Federal shutdown threatens Sheboygan Head Start program, others statewide

Federal shutdown threatens Head Start

A federal government shutdown now stretching into 30 days is putting early childhood education programs at risk in Wisconsin, including Head Start in Sheboygan County.

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. - A federal government shutdown now stretching into 30 days is putting early childhood education programs at risk in Wisconsin, including Head Start in Sheboygan County.

What we know:

Cars once lined 11th Street for after-school pickup outside the local Head Start facility, but parents say those playgrounds could be empty by mid-November.

Head Start is a federally funded early childhood program serving low-income families. 

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Local perspective:

"I’m very surprised that something like that would be shut down," said Sheboygan parent Jacqueline Barry, who has family members who attended the program and plans for her youngest son to enroll soon. "I think it’s very crucial for those parents, myself, my youngest son will be going into Head Start soon. I work from home, I work full-time."

On Thursday, Gov. Tony Evers said that the shutdown is forcing service pauses at several Wisconsin Head Start locations starting in November, including Sheboygan, and warned that more could follow.

"I feel like it’s going to be bad on my end because I’m a single mother and I do depend on child care, day care," said Nicole Jackson of Sheboygan.

Big picture view:

The governor’s office said nearly 300 Wisconsin children and more than 80 staff members across Wisconsin will be affected by the disruption, with employees left without paychecks.

Sheboygan Mayor Ryan Sorenson provided the following statement:

"The ongoing federal government shutdown has created significant uncertainty for the Head Start program and toddlers, children and families it serves. We are feeling the impact at home. Without funding, centers face interruptions in vital early childhood education, nutrition, and family support services. These services not only impact children’s learning and development but also place additional strain on working families who rely on Head Start for consistent care and support right here in Sheboygan. Congress needs to do its job and open up the government and support the kids in our community."

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Jackson urged optimism despite the uncertainty.

"I would just say let’s all be hopeful, hopefully the shutdown ends soon," she said.

Dig deeper:

Evers said the Sheboygan Head Start service pause will begin Nov. 14. In the meantime, staff are working to secure local funding in hopes of avoiding closure.

"Everybody needs to stand together," said Barry. "We all need to come to one thought process, one initiative when it comes to something like this, when it comes to the future of our children."