'Total chaos': Head Start programs in Wisconsin left scrambling after federal grant freeze
Waukesha resident LiKayla Smith regularly juggles working toward her nursing degree with caring for her 4-year-old daughter.
That challenge became even more difficult after the child care program she relies on announced it would be closed indefinitely.
Smith's daughter attends Head Start programming at Child & Family Centers of Excellence in Waukesha, which closed after confusion caused by the federal freezeon grants and loans ordered by President Donald Trump Tuesday.
Without Head Start, Smith said she'll have no choice but to drop out and go back to work to afford daycare, which can cost hundreds of dollars per week.
She's one of hundreds of families who weren't able to access child care Wednesday after her child's Head Start program in Waukesha closed due to the freeze. The program is among many across Wisconsin and the U.S. scrambling to figure out how to access funding amid website glitches that have affected Headstart programs across the country.
Head Start provides free childcare to low-income families for children up to 5 years old. According to the federal program's most recent report, over 700,000 people nationwide used Head Start's services in 2023.
The White House clarified on Tuesday that the freeze wouldn't affect Head Start programs and rescinded the order Wednesday.
But in an email to families Wednesday, Child & Family Centers of Excellence CEO Tim Nolan told enrollees that the center is still unable to access payments due to the website glitches.
The online payment system says the funds remain delayed due to executive orders, Nolan said in the email, which was viewed by the Journal Sentinel.
Nolan said the center is monitoring to "determine when money is actually transferred to our bank," the email said.
"The moment this happens, we will be able to reopen," he wrote.
Nolan did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Wisconsin Head Start Association Executive Director Jennie Mauer said some Head Start programs can remain open while others cannot because there are many different ways the programs operate. For example, some programs' core function is Head Start, while some operate as part of larger organizations.
Either way, Mauer said the federal freeze and payment issues have sent communities into a tailspin.
"This pause has really just further destabilized an already fragile (child care) industry, and it's just really been chaotic," said Mauer.
Mauer said Head Start program facilitators across the state don't have much more information than the families they serve.
Typically, if a system is down or experiencing delays, Mauer expects communication.
"But this has been total chaos," she said.
Nearby Waukesha child care center La Casa de Esperanza, which also offers Head Start programs, doesn't plan to halt any of its operations.
"All information we have received indicates that any pause will not affect Early Head Start or Head Start Programs, so we will remain open and continue to provide uninterrupted services," said La Casa de Esperanza President and CEO Shari Campbell.
If programs are still left waiting for answers on when they'll receive payments by Friday, Mauer predicts there may be more program closures beyond Waukesha and Washington Counties.
"What I know for sure is that programs are working their darndest just to figure out how to stay open," Mauer said. "But they're really scrambling right now."
Quinn Clark is a Public Investigator reporter. She can be emailed at QClark@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Quinn_A_Clark.
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