Head Start programs erased services for 57,000 U.S. children in the coming school year to balance sequester-starved budgets, federal data indicated.
The latest numbers, based on results of "reduction plans" Head Start grantees submitted to the Department of Health and Human Services, will affect tens of thousands of poor families across the country who rely on Head Start for early learning programs, day care, and social services and medical care for their children.
The data, scheduled to be released Monday, would cut 1.3 million days from Head Start centers, and lay off or reduce pay for more than 18,000 employees, The Washington Post reported.
Before the 5 percent across-the-board federal budget cuts went into effect in March, the Obama administration said 70,000 children would lose access to Head Start because of the mandatory cuts. A senior administration official told the Post the projection is based on a "worst-case scenario."
