Since 1965, Head Start has helped more than 40 million children and their families by providing a range of services including early childhood education, hot meals, and wrap-around support services free to participants at or below the poverty level. The YMCA of Metro Atlanta is the largest provider of Head Start in the state of Georgia.
Recently, USA Today reported that the White House is considering a budget proposal that would eliminate all funding for Head Start for fiscal year 2026. If implemented, the YMCA of Metro Atlanta would lose $48 million in Federal funding annually, leaving thousands of children and their families without education and childcare support.
If the Head Start program was eliminated, 22,000 Georgia children from birth to 5 years old, including 360 children in foster care and almost 1,000 children experiencing homelessness, would no longer receive services like early childhood education, health and dental screenings, and summer programming. Every child we serve receives a hot breakfast and lunch. These children would not be guaranteed to receive those meals elsewhere.
Georgia’s economy would also suffer, as 80% of Head Start families are working parents and guardians. The number one barrier for individuals seeking employment is access to affordable childcare. The loss of Head Start funding would mean that more than 17,500+ Georgia families would lose childcare, putting their ability to work in jeopardy. Cutting funding or eliminating it would lead to large scale closing of early learning centers and laying off almost 2,000 early learning teachers across Georgia.
There is 60 years’ worth of research on the remarkable lifetime benefits of the Head Start program. Participants see better health outcomes, higher school attendance, improved academic performance, and greater lifetime earnings. They are also more likely to avoid involvement with the child welfare or criminal justice systems and more likely to raise children who graduate from high school and attend college.
The families we serve need your help:
Advocate — Reach out to your elected officials and share how vital Head Start is to Georgia families. Y-USA has created a toolkit to help you email your elected officials in Congress. The form to email Congress takes less than a minute but will make a huge impact in Washington. Visit YMCA | ACT NOW! Tell Congress to Protect Head Start! today.
Spread the Word — Share this message with your network. Knowledge is power and every voice matters. Let them know how Head Start impacts the community and encourage them to visit YMCA | ACT NOW! Tell Congress to Protect Head Start! as well.
Stand with the Y – If federal funding for Head Start is eliminated, your continued support could help us fill the gap by providing for children and families basic needs. I will keep you posted as the situation develops.
Here is what I know deep in my soul: no one, regardless of political party, wants to see children suffer. No one wants our state’s learning outcomes to decline. No one wants parents to have to choose between caring for their families and having a job. Head Start has always enjoyed bipartisan support because if there is ONE thing we can agree on – it’s that every child, regardless of circumstances at birth, should have the ability to reach their full potential.
Thank you for being a champion for children and families with us,
Lauren Koontz
President and CEO
YMCA of Metro Atlanta