Nationally, Head Start programs recently got a $61.9 million shot in the arm for kitchen upgrades, gardens, and nutrition classes meant to set kids “on a path to lifelong health,” as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. put it. But here in Santa Barbara County, where 20 Head Start centers serve low-income families, that money will never arrive.
“When the federal government closed the Region 9 Head Start Office in San Francisco last spring, communication to local programs was severely disrupted,” said Patricia Keelean, CEO of CommUnify, which runs the county’s Head Start sites. “We only received notice of this funding opportunity about a week before the deadline, which did not allow enough time to prepare a competitive application.”
Keelean said the missed opportunity stings. “Had we been given more time, these funds could have supported much-needed improvements at one of our Head Start center kitchens,” she said. Instead, local families are left watching as centers in Michigan, Puerto Rico, and Florida get everything from hydroponic gardens to new farm-to-table partnerships.
The snub comes at a precarious moment for Head Start itself. In July, the Trump administration reclassified Head Start and similar programs as “federal public benefits,” a move that would bar undocumented families from participating. California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 20 other states sued, and won a temporary injunction — keeping the door open, for now.
Keelean says the injunction has been crucial locally. “We are grateful … it allows us to continue serving all children and families in our community,” she said. “Eligibility remains open to any family that meets the income requirements, and we remain committed to ensuring every child has access to quality early education.”
It is a split screen moment. On one hand, new federal dollars will upgrade the nutritional health of Head Start families nationwide. On the other, families in Santa Barbara County feel the threat of remaining in the program at all.
Despite the onslaught of challenges Head Start has continually had to face, not to mention the current government shutdown, the mission hasn’t changed. “At the end of the day, our focus is on children and families,” Keelean said. “We’ll continue doing everything we can to make sure they have the resources and opportunities they deserve.”
