Shutdown threatens Head Start funding for Family Services of Grant County

MOSES LAKE — The Head Start program operated by Family Services of Grant County will have to close after Nov. 14, at least temporarily, if federal funding is not restored. Executive Director Sally Gundry said the funding cycle for the Moses Lake facility meant its federal money stopped as of Nov. 1. 

“We are at risk right now,” Gundry said. “The federal shutdown in endangering our programs.” 

Family Services of Grant County operates the Moses Lake facility. It’s funded on a cycle that begins each November, Gundry said, and that’s on hold due to the shutdown of the federal government. Republicans and Democrats are at odds over funding for Medicare; attempts since Oct. 1 to pass appropriations bills have been unsuccessful. Matthew Reed, communications director for Fourth District Congressman Dan Newhouse, said that as of Monday, the two sides had not reached an agreement.  

Local school districts do have early childhood education programs, known as ECEAP and open to children three to five years of age. That funding is not affected by the current federal shutdown. 

“Our ECEAP is funded by the state and is proceeding as normal,” said Ryan Shannon, communications director for the Moses Lake School District.  

Othello School District Superintendent Pete Perez said early learning classes are continuing. 

“We’re not currently experiencing any funding issues with our early learning programs here in the district,” Perez wrote in response to an email from the Columbia Basin Herald. “That said, we’re not entirely sure of the status of our community partners.” 

Reed said attempts to fund specific federal programs have been unsuccessful so far. 

“At this time, there are no discussions on Head Start funding outside of reopening the government,” Reed wrote in an email to the Columbia Basin Herald. “Congressman Newhouse has consistently supported funding for Head Start, and that includes the short-term continuing resolution that has been blocked by Senate Democrats for over a month.” 

Senator Maria Cantwell said in a press release that Family Services of Grant County was one of 11 Head Start programs statewide that lost funding Nov. 1.

“We must immediately negotiate a consensus solution to improve healthcare affordability so we can reopen the government and resume funding for Head Start programs,” Cantwell said. 

In the meantime, Gundry said Family Services of Grant County has enough money to keep operating through Nov. 14. The Moses Lake facility and the Ephrata Early Head Start Center, which is mostly a home-based program, will close if an agreement isn’t reached by then, she said, and won’t reopen until federal funding is restored.  

Family Services of Grant County provides services to children up to five years of age, she said. There are 137 children in Head Start classes, including 62 infants and toddlers and 75 preschool children.  

About 35 to 40 % of the parents of children enrolled in Head Start have full-time jobs, she said, and another 13% have part-time jobs.  

“Many children that we serve are in our classes while their parents work,” Gundry said. 

The need to find alternative childcare might put their jobs at risk. 

“That is a concern we have,” she said. “That’s happened before.” 

Since there’s no mechanism to furlough employees, the staff will lose their jobs, at least temporarily, she said. The need to lay off employees may complicate reopening when the time comes, since they may find other jobs or leave the area. Even if all or most employees return, it will take a few days to reopen, she said. 

“It’ll take at least a week,” Grundy said.  

    Children look through the books and listen to Nelida Ontiveros read a story in the Head Start classroom. The federal government shutdown had led to a suspension of funding for the Family Services of Grant County Head Start program.
  

    A Head Start student reads a book during Monday’s storytime. The Head Start program operated by Family Services of Grant County had its funding temporarily suspended Nov. 1.