BRATTLEBORO — For this fiscal year, the U.S. Congress allocated more than $12 billion for Head Start programs across the country, serving nearly 800,000 households.
That annual funding paid for 12 regional offices that support the administration of grants, oversight, and technical assistance to Head Start grant recipients.
On Tuesday, employees in offices in Boston, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and Seattle received notice that their offices were closing and they would be out of jobs.
In Vermont, that means their federal support has been switched to Philadelphia, said Josh Davis, executive director of Southeastern Vermont Community Action.
"Close partnerships is the key to the success of this program," he said, and the partnerships SEVCA formed over decades with those in the Boston office are now gone. "This is not going to lead to good outcomes. I can only assume people's caseloads in the Philadelphia office are going to double and we won't have the same level of connection we've had in the past."
Vermont received nearly $27 million in 2023 for Head Start, the most recent year posted at headstart.gov, serving 1,383 households.
"[Office of Head Start] staff remain fully committed to supporting Head Start grant recipients and the important work you do to serve children and families across the nation," stated Laurie Todd-Smith, deputy assistant secretary for Early Childhood Development in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in a letter to Head Start providers. "This restructuring will not impact the critical services you rely on, and we are here to ensure a seamless experience as we move forward together."
Todd-Smith stated the restructuring "will serve multiple goals without impacting critical services, ultimately saving taxpayers $1.8 billion per year."
Earlier this year, the Trump Administration froze funding for a number of federal programs, including Head Start. Even after the funding freeze was aborted and the website was restored, those who run the programs have been keeping a close eye on developments.
"[National Head Start Association] is deeply concerned about the potential disruption to vital services for eligible children and families across the country," states a press release from the organization. "These offices play a critical role in providing oversight, guidance, and direct support to local Head Start programs, ensuring they have the resources and assistance needed to deliver Head Start’s high-quality child care, education, health, nutrition, and other supports."
The statement also noted that less than 1 percent of Head Start’s annual funding is spent on federal staff, including regional office staff.
"Things are very intense these days," said Deb Gass, executive director of Windham Southeast Supervisory Union Early Education Services, which provides Head Start to more than 300 families. "Head Start is the nation's premier model for providing support to young children and families. That requires a great deal of support from our partners in those offices."
Gass said they are funded through the end of June, but there has been no indication what funding might be like when the new fiscal year starts on July 1.
"It's important for the community to know our day-to-day operations, which provide quality services to our most vulnerable families, are continuing with business as usual," said Gass, who said all the providers are concerned this is only the first disruption to a system that works remarkably well.
Rebecca Bishop Ware, director of Early Childhood Services for United Counseling Services of Bennington County, said they have lost their program specialist in the Boston office.
"Program specialists play a vital role in supporting our grant implementation and helping us deliver high-quality services to our community, as well as providing monitoring and oversight of our program," she said.
Ware said UCS's 70 staff members provide services to 130 preschoolers, and 68 infants and toddlers and their families.
Davis said the Head Start program is already a model of how to use federal funds efficiently.
"We only get paid for what we spend," he said, meaning they have to make their payments and show receipts to be reimbursed.
Organizations like SEVCA don't have much in the way of reserves to cover any delays in reimbursements, said Davis.
"We are concerned about fiscal year '26 but we have no way of knowing where this will land," he said. "We still do have funds and we have a mission to complete, so we'll stay focused and respond as things come up. With all this uncertainty, it makes it very difficult for us to plan."
SEVCA receives 50 percent of its funding from the federal government and 34 percent from the state, though some of that money is flow-through from the federal government.
"We believe in running efficient programs and are mindful about how public dollars are spent," said Davis. "But the way this is happening ... the lack of common sense and logic is just maddening."
Since its inception in 1965, the Head Start program has served about 39 million children and their families.