Latest news with #IllinoisHeadStartAssociation
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Illinois Head Start Association files lawsuit against Dept. of Health and Human Services
Lauri Morrison-Frichtl, executive director of the Illinois Head Start Association, was in disbelief when she heard Head Start's funding from the Department of Health and Human Services was on the chopping block. 'Both Republicans and Democrats have always supported Head Start because of the crucial work we do in every district across the state,' Morrison-Frichtl told Our Quad Cities News. According to Morrison-Frichtl, the state of Illinois typically receives more than $478 million in funding for Head Start, but that funding is trickling away. 'Illinois has received $59 million less than we did last year at this time,' Morrison-Frichtl said. 'The administration seems to be slow walking head start to the end.' '(Cutting Head Start) wouldn't promote enough opportunity for certain individuals to get this type of attention and curriculum and skills that they need,' said Autumn Edwards, a Head Start parent. Morrison-Frichtl said the loss in funding impacts Head Start's two-generational program: Young students and their families. 'We serve children with disabilities. so it's an inclusive environment,' Morrison-Frichtl said. 'We serve children and families that might not speak English. We have dual-language learners and we provide translation. All of that is at stake.' 'The biggest thing I've noticed is the social exposure. (My son has) gotten a lot of exposure to other children, and that's helped him develop his skills to be around other kids and proper manners, etiquette and all that stuff,' Edwards said. If Head Start's funding is cut, Morrison-Frichtl said the impact would be felt nearly instantly. 'All of our programs are a little bit different,' Morrison-Frichtl said. 'Some of them would tell me, 'We're done now', within a day or two after the funding ends.'' In a time of uncertainty, though, Morrison-Frichtl is trying to remain optimistic. 'We'll be here in August. We'll open our doors, and we will be here,' Morrison-Frichtl said. Head Start serves more than 28,000 students across Illinois. If Head Start is eliminated, more than 9,000 jobs would be impacted. For more information about Illinois Head Start, visit here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Head Start groups sue Trump administration over efforts to ‘dismantle' early childhood development program
A lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's efforts to 'dismantle' Head Start programs in Illinois and across the country has been filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of Head Start groups, arguing the federal actions are unconstitutional and have left Head Start operators in a position where they 'do not know whether they will suddenly be forced to close in a day, a week or a month.' In Illinois, Head Start programs last year received over $400 million in federal funding, supporting 28,000 low-income children and families while employing more than 9,000 Illinois residents. Along with supporting early learning, these programs provide meals, health services, support for children with disabilities and more, according to Lauri Morrison-Frichtl, executive director of the Illinois Head Start Association, a plaintiff in the lawsuit. 'This is not against any party. It's against those that don't have the common sense to know that this is a really important engine to drive our economy,' Morrison-Frichtl said. 'Without child care, parents won't have a place to take their child, to go to work, and it's those kinds of points in the mission that have always, you know, that both sides of the aisle support because they realize the importance of our work.' In addition to asking the federal court to stop the administration from stripping funding for Head Start and closing program offices, the lawsuit also challenges a mid-March executive order requiring programs to certify that they've removed all diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives before they can receive grant funding, calling it unconstitutional and overly vague. It was filed in the Western District of Washington and names defendants including the Department of Health and Human Services and its secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The Illinois Head Start Association is one of six Head Start organization plaintiffs. Head Start advocates say the federal actions have delayed access to funds, suspended some Head Start services and could lead to continued program closures. The actions also defy Congressional laws authorizing these Head Start programs, according to an ACLU statement on the lawsuit. 'Over the last three months, Donald Trump has put a bull's-eye on the backs of 3- and 4-year-olds,' Joel Ryan, executive director of the Washington State Association of Head Start, one of the plaintiffs, said during a news conference on Tuesday. 'We felt like there's no other option for us than to seek litigation and to push back against the Trump administration … we see what the Trump administration is doing is anti-civil rights, it's un-American and it's unlawful.' A Health and Human Services spokesperson said the department does not comment on pending litigation. Head Start programs have received federal funding and mostly bipartisan support since the preschool effort was started more than 60 years ago as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson's War on Poverty. According to Ryan, Head Start has helped over 40 million children and families since its founding. Under the Trump administration, the federal government in early April closed five regional Head Start offices, including the Chicago regional office. The administration also is asking Congress to eliminate funding for Head Start in the 2026 fiscal year, according to a 64-page internal draft budget document obtained by The Associated Press in late April. Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation policy group thought to have influence on the Trump White House, advocated for Head Start's elimination, a position noted in the lawsuit. U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth joined a coalition of lawmakers in sending a letter to Kennedy demanding answers on the closures of the regional Head Start offices. A Health and Human Services spokesperson told the Tribune in early April that Head Start programs were not in any danger and that the closures of the regional Head Start offices are part of a broader restructuring of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that the Trump administration says will save taxpayers $1.8 billion a year. Yet advocates don't buy that Head Start programs are safe and worry about the consequences if the programs are lost. Ryan, the Washington Head Start executive, said Head Start programs typically help recipients be more prepared for school, less likely to need expensive special education services, more likely to graduate high school and college, and receive higher paying jobs, he said. Some Illinois programs struggled to access funding for weeks after the Trump administration's federal freeze at the end of January, with one program in Aurora shutting down because it could not pay its employees, according to Morrison-Frichtl. Several advocates for independent early childhood sites funded by Head Start said the programs couldn't survive without the federal funding. YWCA Metropolitan Chicago's single biggest source of federal money comes through Head Start, CEO Nicole Robinson said. The organization supports 1,650 home-based and community-based early child care providers across Lake, DuPage and Kane counties. The possible loss of federal Head Start funding is 'not only a threat to this organization (YWCA), it's a threat to those 1,650 child care providers' that YWCA Metropolitan Chicago offers services to, Robinson said. 'No program should be dismantled in this way,' Robinson said, 'but talk about dismantling child care is really walking away from our children, walking away from families and it's walking away from our economy.' The Montessori School of Englewood in Chicago, which works with 70 low-income children ages 3 to 5 years old, would have to shut down if it does not receive federal funding by December, said Rita Nolan, the school's executive director. Many of the children in the program are unhoused and rely on the school for clothing, food, emergency care, dental care, fresh fruit and vegetables, therapy and more, Nolan said. 'Early childhood is the most important developmental period in a child's life,' Nolan said. 'If they have a speech issue or developmental issue, we can get them services. We can already have identified them and gone through the observation and the identification process, so you're not going to kindergarten and then having to wait. The longer you wait for these services, the harder it gets.' Until federal funding decisions are made, Nolan said Head Start programs have a choice to make. 'Do we look for alternative funding or do we keep on going blindfolded until we actually could be told yes, we're going to fund the programs or no, we're not going to, like, the financial instability of that is just daunting,' she said.
Axios
29-04-2025
- Health
- Axios
Illinois Head Start joins national lawsuit against HHS
The Illinois Head Start Association has joined parent advocates and Head Start programs from Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Washington in a lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) over potential cuts to the Head Start program. Why it matters: Head Start serves more than 790,000 children through age 5 who rely on the federal programs for learning, meals and health care services, per a report from Center for American Progress, Axios' Emily Peck reports. Driving the news: Illinois Head Start Association (HSA) and others filed the complaint in Washington state on Monday, following news of a leaked HHS budget that showed Head Start would be cut. Flashback: Congress created Head Start in 1965 to provide early education and child care for families in need. Head Start has served 40 million children nationwide throughout its history, according to the lawsuit. Zoom out: Plaintiffs point to recent news reports that say President Trump's budget calls for the elimination of Head Start by September and budget materials that say the program uses "a 'radical' curriculum and gives preference to illegal immigrants." The lawsuit says the Trump administration "criticizes (Head Start) for diversity, equity and inclusion programming and the use of resources that encourage toddlers to welcome children and families with different sexual orientations." HHS has already closed half of the Head Start locations nationwide, including Chicago's. Zoom in: Illinois HSA reiterated in the lawsuit its mission to serve all of Illinois, stating that its "members adhere to Program Standards of Conduct, which require that staff, consultants, contractors, and volunteers will respect and promote the unique identity of each child and family, without stereotyping on any basis, including gender, race, ethnicity, culture, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or family composition." Illinois HSA also serves immigrants, refugees, and other families with limited English proficiency. By the numbers: Illinois HSA received $455 million in federal funding last year and serves about 28,000 kids annually. More than 14% of children in Head Start have disabilities, and nearly 8% are experiencing homelessness, according to the lawsuit. What they're saying: "Head Start is one of the most popular and effective federal programs," Illinois HSA executive director Lauri Frichtl said in a statement. "It has made a positive difference in the lives of thousands of young people from all backgrounds and communities in Illinois. We are committed to continuing this service for all children."
