Head Start Pre-K Stays Open Thanks to Private Donation

Head Start pre-K students, like those who attend pre-k class in Lavonia, should be back in class today thanks to a major contribution from private citizens.

The Head Start program closed its doors Monday because of the government shutdown.

That meant hundreds of parents of pre-schoolers in Georgia had to scramble to find daycare or stay home from work.

But on Monday, National Head Start Association officials say a donation of up to $10 million from two philanthropists will help keep Head Start programs running during the federal government shutdown.

NHSA officials said in a press release Monday that Laura and John Arnold’s donation will help serve more than 7,000 at-risk children while the government shutdown continues.

Programs in Georgia, Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, South Carolina and Missouri were closed at the end of the first week of the shutdown.

NHSA officials say the programs have been allocated federal funding, but administrators are blocked from accessing the money because of the stalemate in Washington.

National Head Start Association Executive Director Yasmina Vinci called the Arnolds’ donation selfless and says the program helps more than 27 million of America’s poorest children prepare for kindergarten.