Nearly 4,800 Homeless Children Will Lose Head Start on November 1
Nearly 4,800 homeless children could lose Head Start on November 1 if Congress fails to act. See how many in your state are at risk—and take action now.
What Head Start Does
Head Start and Early Head Start provide comprehensive, two-generation supports to children and families with low incomes. By federal law and regulation, programs must remove barriers to the enrollment and participation of children experiencing homelessness, prioritize these families for enrollment, and collaborate with school district liaisons and housing/homeless programs.
Why Head Start Matters for Families Experiencing Homelessness
For children and families experiencing homelessness, Head Start means reliable meals, a safe place to be, critical developmental services that mitigate the harms of homelessness, employment and education support for parents, and connections to shelter and housing.
What’s at Risk on November 1
Head Start grants operate on staggered funding cycles. If Congress does not fund the government by November 1, nearly 65,000 children in 41 states currently enrolled in Head Start are at risk of losing this vital resource (an estimate first reported by the National Head Start Association and confirmed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services).
How Many Homeless Children Could Be Affected
Among these children, we estimate roughly 4,800 are experiencing homelessness. This is a conservative estimate based on 2024 Head Start Program Information Report (PIR) data. We calculated the percentage of Head Start enrollees experiencing homelessness in each state and applied those percentages to NHSA’s counts of children at risk of losing services.
Because programs face persistent challenges in identifying families experiencing homelessness, this estimate likely understates the true number of children who would be affected by program closures beginning November 1.
Take Action Now
On Wednesday, October 29, the National Head Start Association is supporting a national day of action. Take two minutes to write to your Member of Congress to urge them to end the shutdown and support Head Start funding.
See How Many Homeless Children Risk Losing Head Start in Your State
| State | Total cumulative number of children enrolled during the program year [i] | Total number of children experiencing homelessness enrolled [i] | Percent of children enrolled in Head Start experiencing homelessness [i] | Total number of children that may lose Head Start Services on 11/1[ii] | Estimated number of children experiencing homelessness that may lose Head Start services on 11/1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AK | 2,980 | 303 | 10.17% | 189 | 19 |
| AL | 12,548 | 650 | 5.18% | 972 | 50 |
| AR | 9,994 | 709 | 7.09% | 1,488 | 106 |
| AZ | 16,505 | 1,050 | 6.36% | 210 | 13 |
| CA | 84,195 | 8,051 | 9.56% | 830 | 79 |
| CO | 11,486 | 1,530 | 13.32% | 1,642 | 219 |
| CT | 5,718 | 476 | 8.32% | 395 | 33 |
| DC | 2,199 | 118 | 5.37% | – | – |
| DE | 1,863 | 100 | 5.37% | – | – |
| FL | 45,020 | 2,731 | 6.07% | 10,728 | 651 |
| GA | 22,105 | 990 | 4.48% | 6,087 | 273 |
| HI | 2,778 | 165 | 5.94% | – | – |
| IA | 7,299 | 680 | 9.32% | 623 | 58 |
| ID | 3,744 | 662 | 17.68% | 161 | 28 |
| IL | 28,208 | 2,228 | 7.90% | 335 | 26 |
| IN | 12,702 | 920 | 7.24% | 2,662 | 193 |
| KS | 7,312 | 692 | 9.46% | 451 | 43 |
| KY | 16,279 | 1,193 | 7.33% | 2,581 | 189 |
| LA | 18,295 | 588 | 3.21% | 1,344 | 43 |
| MA | 11,514 | 1,591 | 13.82% | 2,723 | 376 |
| MD | 7,544 | 492 | 6.52% | – | – |
| ME | 2,631 | 265 | 10.07% | 170 | 17 |
| MI | 27,150 | 1,855 | 6.83% | 3,064 | 209 |
| MN | 12,775 | 1,236 | 9.68% | 1,343 | 130 |
| MO | 14,953 | 1,116 | 7.46% | 3,702 | 276 |
| MS | 18,460 | 197 | 1.07% | – | – |
| MT | 3,687 | 626 | 16.98% | 133 | 23 |
| NC | 19,529 | 1,401 | 7.17% | 2,575 | 185 |
| ND | 2,479 | 167 | 6.74% | – | – |
| NE | 5,527 | 484 | 8.76% | 899 | 79 |
| NH | 1,259 | 193 | 15.33% | – | – |
| NJ | 12,261 | 1,221 | 9.96% | 85 | 8 |
| NM | 7,179 | 284 | 3.96% | 250 | 10 |
| NV | 3,269 | 462 | 14.13% | – | – |
| NY | 39,578 | 3,939 | 9.95% | 1,644 | 164 |
| OH | 33,465 | 1,663 | 4.97% | 3,663 | 182 |
| OK | 14,846 | 1,018 | 6.86% | 2,526 | 173 |
| OR | 14,159 | 1,919 | 13.55% | 2,630 | 356 |
| PA | 35,386 | 2,504 | 7.08% | 371 | 26 |
| PR | 24,108 | 310 | 1.29% | 125 | 2 |
| RI | 2,499 | 137 | 5.48% | 188 | 10 |
| SC | 10,299 | 525 | 5.10% | 955 | 49 |
| SD | 4,218 | 368 | 8.72% | 265 | 23 |
| TN | 16,392 | 844 | 5.15% | 267 | 14 |
| TX | 71,163 | 3,800 | 5.34% | 1,933 | 103 |
| UT | 7,290 | 873 | 11.98% | – | – |
| VA | 13,520 | 773 | 5.72% | 592 | 34 |
| VT | 1,249 | 228 | 18.25% | 242 | 44 |
| WA | 14,527 | 1,793 | 12.34% | 3,248 | 401 |
| WI | 15,075 | 1,398 | 9.27% | 391 | 36 |
| WV | 8,499 | 537 | 6.32% | 111 | 7 |
| WY | 1,763 | 224 | 12.71% | 114 | 14 |
| TOTAL | 789,483 | 58,279 | 7.38% | 64,907 | 4,791 |
Data source: 2024 Head Start Program Information Report [i] and data published by the National Head Start Association [ii]
Note: The PIR data only include families who have been identified as experiencing homelessness, because programs face challenges identifying families experiencing homelessness, these data likely do not represent every family experiencing homelessness enrolled in Head Start programs.