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Shutdown of regional Head Start offices creates confusion, but feds say funding will continue
The Trump administration's decision to close a regional Head Start office in Chicago this week has raised questions about how the program, which serves more than 28,000 children and low-income families in Illinois, will continue to operate in coming weeks and months. The federal government shut down the Chicago office Tuesday, along with regional Head Start offices in Boston, New York, San Francisco and Seattle, according to the nonprofit National Head Start Association. The day the regional offices closed, 'a lot of Head Start grant recipients woke up terrified, wondering what this means,' said Tommy Sheridan, the association's deputy director. The regional offices that were closed employed roughly 75 to 100 people and provided support to Head Start grant recipients, he said. 'For families and for staff we want to be very explicit: There's been no cut in funding that's been shared. Programs are still operational and programs are going to do everything in their power to keep services flowing,' Sheridan said. 'However we are concerned as we look to the future.' The regional offices were the pipeline to federal funding for Illinois Head Start programs, which were left unsure who to contact and are concerned their programs might have to shut down if they don't receive funding by the start of their next fiscal year, which for some begins May 1, according to Lauri Morrison-Frichtl, executive director of the Illinois Head Start Association. 'Obviously, on Tuesday morning, my number one question was to ask, 'When will we confirm that we're expecting to receive the rest of our obligated funds by May 1?' But there was no one to ask,' said Celena Sarillo, executive director of Start Early, a nonprofit public-private partnership serving over 2,000 children in Chicago. 'That was just like a complete shock to all of us.' Head Start grant recipients were instructed to use a specific online portal for communications about grants going forward in an April 3 letter from Laurie Todd-Smith, deputy assistant secretary for Early Childhood Development, which operates under the federal Department of Health and Human Services. The closures of the regional Head Start offices are part of a broader restructuring of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that the Trump administration says will save taxpayers $1.8 billion a year. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told the Tribune Friday morning that Head Start programs are not in any danger. 'All statutorily required programs will remain intact, and as a result of the reorganization, will be better positioned to execute on Congress's statutory intent,' said Emily Hilliard, deputy press secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 'We remain committed to providing continued support to Head Start programs as they work to meet the needs of their communities.' Head Start program directors can 'reach out to their designated regional offices or the appropriate Head Start program contact within the Administration for Children and Families' for questions related to grant funding and other support, an Hilliard said. Nonetheless, Head Start administrators say the lack of a Chicago regional office could create issues. Morrison-Frichtl said the online assistance portal is not enough to support everyday needs, and she said Illinois Head Start programs have not received communication as of Friday afternoon on who their designated regional offices or program contacts are. 'I would be surprised if you had a response back within two weeks,' Morrison-Frichtl said about the portal. 'I mean, they just downsized these regions and so all the large states, for I don't know how many programs, are all going here, and there's no one point for you in your program to handle your questions.' Head Start programs have received federal funding since the preschool effort was started more than 60 years ago as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson's War on Poverty. While the programs have historically received bipartisan support in Congress, there have been instances, such as in 2003, where program funding has received criticism from both sides of the aisle. Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation policy group thought to have influence on the Trump White House, advocated for Head Start's elimination. For Sarillo's programs, the federal funding supports immunizations, vision, dental, hearing services for low-income families, along with individualized lesson plans for children with disabilities, professional development for the early childhood workforce, and other support for parents and families in the Chicago area. 'Some of our children are from the most under-resourced and marginalized communities,' Sarillo said 'Our families have started having real concerns about what this means and if their child still has a safe place to go. All of that has really left children and families across Illinois that are accessing Head Start programs, and specifically in Chicago as well, just in the state of real, kind of despair and concern.' Sara Mixer, executive director of Parent and Child Together for West Central Illinois, said that regional managers 'provided that day-to-day support to agencies whenever we needed that, and we don't have that anymore.' 'The fear is that any process is just going to take so much longer now, because even if the plan is to have the other existing regional offices absorb the states, it's just going to take that much longer, which will ultimately directly impact the services to children and families,' Mixer said. The Head Start regional office wasn't the only federal HHS regional unit shuttered in Chicago this week. The regional Office of Child Care in Chicago – which, like Head Start, operates under HHS' Administration for Children and Families – also closed Tuesday, said Ruth Friedman, who was director of the Office of Child Care under President Joe Biden. The Office of Child Care distributes Child Care and Development Fund money to states, which is used to help low-income parents pay for child care while they work. Though that funding has not been cut, she said the regional office worked closely with states to help them maximize how that money could be used to serve families. 