By Senior Correspondent Desirée Taylor
NJ Today
Despite signs of hope out of Washington that federal funding could be available soon for Head Start programs, parents in Cliffside Park remain worried about the potential impact of the partial government shutdown.
“It actually concerns me and a lot of the citizens of Cliffside Park because it affects the education of the children. So because of the government shutting down, we don’t know who might not be able to attend school and who will. So it’s a big risk,” said mother Sue Roman.
Head Start officials share her concern. Robert Halsch is the executive director of Greater Bergen Community Action, which serves 600 low-income children in Bergen County and 700 in Paterson.
“While we bring in private investment into the organization, without federal funding, Head Start will fall apart. If this isn’t resolved by Dec. 1, we will be letting children go from the program. The first cut would probably involve 700 children in the city of Paterson,” Halsch said.
Halsch says these are children who come from low-income families who depend on the Head Start program to educate, feed and keep their kids healthy and safe.
“These are parents who could not afford these services otherwise. It transforms their lives and it transforms the neighborhoods in which they live and work. Without this program, there will be economic insecurity throughout distressed neighborhoods in New Jersey and throughout the country. And the sequester and this government shutdown have put all of this at risk,” Halsch said.
Case in point — the 5 percent automatic spending cut as a result of last spring’s sequester shut out 57,000 children from Head Start programs across the country, according to national Head Start officials. In Bergen and Passaic counties, 143 children could not enroll and 23 staff were furloughed.
“It’s frustrating. It angers me, like every other American. This is just ridiculous. Why can’t the government simply work more effectively? This is just hostage taking in Washington, D.C. And it’s hurting our children and it’s hurting our teachers,” said.
Nationwide there are more than 950,000 children participating in Head Start programs. And if federal funding isn’t available by Nov. 1, Head Start education will no longer be available for 86,000 kids, including many in New Jersey.