All of Idaho’s Head Start centers will stay open through the end of November, but it’s unclear what might happen beyond that if Congress doesn’t pass a budget and reopen the federal government.
There are 13 Head Start grantees in Idaho — a mix of schools, nonprofits and Native American tribes — that operate 80 centers in all but five counties. The federally funded program provides free preschool and early childcare programs for low-income kids up to age 5 as well as prenatal care for expectant mothers, said Megan Woller, executive director of the Idaho Head Start Association.
Each of the 13 grantees are on different grant cycles, Woller explained, and one is scheduled to receive a payment from the federal government on Nov. 1. But that payment won’t come through if the government shutdown, which began Oct. 1, continues into next month.
“With no FY 26 budget being passed by Congress, there’s no Head Start budget nationally for the November 1 grantee in Idaho to be able to draw from,” Woller told EdNews on Friday.
She declined to name the grantee in question to avoid causing fear among staff and parents.
To prepare for the possible lapse in funding, Woller said that grantee’s board found other funds to keep the program running through November.
“We’ll see what happens to this grantee in December,” Woller said. “We’ll see if there’s any more funds available that their board approves of using.”
Of the 13 grantees, none are scheduled to receive a payment in December and one is set to receive a payment in January.
Nationwide, six Head Start programs already missed a payment in October and 134 will miss a payment in November, the AP reported last week.
Head Start already suffered a blow under the Trump administration in April, when the federal government put employees who administer the program on leave.
Project 2025, a roadmap for Trump’s second term created by the conservative Heritage Foundation, calls for the complete elimination of the program.
“Head Start, originally established and funded to support low-income families, is fraught with scandal and abuse,” according to Project 2025.
Woller said she can imagine the proposed elimination is scary for some that use the program or work at a Head Start center.
“Every time Head Start has taken a hit during this administration, there’s different concerns,” Woller said. “But what we are trying to achieve throughout all of this is a calmness among the Head Start community.”
While the program is federally funded, Head Start employees are not federal employees and cannot be subject to federal furloughs or lay offs. They are employees of the local grantee. Here’s a list of the 13 programs in Idaho:
- North Idaho College
- College of Southern Idaho
- Lewis Clark Early Childhood Program
- Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25
- Coeur d’Alene Tribe
- Shoshone Bannock Tribe
- Nez Perce Tribe
- Western Idaho Community Action Partnership
- Eastern Idaho Community Action Partnership
- Community Council of Idaho
- Friends of Children and Families
- Bear River Head Start
- Mountain States Early Head Start
Head Start is not a daycare program, Woller said, although parents rely on it while they are at work. Daycare centers just watch kids, but Head Start provides food, education and healthcare.
“They’re learning their ABC’s 123’s, but they’re also getting critical health screenings,” Woller said. “So dental screenings, vision screenings. A lot of times, kids find out they need glasses in Head Start, and they might not have known.”
