"We're funded through December 31. Right now, our grant runs January through December 31," said Michael Balderas, director of Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission Head Start. "We shouldn't see any effects as long as there's some resolution to the shutdown quickly. I'm optimistic it's not going to carry out for two months."
The Fresno EOC operates 30 Head Start centers in the county, benefiting over 2,000 children from birth to 5 years old.
"When children come to school, we are feeding them nutritious meals that meet the requirements for their health," stated Balderas. "We're doing health screenings for the kids, so a lot of those things are important for those families because if they don't get them here, we don't do the referrals, they might not do them at all."
Across the country, 65,000 kids won't be getting those services as centers are forced to close amid the shutdown.
"There was a small group whose funding ended at the end of September. Kind of what you're hearing now is there's more programs affected and their funding ends October 31, so that's a bigger group of kids," said Balderas.
Fresno EOC Head Start is grateful to still be fully operational, welcoming those in need.
"If there's families that are in need of the program, now is a good time to come in and we still have slots available for those children," stated Balderas.
You can head to its website for eligibility requirements and the application itself.
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