Thousands of Children Locked Out of Head Start Classrooms as Federal Shutdown Drags On

November 3, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, more than 8,000 children and families in 15 states and Puerto Rico are waking up unable to access critical Head Start services due to the ongoing government shutdown.

The National Head Start Association (NHSA) warns that this number will likely grow with each passing day as the federal government remains shuttered. As of November 1st, 140 Head Start programs serving more than 65,000 children and families in 41 states and Puerto Rico have not received the federal grant funds necessary to operate.

“If not for the extraordinary dedication and creativity of Head Start staff and community leaders across the country, tens of thousands more children would already have lost access to their classrooms, their teachers, and the stability that Head Start provides,” said Yasmina Vinci, executive director of the National Head Start Association. “Every day this shutdown continues, more families face the devastating uncertainty of lost child care, disrupted learning, and missed meals. Our youngest learners should never pay the price for political gridlock.”

Unless Congress and the president act swiftly to re-open the government, the situation will worsen dramatically in the days and weeks ahead. If the shutdown continues past November 30, 2025, tens of thousands more children and families will face the potential closure of their Head Start programs.

“Head Start has weathered storms before, but this is unsustainable and entirely avoidable,” Vinci continued. “More than ever, families need stability. Children need access to education and nutritious meals. Communities need the services provided by Head Start. Local economies need the buying power of Head Start programs. Congress and the president must come together immediately to restore funding and reopen the doors for our children.”

Annually, Head Start serves approximately 750,000 children across the country, providing comprehensive early learning, health, and family support services to children from income-eligible families, children in foster care, those experiencing homelessness, children with disabilities, children of agricultural workers, and American Indian and Alaska Native children – many of whom live in small or rural communities with no other early education or child care options.