Bucks County Head Start gets federal grant through June

💲The Trump Administration was considering cuts to the program

💲Federal funding was to run out May 31

💲An application for a 5-year grant has yet to be approved

Bucks County Head Start and Early Head Start has received federal funding that will allow it to operate through the end of the current academic year after announcing it would cease operations at the end of May.

The program, which serves 362 county children from low-income and home families, had not received formal notification about its annual $5.8 million federal grant and was legally required to shut down operations on May 31. An earlier leaked proposal from the Trump administration suggested the program be defunded.

But the budget summary released Friday, which outlined programs set to receive drastic cuts or boosts, did not mention Head Start. On a call with reporters, an administration official said there would be “no changes” to it. The official insisted on anonymity to preview the budget plan on a call with reporters.

Five year grant decision

In a statement  Saturday the Bucks County Intermediate Unit (Bucks IU), which administers the program, said it has received notification of funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to continue operating pending a decision on a longer-term grant award.

“We remain hopeful that a new, five-year competitive grant award will follow soon,” Dr. Mark Hoffman, Executive Director of the Bucks IU, said in a statement. “We’re grateful for the advocacy efforts of our federal legislators, our county legislative delegation, and, of course, our families and staff members."

A decision on the grant should be made during the summer, according to the statement.

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa, 8th District, said he has made it clear in his conversations with the White House that the Head Start program is non-negotiable.

“I’ve always fought to protect Head Start—and I won’t support any effort to weaken or cut it,” Fitzpatrick said in a statement after his meeting with Bucks County IU leadership. “These programs are not line items in a budget—they are lifelines for our families and launchpads for our children’s futures."

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