Federal Budget Cuts Could Impact Local Head Start Programs

With the President and Congress deadlocked over how to avoid a series of automatic cuts — best known as sequester — by March 1, local youngsters involved in Head Start could soon lose much needed programs.

According to a White House report detailing the impact of sequester in New York, Head Start and Early Head Start services would be eliminated for approximately 4,300 kids across the state. This would reduce access to “critical early education” programs.

The report did not state how many children locally would be impacted.

According to information from the Patchogue-based Long Island Head Start web page, the organization provides programs and services to more than 1,675 local children and their families. Among the services offered are Early Head Start Programs located in Central Brookhaven, Huntington, Islip and Patchogue.

The issue of sequester now being discussed by political leaders in Washington is a series of automatic cuts to defense and non-defense spending over the next three years that will total $85 billion.

The cuts were initially to begin at the start of 2013 but were delayed until March 1 by the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 as the result of an agreement between the President and Congress this past New Year’s Eve.