(Radio Iowa) – Hundreds of Iowa families will lose access to their childcare providers next week because of the government shutdown. The Head Start program at Community Action of Eastern Iowa runs out of funding on Saturday. C-E-O Daniel Sheridan says the five-year grant is expiring, but no federal approval can be made to renew it. Forty-five staff members will be laid off and some 300 children will lose access to childcare. Sheridan says families are in disbelief. He shared the story of a father who has two kids.

“Because of all the layoffs, he lost his job, and now he’s losing his childcare, and then also with the potential of losing SNAP,” Sheridan says. “You can see fear in people’s eyes. This is deeply, deeply distressing.” Families living in South Central counties will also be impacted by the cuts to Head Start. Lori Ferris, executive director of the Iowa Head Start Association, says these programs are important, especially for Iowans who are living in childcare deserts. “The goal is to break the cycle of poverty, and it really is a multi-generational program,” Ferris says. “So not only do we support the children, but we also empower the parents to better themselves.”

Head Start has been billed as the nation’s leading federally-funded early learning program, with the goal of promoting the school readiness of children ages three to five years.