Georgia Head Start program braces for possible government shutdown

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — As the deadline approaches for the U.S. Congress to reach an agreement to avoid a government shutdown, many government programs in Georgia are preparing for the worst.

The Saturday deadline is quickly approaching for Juanita Yancey with the Georgia Head Start Association is approaching.

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“Classrooms could be closed, which means staff could be furloughed, which means parents may not be able to go to work because they have to stay home with their children,” she said.

The deadline to reach an agreement and avoid a shutdown is Saturday, and as reported by the Associated Press, the gridlock in Washington remains firmly in place.

For Georgia, even a temporary break in federal funds will impact a wide range of state activities.

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Yancey said the shutdown will affect the program.

“Head Start serves the neediest of the neediest. Children who are from homeless families foster care families. Children who have special needs. Children whose families receive SNAP assistance and children of low-income families,” she said.

Yancey said if things do a shutdown, those resources and federal funding could be in jeopardy for the 24,000 kids in Georgia who are a part of the Head Start Program, “It’s a statewide program in terms of the children that we serve here in Georgia, but it’s a national federal program.”

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Yancey said, “In Georgia, we receive approximately $250 Million or so in Head Start programs.”

In the meantime, Yancey is preparing for a shutdown but hoping for the best, “Yes, we are concerned because that’s what we’re hearing. It seems likely, but we think it’s avoidable too.”

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