The organization that runs Lehigh Valley’s Head Start programs has spent more than $2 million to keep classroom doors open during the ongoing state budget impasse.
Meanwhile, a Carbon County Head Start provider has had to close classes and lay off staff as the state budget delay and federal government shutdown has squeezed resources.
Head Start, which provides preschool services for 3- and 4-year-olds, and Early Head Start, which offers support services to pregnant women and families with infants and toddlers, target families at or below the poverty line — set at $32,150 for a family of four. It receives funding from both the state and federal governments.
Community Services for Children enrolled 856 Lehigh County children and 388 Northampton County children for the 2024-25 program year. It has been without state funds since July 1. Northampton County also has cut off funding due to the impasse, although Lehigh County continues to contribute, CEO Deidra Vachier said.
It continues to be able to draw down on a federal grant that was renewed in April, Vachier said.
However, the cutoff of state funds forced CSC to seek a bridge loan that is costing the service provider $10,000 a month in interest.
“For us, specifically, this really meant digging into our reserves just to keep our doors open, mostly from a state standpoint,” Vachier said.
The state loan should keep the organization afloat through mid-January, Vachier said, but after that they could be forced to close classrooms.
More than 250 staff members facilitate CSC’s preschool programs, and Vachier said she has focused on keeping staff on board as the state budget impasse drags on.
In addition to payroll obligations, CSC is funding the nutrition programs that provide breakfast and lunch to its students and paying for busing for more than 250 students. Beyond that, CSC has largely frozen spending, halting the purchasing of equipment and materials.
“We’re doing everything we can to remain open,” Vachier said.
Some nearby programs have not been as lucky. As part of a nationwide Day of Action on Oct. 29, Holly Strait, senior vice president of PathStone Corp. in Carbon County, told Harrisburg lawmakers they’ve had to lay off 48 staff and close 12 classrooms, leaving 145 children unserved.
“On this 60th anniversary [of Head Start], we should be talking about how to expand this proven program, not how to save it from collapse,” Strait said in a news release.
The loss of state funds during the budget impasse has added to the chaos Head Start providers have faced since January, including the closure of regional Head Start offices, the firing of federal support workers and even a leaked budget proposal that would have eliminated all federal funding for Head Start.
Although state funds are the core of CSC’s budget, funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services accounts for a little more than 30%, with the current allocation for Head Start coming in at $13.2 million, Vachier said.