Wisconsin Head Start programs have received less than half the federal funding expected this year compared to the same time last year — a drop of more than $35 million that would have supported early child care services for low-income families.
According to newly released data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Head Start programs in the state received $68 million in federal funding between January 1 and April 15 in 2024. During the same period this year, the programs have received just $32 million.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin highlighted the dramatic drop in an April 17 press release that also criticized a Trump administration budget proposal that would reportedly eliminate Head Start entirely.
“We need to make child care more affordable, not shut down this lifeline, like the president is planning,” Baldwin said in the press release.
Yasmina Vinci, the executive director of the National Head Start Association, told USA TODAY that eliminating Head Start would be “catastrophic.”
The decades-old program provides free child care and other educational services for low-income families with children up to 5 years old. The federal government funds Head Start through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, Head Start serves 16,000 children statewide. Nationally, over 700,000 people used Head Start’s services in 2023, according to the program’s most recent report.
Wisconsin Head Start Association Executive Director Jennie Mauer said that in the last couple of weeks, local programs have been experiencing a new wave of payment delays and confusion, even for grants that have already been awarded.
Mauer said several program directors have reported vague requests from the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, to justify expenses after submitting routine payroll reports.
If programs aren’t able to access funds for another week, Mauer said some closures are expected.
Wisconsin Head Start programs were already struggling to recover from the federal freeze on grants and loans ordered by President Donald Trump on Jan. 28. Programs reported being unable to access funds for weeks despite the White House rescinding the order the next day, forcing one center in Waukesha to temporarily close and leave hundreds of families without child care.
Liam Polar, 5, eats his afternoon snack during his Head Start class on Jan. 9, 2019 on the Oneida Indian Reservation.
Head Start programs across the U.S. have received nearly $1 billion less in federal funding so far this year, already causing some preschool programs to close.
The significant lag in funds comes as the National Head Start Association learned April 1 that five regional offices — Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Seattle — would be shut down. The Head Start office in Chicago supports programs in Wisconsin and the Midwest.
In a letter sent April 10 to Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Baldwin and several other lawmakers demanded answers about the closure of the regional offices, which are part of Kennedy’s plan to downsize the department.
The lawmakers asked for more details surrounding the closure, including who grantees should contact for support and how the federal agency plans to ensure services won’t be disrupted at childcare centers.
Spokespeople for the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Mauer said the cuts will not only affect care for kids, but will also have an economic impact, as Head Start primarily provides support to families who are working or in school full-time.
Head Start employs 4,000 people in Wisconsin whose jobs are now at risk, she added.
Mauer said Head Start grantees in Wisconsin have received little to no communication from the federal government. After the closure of the regional office, many aren’t sure who to turn to for help, she said.
Head Start programs rely on consistent funding cycles to operate — but this year, several Wisconsin grantees haven’t received their expected second round of funding, according to Mauer. Grants are usually finalized around May 1.
“At the end of this month, their money runs out,” she said.
Quinn Clark is a Public Investigator reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be emailed at QClark@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Head Start faces $35M drop in funding, possible closures