Head Start serves 15,000 kids in Washington. And its regional office just closed.

The regional Head Start office in Seattle learned that it was closing the first week of April. The closure of that office, as well as at least four others, came amidst mass layoffs at Head Start’s parent agency, the Department of Health and Human Services. 

Head Start is a federally-funded early learning program for low-income kids that’s been around since the 1960s. Seattle’s office oversaw grants, compliance, training and technical assistance for more than 70 programs in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska. 

Joel Ryan is the executive director of Washington’s Head Start association, whose members serve more than 15,000 kids.

The Seattle office’s closure, he said, “certainly will hamper and hobble Head Start programs’ ability to provide awesome and great services to kids and families who need it.” 

Without the regional office, Ryan is worried that grants will be delayed — and that local programs might close, at least temporarily. He said about a third of the region’s programs are supposed to have their grants renewed by July 1.

“If Head Start programs are not able to get their grants renewed in a timely way, it is possible that kids and families would lose access to Head Start and their parents would lose access to affordable childcare in their communities,” Ryan said. 

Some of Ryan’s members are waiting on grants for things like fencing and a vision screening machine. He has one member in eastern Washington — a child care provider with seven infants and toddlers — that is running its business without getting paid because it’s waiting on a contract from the now-defunct regional office. 

Schools and nonprofits that run the local programs said they haven’t heard who will be taking over the regional office’s duties, including renewing grants. 

In Walla Walla, the Head Start program is administered by the school district. Wade Smith, the district’s superintendent, laid out his worries in an emailed statement. 

“We are deeply concerned that with the loss of the Region 10 office, who served as our direct line for program support, that our ability to receive timely, effective and technical support will be greatly impeded,” Smith said. “We have yet to be informed who will serve in Region 10’s stead, or who we are to contact for ongoing support moving forward.” 

Stephan Blanford is the executive director of Children’s Alliance, a nonprofit in Washington state. He fears the closure of regional offices is the first step in dismantling Head Start entirely.

“You can predict that at some point the grants that are coming from that office to Head Starts in communities all across the state of Washington and the region will eventually be cut as well,” he said. 

Both Blanford and Ryan noted that ending Head Start is a component of Project 2025, a presidential transition plan developed by conservative groups. They also pointed to the fact that Head Start’s funds were temporarily frozen earlier this year.

“Research has demonstrated that federal Head Start centers, which provide preschool care to children from low-income families, have little or no long-term academic value for children,” the Project 2025 playbook reads. “Given its unaddressed crisis of rampant abuse and lack of positive outcomes, this program should be eliminated.”

The National Head Start Association disputes those assertions, citing a range of studies that show the value of its program. It also notes that less than 1% of the organization’s funding goes to federal staff.

While the impact of Head Start has long been debated, Blanford believes that the program’s closure would have ramifications for families and the economy at large. He said his own son benefited from Head Start and is now set to graduate from what he called an elite university. 

“Whether you’re looking at the economy, the individuals who were fired or the children that they serve, everyone is a loser in this equation,” Blanford said.