,” said Heather Cleary, CEO of Peninsula Family Service, which serves about 400 children and families in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. The organization’s funding for its Head Start programs renews Jan. 1, she said.
“We want everybody to be able to go to work and support their families, so our goal is to keep our classrooms open, but we have some tough decisions ahead if the government doesn’t reopen,” Cleary added.
Angel Barrios, executive director of Izzi Early Education, which serves more than 600 children at its 10 facilities across San Mateo County, said a prolonged government shutdown would impact the organization’s ability to expand its services.
The shutdown has delayed approval from the Department of Health and Human Services for a $1.2 million funding request from Izzi Early Education to complete renovations for a new infant and toddler classroom, a teaching facility and an office, Barrios said.
“Every child deserves a chance to thrive, no matter their family’s income or ZIP code,” Barrios said. “Preserving Head Start means preserving hope, access and opportunity for our children, for families and for the future of our communities.”
Veronica Guzman, whose child attended a Head Start program at Izzi in 2015, said the program not only provided services to her son, but she also benefited from it. A single mother at the time, Guzman completed her bachelor’s degree while working at Izzi as a parent ambassador.
“I felt supported, not just for my child’s development, but for my own growth as a parent and as an individual,” Guzman said.