About 10,000 New Jersey kids could lose access to preschool under a funding cut proposed by the White House, which is looking to eliminate money for Head Start. The federally-funded program was created in 1965 and provides early childhood education and support services for low-income families.
Researchers say Head Start has been critical in growing the state’s overall preschool enrollment. New Jersey receives a little under $200 million each year in Head Start funding, a large sum that could not be easily replaced by the state.
“Head Start serves some of the most disadvantaged students in the state and nationwide, so if that funding gets cut it means a lot of children and families wouldn’t have access to early education,” said Hannah Gross, NJ Spotlight News education and child welfare reporter. “It means parents wouldn’t have child care.”
Head Start programs serve about 10,000 3- and 4-year-olds in the state. About 2,000 more children and families who are being served through other programs like Early Head Start, which cover children up to 3-years-old. The overall preschool population in the state was 62,000 in the last school year.
Head Start has been successful in helping students graduate high school and college at higher rates. Children show up to kindergarten more prepared to learn and it helps parents with reliable childcare so they can go to work or school.
Now parents and Head Start providers are stepping in to fight the cuts filing a federal lawsuit challenging the administration’s moves so far.
“Parent groups are saying this is disastrous for their children,” said Gross. “There was one Head Start center in Washington that was forced to close for a few days, which meant hundreds of parents had to take their kids home and they couldn’t go to work, they couldn’t go to school and their kids weren’t learning.”
This story is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.
