Families in Pulaski County will face a disruption in early childhood education as federally-funded Head Start centers in Little Rock and North Little Rock are set to close Nov. 1 due to a lack of funding caused by the federal government shutdown.
“Unless UAMS receives federal funding and a new contract to administer the Head Start program, this program will have to remain closed,” Head Start Program Director Tyra Larkin told families. “We understand how disruptive this will be for your family, and we are deeply sorry for the stress this may cause.”
The closures will impact 446 children and their families, and 130 employees will be furloughed, according to UAMS spokesperson Leslie Taylor. Head Start provides free early childhood education for children from infancy through age 5 from low-income families. UAMS is one of 16 grantees providing Head Start services across Arkansas.
A 2023-24 report from the National Institute for Early Education Research shows that five percent of 4-year-olds and seven percent of 3-year-olds in Arkansas were enrolled in Head Start programs.
The announcement comes as child care providers across the state petition the Department of Education for assistance, citing the shutdown and changes to the states School Readiness Assistance Program, which helps low-income families access child care. Federal funding for these programs has been steadily declining, and the shutdown has further restricted access to the grants that support them.
On Tuesday, the Arkansas Early Childhood Commission created an emergency working group of researchers, lawmakers, and child care providers to advise the state Office of Early Childhood on keeping services running and sustainable by Nov. 1.
As of Thursday, there was still no end in sight to the shutdown, now the second-longest in U.S. history, with congressional Democrats and Republicans yet to reach an agreement on a federal budget.
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