Head Start programs that help prepare young children from low-income families for school
serve more than 700,000 households across the country and 16,000 children here in Wisconsin.
But Head Start, funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, could be eliminated by federal cuts.
The regional office that serves Wisconsin was already closed.
The Head Start program that serves four counties in western Wisconsin is anxiously awaiting the other shooter drop.
Joining us is Tang Bui Duquette, Director of Head Start for the Western Dairyland Community Action Agency.
And thanks very much for being here.
Thank you so much for having me.
What do you know about continued funding for your Head Start program and have you already seen cuts to your program?
This time we haven't seen any cut yet.
Our program is entering our fiscal 2025 budget May 1st.
So this time we are expected to be fully funded for our fiscal 25 program.
However, beyond that, it's uncertain right now.
Because how many children do you serve?
We are currently serving a total of 442 children.
We are in four counties in western Wisconsin.
So we are in Buffalo, Jackson, Trumbler and Oakley counties in nine different centers.
And out of the nine centers, only three of them are in urban areas.
And then the remaining six centers are in rural communities.
Many of them, we are the only licensed providers in that community.
Were you surprised to learn of the possible elimination of the program?
Absolutely, I was surprised.
I was devastated to hear that that is part of the proposal in the president budget.
What would that mean for the children and families that you and other Head Start programs serve?
Honestly, the impact is clear.
It will be devastating for every community across Wisconsin and frankly our country.
Children, thousands and hundreds of thousands of children will not have access to a safe and nurturing environment.
Parents, our families will have no one to care for them.
They cannot go to work. And that will really create a major labor disruption.
You know, when you think about it, it's already in the market where employers already are struggling to find workers.
And ultimately, this will hurt rural communities the most.
You know, in this community, I see the struggles that they face every day.
Scares resources. There's very few employment opportunity.
And it will put more children and families into poverty.
And in the long run, it will end up costing taxpayer even more money.
Recent survey results of child care providers across the state say one and four could close their doors with the end of the child care counts program.
How devastating would kind of both these things be?
Honestly, it will be an economic disaster because Hestart is an important pillar of the child care infrastructure.
So Hestart and child care works together as two entities that support working families.
And so in addition to the potential of Hestart losing its funding and losing access to child care account for child care providers.
I would say the majority of the Wisconsin workforce wouldn't have no place to send their children to and then they can't go to work.
And so that would be an economic disaster.
Apart from the economics of it, how successful is Hestart in helping young children with early learning?
I think there's a reason why we have had 60 years of bipartisan support, right? Because it works.
The, you know, there have been research done that have shown children from low income families who have gone through Hestart are more likely to graduate high school.
I'm more likely to go further the education to secondary education and are less likely to end up into the criminal justice system.
When you think about the first five years of life, those are the most important part of any children's learning development and Hestart provide that stability and the support for the children and the families.
And, you know, for our program, 96% of the children that we serve are either homeless.
They're in foster care. They are living below federal poverty or they are receiving public assistance.
These are families that will not be able to have access to the support, nutrition, health, health services that we provide.
And we have proven success about families who have gone through Hestart are more likely to be out of poverty and less likely to rely on public assistance in the long, in the long run and are saving to the economy.
Well, we need to leave it there, but we will be watching this and thank you for your important work.
Thank you so much for having me.
For more on this and other issues facing Wisconsin, visit our website at pbswisconsin.org and then click on the news tab.
That's our program for tonight. I'm Frederica Fryberg. Have a good weekend.
Thank you.