'Gutting the Office of Child Care in this way, ultimately what it's going to mean is child care is going to become less safe, it's going to become more expensive, and it's going to be harder for families to find,' Friedman said. The regional office closures have not been the only issues for Head Start since Trump took office. An executive order issued in mid-March required Head Start programs to remove initiatives involving diversity, equity and inclusion is also creating barriers to accessing funding, Morrison-Frichtl said. She said the federal Head Start office told her programs are now required to certify that they've removed all DEI initiatives before they can receive grant funding, but Sarillo said that right now there is no one to clarify what specific DEI initiatives are included in this order. 'Anyone that is currently in the process of reapplying for their grant is going through that right now, but there's no one to talk to in the regional office to even verify and work with them on, like, what language can I include?' Sarillo said. Morrison-Frichtl said there's still confusion on what the order applies to in day-to-day services, such as if it applies to services for dual language learners. 'It's so hard in our work because we have books in our classroom that reflect the culture we're serving,' Morrison-Frichtl said. 'We're required to find teachers that reflect the culture and ethnicity of the group of children in the classroom. All of our materials need to reflect our cultures, from the dolls in the classroom to our materials. There's a lot there.' Following the order, Illinois Head Start programs removed language regarding DEI topics, changed eligibility criteria, changed code of conduct guidelines within personnel policies and will no longer provide funds for Head Start staff to take required DEI coursework for teacher certification. Illinois Head Start programs also struggled to access funding for weeks after the Trump's administration's federal freeze at the end of January. One program shut down because it could not pay its employees, Morrison-Frichtl said. 'It was a mess,' said Kelly Neidel, executive director of the Two Rivers Head Start in Aurora, the program that briefly shut down. 'Canceling and then starting back up again. It causes uncertainty with staff, and I've worked there 35 years and this was probably one of my worst days there.' Head Start programs have been able to consistently access funding since mid-February, and a spokesperson for the federal Administration for Children and Families told the Tribune in mid-February that the payment system website was experiencing technical issues, unrelated to the federal freeze. In the midst of confusion from Head Start programs across the state, Sarillo has started a campaign for families and children to speak out. Over 3,000 emails and 3,000 calls have been sent in support of Head Start to congressional legislators from the state, according to Sarillo. 'Our hope is that this was just a disruption and that this is not any indication of any changes that are going to be made to Head Start funding, which again, plays such a critical role in supporting children and families in early development in Chicago,' Sarillo said.
Chicago Tribune
06-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Shutdown of regional Head Start offices creates confusion, but feds say funding will continue
The Trump administration's decision to close a regional Head Start office in Chicago this week has raised questions about how the program, which serves more than 28,000 children and low-income families in Illinois, will continue to operate in coming weeks and months. The federal government shut down the Chicago office Tuesday, along with regional Head Start offices in Boston, New York, San Francisco and Seattle, according to the nonprofit National Head Start Association. The day the regional offices closed, 'a lot of Head Start grant recipients woke up terrified, wondering what this means,' said Tommy Sheridan, the association's deputy director. The regional offices that were closed employed roughly 75 to 100 people and provided support to Head Start grant recipients, he said. 'For families and for staff we want to be very explicit: There's been no cut in funding that's been shared. Programs are still operational and programs are going to do everything in their power to keep services flowing,' Sheridan said. 'However we are concerned as we look to the future.' The regional offices were the pipeline to federal funding for Illinois Head Start programs, which were left unsure who to contact and are concerned their programs might have to shut down if they don't receive funding by the start of their next fiscal year, which for some begins May 1, according to Lauri Morrison-Frichtl, executive director of the Illinois Head Start Association. 'Obviously, on Tuesday morning, my number one question was to ask, 'When will we confirm that we're expecting to receive the rest of our obligated funds by May 1?' But there was no one to ask,' said Celena Sarillo, executive director of Start Early, a nonprofit public-private partnership serving over 2,000 children in Chicago. 'That was just like a complete shock to all of us.' Head Start grant recipients were instructed to use a specific online portal for communications about grants going forward in an April 3 letter from Laurie Todd-Smith, deputy assistant secretary for Early Childhood Development, which operates under the federal Department of Health and Human Services. The closures of the regional Head Start offices are part of a broader restructuring of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that the Trump administration says will save taxpayers $1.8 billion a year. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told the Tribune Friday morning that Head Start programs are not in any danger. 'All statutorily required programs will remain intact, and as a result of the reorganization, will be better positioned to execute on Congress's statutory intent,' said Emily Hilliard, deputy press secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 'We remain committed to providing continued support to Head Start programs as they work to meet the needs of their communities.' Head Start program directors can 'reach out to their designated regional offices or the appropriate Head Start program contact within the Administration for Children and Families' for questions related to grant funding and other support, an Hilliard said. Nonetheless, Head Start administrators say the lack of a Chicago regional office could create issues. Morrison-Frichtl said the online assistance portal is not enough to support everyday needs, and she said Illinois Head Start programs have not received communication as of Friday afternoon on who their designated regional offices or program contacts are. 