As the government shutdown
became the longest
in U.S. history
the impacts piled up.
Across Wisconsin
early learning Head Start progra
programs had to close down
shuttering child care programing
for hundreds
of children.
It's extremely disruptive.
With families
they rely on
these classrooms
for child care
while some of the families
go to work or school.
They have
when they came
to our program in September
they would have
let go of a different
enrollment spot potentially
at another child care provider.
This area
is also a
child care desert
in many of our communities.
So they were having struggles
trying to find
other arrangements
for their children if they don't
have family or friends
that are able to help them.
Another thing that impacts
the families
is that these children receive
breakfast, lunch
and snack at our centers
every day
is through
the same program that children
receive foods through
elementary
middle school, high school.
And so
families were able to rely
on that part
of their food security.
Now with the
upheaval
although it sounds like
it's turning around
but the upheaval with the
SNAP benefits, many families
were really wondering
about their food security
additionally.