FHSA Executive Director Statement Regarding Looming Government Shutdown

September 28, 2023

After midnight on this Saturday (9/30), FY23 ends for the federal government. Federal workers will not be paid without an agreement to keep funding flowing, and many government services will be slowed or stopped. I understand that at Head Start, only one essential worker is assigned. All grant applications will halt during a shutdown; any applications for change in scope will stop. Monitoring and CLASS assessments will continue since these are contracted employees.

In Florida, less than 1% of programs have an October 1 fiscal year start date. If a government shutdown were to occur, most of these programs do have access to reserves that can sustain them to avoid closures. However, if the shutdown stretches into November, the likelihood of closed classrooms and furloughed staff increases significantly and will likely directly impact Head Start in our state. We are currently working to uncover how many programs in our state have the November 1 fiscal year start date. We need Congress to do its job and agree as quickly as possible to ensure Head Start classrooms stay open and provide the Head Start workforce with no less than a cost-of-living adjustment in line with inflation in fiscal year 2024.