Milwaukee. >> All right. Commissioner,
thanks very much. >> Thank you.
>> 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 shoe to drop. Joining us is
Thanh 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. continued funding for your Head
Start program? And have you already seen cuts to your
program. >> At this time we haven't seen
any cut yet. We are expected to we our program is entering our
fiscal 2025 budget May 1st. So at 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? >> So we are currently serving a
total of 442 children. We are in four counties in western
Wisconsin, so we are in Buffalo, Jackson, Trempealeau and Eau
Claire counties in nine different centers. And our, you
know, out of the nine centers, only three of them are in rural,
in urban areas. And then the remaining six centers are in
rural communities. And 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 the that is in part of the proposal in the president's
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,
hundreds of thousands of children will not have access to
a safe and nurturing environments. Our parents, our
families will have access, will have no one to care for them.
They cannot go to work. And that will really create a major label
disruption. You know, when you think about it, it's already in
a market where employers already are struggling to find workers
and ultimately this will hurt rural communities the most. You
know, I've I'm in this community. I see the struggles
that they face every day. Scarce resources. There's very few
employment opportunities. And it will put more children and
families into poverty. And in the long run, it will end up
costing taxpayers even more >> Recent survey results of
child care providers across the state, say 1 in 4 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 Head.
Is an important pillar of the childcare infrastructure. So
headstart and childcare works together as two entities that
support working families. And so in addition to the potential of
headstart losing its funding and lose losing access to childcare
account for childcare providers. I would say the majority of the
Wisconsin workforce would have no place to send their children
to, and then they can't go to work. And so that would that
would be an economic disaster. >> Apart from the economics of
it. How successful is Head Start in helping young children with
early learning? >> Yeah, 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 Head Start are more likely to graduate, graduate
high school, are more likely to. Go further their education to
secondary education, and are less likely to end up into the
criminal justice system. But when you think about the first
five years of life, those are the most important part of any
children's brain development. And Head Start provides 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, that in the they are in foster care.
They are living below the federal poverty or they are
receiving public assistance. These are families that would
not be able to have access to the support, nutrition, health,
health services that we provide. And we have proven success about
families who've gone through Head Start are more likely to be
out of poverty and less likely to rely on public assistance in
the long in the long run, and our saving to the economy.
>> Well, we need to leave it there, but we will be watching
this. And thank you for your this. And thank you for your