Federal cuts force Head Start program with +400 kids, 70 jobs to close in Eastern WA
The Inspire Development Centers in Sunnyside is indefinitely closing its Head Start and Early Head Start programs at the end of business day because of loss of federal funding.
The closure will impact more than 400 preschool children in the Lower Yakima Valley and the jobs of 70 staff members.
The facility provides children from low-income families with educational services such as Head Start, Early Head Start and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start.
The Sunnyside center typically would receive a notice of award by mid-February for partial funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. That agreement would then go into effect May 1.
But because the center has not heard back from the federal agency about funding for those programs, administrators determined Tuesday they would need to close them.
“In my 31 years of working for this organization, I’m not aware of any type of delay like this that has required the organization to suspend services like this,” said Jorge Castillo, CEO of Inspire Development Centers. “It’s disappointing. We hope that they can clarify this quickly and we can resume services as soon as possible.”
The Inspire Development Centers will remain open, though, serving 1,900 children through its Seasonal Head Start and 700 through its state Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program, or ECEAP.
ECEAP and Head Start are similar programs, serving children 3 and 4 years old. But one is funded by the state, while the other is federally funded.
Both programs include free early learning child care to support development and learning, links to services for family support, and child health coordination and nutrition.
To qualify, Head Start families must either have an income at or below 130% of the federal poverty level, be eligible for public assistance, or be experiencing homelessness.
The program also serves children with learning disabilities or who are in foster care.
Castillo said the closure of five regional Head Start offices — including the Pacific Northwest Region 10 office in Seattle — is causing some of the communication gap issues.
It was announced more than two weeks ago and has caused confusion about who to communicate with about grant management.
Inspire Development Centers had been working with the Washington, D.C., office since then, but employees at the office told Sunnyside staff the funding was out of their hands.
Head Start in Washington
The development comes as USA Today reported Friday that the Republican administration was considering a complete cut to the federal program, which has helped 40 million children since its creation in 1965.
More than 15,000 children in Washington state are enrolled in the program.
Joel Ryan, executive director of the Washington State Association of Head Start and ECEAP, said Tuesday they should be supplementing the program, not cutting it.
“We ask Congress to deepen and expand their commitment to Head Start and the children and families who need it most. Eliminating this program would devastate communities and families across the country,” Ryan said.
“More than one million parents depend on Head Start so they can go to work, support their families, and build better futures. Without it, many would be forced to choose between their job and their child’s care — a choice no one should have to make,” he continued.
At the same time, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson has proposed cuts of his own to the state level program, ECEAP, or Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program.
About 1,650 ECEAP and Head Start seats are funded in Richland, Kennewick and Pasco, but nearly 900 children, ages 3 and 4, already go without services in the Tri-Cities due to a lack of funding.
Childcare access remains limited for many Tri-Cities families. Less than one-third of local families needing care for their kids between the ages of 3 and 5 are able to access it.
The Department of Children, Youth and Families report estimates more than 50,400 children statewide are eligible for free preschool, but only about half of those are served.
Castillo says the disruption will impact the rehiring of staff and re-enrollment of students if they receive their grant money, but so much is unknown right now.
Their Seasonal Head Start program will need funds by July to continue.
This story was originally published April 15, 2025 at 3:31 PM.
