ATLANTA — There are some Georgia Head Start programs that are closed this week.
“You have to keep that sense of community. This is a happy place, this is a place of learning, this is a safe space,” Lauren Koontz with YMCA of Metro Atlanta said.
On Wednesday, Congressman Buddy Carter stopped by to see the children at play at Dean Rusk YMCA’s Head Start program.
“This is unnecessary. The strain, the stress that we are putting on these programs. These are great programs,” Carter said.
In the midst of the shutdown, Head Start, which serves 22,000 children in Georgia, is shut down in many counties.
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But in metro Atlanta, they are kept open because of a loan.
“This is a bridge loan. This is not a permanent solution. This is money that we repay back to the community foundation,” Koontz said.
Without the loan and without government funding during the shutdown, there is a risk that centers like this one could close their doors.
Impacting childcare for 80% of their parents who work, education, and nutrition for children who get two meals at Head Start each day.
Lawmakers on both sides say they understand the impact of the shutdown.
“These issues around Head Start are not theoretical for me,” Senator Raphael Warnock said. “You’re not just looking at a U.S. Senator. I’m an alum of Head Start. That program gave me a leg up.”
“What should be done next is the government should be open,” Carter said. “The solution to this is simple.”
The families who depend on Head Start hope they’ll take action.
Representatives with YMCA of Metro Atlanta say it will have to pay back that loan and count on the government to pay them back for money they’re spending now.
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