Head Start programs returning to normal operations
LANSING Mich. (WLNS) – People are looking for answers as Head Start programs throughout Mid-Michigan were closed on Wednesday due to funding concerns—and officials gave 6 News those answers.
Parents with children at Head Start programs through Capital Area Community Services, or CACS, are confused and frustrated, stemming from an executive order by President Trump that froze federal funding.
This led to an announcement on Tuesday by CACS, that these programs would close indefinitely. They were closed Wednesday, but after some clarifications, all of the schools will be open again on Thursday and return to normal operations.
That executive order was Wednesday afternoon, but before that happened, CACS could not access its funding on Tuesday which caused concern. So, , and staff was informed that they were temporarily laid off. Some facilities were able to stay open on Wednesday because they have other funding sources.
Reynaldo Medrano's 2 year old grandson Frankie attends a Head Start Program.
'There's no school, they don't know where to take these children,' Medrano said.
On Wednesday morning, Medrano still wasn't sure what was going on. He thought he was going to have to take care of Frankie.
'I told my son, If I have to bring baby Frankie to work with me, I'll put a paintbrush in his hand and bring him to work,' Medrano said.
It was a relief for Medrano to hear that Head Start programs will be back open Thursday.
'He loves coming here, it's a great school, these are great teachers,' Medrano said.
CACS Associate Director, Dr. Nolana Nobels, said changes in executive leadership always come with a level of confusion. She said this level of confusion though is unprecedented. Nobels said CACS could not access its payment after the executive order came down.
Since it seemed their funding was paused and the school day was ending, they started preparing and let parents and staff know they were closed until further notice and temporary layoffs were activated.
'It's a fiscal responsibility to make sure you have the money behind your actions,' Nobels said.
Soon after the Federal Government announced that it was an outage that kept Head Start Programs from accessing their funding. It then clarified that Head Start Programs were not part of the freeze. Around the same time, Dr. Nobels said CACS was able to get into their funding account.
'However, the access did not include the confirmation of the ability to draw funds,' Nobels said.
The doctor said it wasn't until around 9 A.M. Wednesday that officials felt comfortable to let staff and parents know things would go back to normal on Thursday and the temporary layoffs were lifted. Because that's when CACS finally got confirmation they could draw funds.
'We're feeling pretty good about things right now,' Nobels said.
Nobels appreciates the community's patience.
'Our intention was to make sure we were being good stewards of federal dollars, good stewards of the responsibilities we share with our community, and our actions that we took are based on that,' Nobels said.
CACS leaders say they are no longer under the impression their 'federal funding' is in jeopardy. All the confusion seems to have come from things happening so fast. The White House announced the freeze Monday night with little to no direction, leaving organizations frantically trying to figure things out. Dr. Nobels said 1,600 kids across 4 counties rely on this program.
All buildings will be open again on Thursday.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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