'I would be surprised if you had a response back within two weeks,' Morrison-Frichtl said about the portal. 'I mean, they just downsized these regions and so all the large states, for I don't know how many programs, are all going here, and there's no one point for you in your program to handle your questions.' Head Start programs have received federal funding since the preschool effort was started more than 60 years ago as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson's War on Poverty. While the programs have historically received bipartisan support in Congress, there have been instances, such as in 2003, where program funding has received criticism from both sides of the aisle. Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation policy group thought to have influence on the Trump White House, advocated for Head Start's elimination. For Sarillo's programs, the federal funding supports immunizations, vision, dental, hearing services for low-income families, along with individualized lesson plans for children with disabilities, professional development for the early childhood workforce, and other support for parents and families in the Chicago area. 'Some of our children are from the most under-resourced and marginalized communities,' Sarillo said 'Our families have started having real concerns about what this means and if their child still has a safe place to go. All of that has really left children and families across Illinois that are accessing Head Start programs, and specifically in Chicago as well, just in the state of real, kind of despair and concern.' Sara Mixer, executive director of Parent and Child Together for West Central Illinois, said that regional managers 'provided that day-to-day support to agencies whenever we needed that, and we don't have that anymore.' 'The fear is that any process is just going to take so much longer now, because even if the plan is to have the other existing regional offices absorb the states, it's just going to take that much longer, which will ultimately directly impact the services to children and families,' Mixer said. The Head Start regional office wasn't the only federal HHS regional unit shuttered in Chicago this week. The regional Office of Child Care in Chicago – which, like Head Start, operates under HHS' Administration for Children and Families – also closed Tuesday, said Ruth Friedman, who was director of the Office of Child Care under President Joe Biden. The Office of Child Care distributes Child Care and Development Fund money to states, which is used to help low-income parents pay for child care while they work. Though that funding has not been cut, she said the regional office worked closely with states to help them maximize how that money could be used to serve families. 'Gutting the Office of Child Care in this way, ultimately what it's going to mean is child care is going to become less safe, it's going to become more expensive, and it's going to be harder for families to find,' Friedman said. The regional office closures have not been the only issues for Head Start since Trump took office. An executive order issued in mid-March required Head Start programs to remove initiatives involving diversity, equity and inclusion is also creating barriers to accessing funding, Morrison-Frichtl said. She said the federal Head Start office told her programs are now required to certify that they've removed all DEI initiatives before they can receive grant funding, but Sarillo said that right now there is no one to clarify what specific DEI initiatives are included in this order. 'Anyone that is currently in the process of reapplying for their grant is going through that right now, but there's no one to talk to in the regional office to even verify and work with them on, like, what language can I include?' Sarillo said. Morrison-Frichtl said there's still confusion on what the order applies to in day-to-day services, such as if it applies to services for dual language learners. 'It's so hard in our work because we have books in our classroom that reflect the culture we're serving,' Morrison-Frichtl said. 'We're required to find teachers that reflect the culture and ethnicity of the group of children in the classroom. All of our materials need to reflect our cultures, from the dolls in the classroom to our materials. There's a lot there.' Following the order, Illinois Head Start programs removed language regarding DEI topics, changed eligibility criteria, changed code of conduct guidelines within personnel policies and will no longer provide funds for Head Start staff to take required DEI coursework for teacher certification. Illinois Head Start programs also struggled to access funding for weeks after the Trump's administration's federal freeze at the end of January. One program shut down because it could not pay its employees, Morrison-Frichtl said. 'It was a mess,' said Kelly Neidel, executive director of the Two Rivers Head Start in Aurora, the program that briefly shut down. 'Canceling and then starting back up again. It causes uncertainty with staff, and I've worked there 35 years and this was probably one of my worst days there.' Head Start programs have been able to consistently access funding since mid-February, and a spokesperson for the federal Administration for Children and Families told the Tribune in mid-February that the payment system website was experiencing technical issues, unrelated to the federal freeze. In the midst of confusion from Head Start programs across the state, Sarillo has started a campaign for families and children to speak out. Over 3,000 emails and 3,000 calls have been sent in support of Head Start to congressional legislators from the state, according to Sarillo. 'Our hope is that this was just a disruption and that this is not any indication of any changes that are going to be made to Head Start funding, which again, plays such a critical role in supporting children and families in early development in Chicago,' Sarillo said.
