Automatic federal spending cuts will keep 500 Colorado children out of Head Start education programs this school year, according to information released Monday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The state figures are part of a larger national tally that suggests 57,265 fewer children will have access to the federally funded early-childhood education programs because of federal sequestration cuts to Head Start and Early Head Start programs.
Slots for children served by Denver Great Kids Head Start will not be reduced, but other cuts were necessary, said Lindsay R. Neil, the city’s director of children’s affairs. The program had to reduce professional development opportunities for teachers, cut back on nutrition education and limit bilingual mental health support for children.
“The city’s philosophy for this year was to protect slots,” Neil said. “We know moving forward that we’re going to have to go back to preserving quality.”
According to reduction plans from individual providers across the country, the federal cuts will also force about 18,000 Head Start employees to take pay cuts or lose their jobs. In some cases, providers will shorten the school year or offer a shorter school day.
Charlotte Brantley, president and CEO of Clayton Early Learning in Denver, said she will continue serving 236 children through Head Start but will have to offer eight fewer slots in the Early Head Start program.
