YMCA ends Head Start program for low-income children in KCMO
Kansas City, Mo. – The YMCA of Greater Kansas City is shutting down its Head Start program.
'The Y has been honored to operate Head Start programs for the past 20 years,' the association said. 'Despite years of dedicated effort to recruit and retain qualified staff in an increasingly difficult workforce environment, it is no longer sustainable to operate Head Start programs.'
Head Start and Medicaid providers hit glitches as Trump freezes federal money
The program provides preschool education, nutrition and health services for children from low-income families, as well as children with diagnosed disabilities. It was created in 1965 and is the longest-running national school readiness program in the United States, according to the YMCA's website.
The program operates out of four locations in Kansas City, Missouri: Columbus Park YMCA Head Start, Northland YMCA Head Start, Park Hill YMCA Head Start and Thomas Roque YMCA Head Start.
The YMCA said the last day will be May 23, 2025, as long as staffing allows.
'We understand the challenges this creates for families and associates,' the YMCA said. 'We are working closely with Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), the Head Start grantee overseeing our programs, to assist families and associates.'
Still locked out of federal funding, several Head Start preschools may need to close temporarily
Head Start is a federal program with 1,600 agencies across the U.S.
The National Head Start Association (NHSA) said tens of thousands of children and families were impacted by President Trump's federal funding freeze earlier this year – after at least 45 grant recipients, serving nearly 20,000 children and their families, experienced delays in accessing funds, according to a survey.
'Head Start is a lifeline for children and families in their most urgent times of need,' NHSA's Executive Director Yasmina Vinci said in February. 'While it remains unclear why this delay is happening, it must be resolved immediately or thousands of families and their children will be at risk of losing the critical early care and educational services they depend on to work, go to school, and develop.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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