The Menominee Delta Schoolcraft Community Action Agency's Head Start and Early Head Start programs may have to stop services if an federal budget agreement is not reached in the near future. The programs annually provide early education services to 226 families. They also employ more than 100 staff members across four locations, who are at risk of being laid off. (Courtesy photo)

ESCANABA – The Menominee Delta Schoolcraft Community Action Agency Head Start and Early Head Start programs are at risk of being forced to stop services in exactly two weeks due to the federal government shutdown.

The local agency’s Head Start and Early Head Start programs provide early education services to 226 families. They also supply free diapers to 80% of enrolled families, and 125 children receive three meals a day, with another 59 being fed twice a day.

MDSCAA, 507 First Ave. N., employs more than 100 staff members at four locations who are at risk of being laid off — Escanaba Early Childhood Center, 1905 S. 21st Ave.; Gladstone Early Childhood Center, 207 S. 12th St.; Manistique Early Childhood Center, 426 Chippewa Ave.; and Menominee Early Childhood Center, N1329 U.S. 41.

The agency was due to receive about $4 million in federal money for the programs today. Because a federal budget has not been passed in Washington, D.C., Friday was the final day of funding.

Myra Smeester, DSCAA deputy director and Early Childhood Program director, said their agency is unsure if they will be reimbursed if they continue without funding.

“If we can’t (get reimbursed) — because there is question of that now — if we can’t, then the agency would cover it without any guarantee of being able to pay that back, and that could potentially affect the whole agency,” Smeester said.

Gary Willoughby, executive director of MDSCAA, said the agency is currently assessing their budgets for other programs to analyze if other funds can be put toward keeping services in the Head Start and Early Head Start programs running during the shutdown.

“We’re not a wealthy agency, so we don’t have big reserves or anything like that at all. We don’t have a big piggy bank full of ‘Just in case this happens – if $4 million goes away.’ We don’t have the ability to make that up. So, that’s why we’re planning for, if nothing else changes, kind of self-funding it for two weeks. We can stick our necks out that far,” Willoughby said. “It gives the parents a little bit more time to make plans and to give the federal government more time to negotiate with themselves.”

Willoughby also noted that 56% of children in their programs also use SNAP benefits, which are either being delayed or not dispersed at all due to the shutdown.

“Some of these folks may be a single-parent household. They may have to drop out of college or quit their jobs in order to take care of their kids, so they lose their income or education because they don’t all have lots of other resources,” Willoughby said.

The Head Start and Early Head Start programs also focus on families as a unit and their successes.

“We work with the families on family goals – that could be preparing to go to school, buying a house, buying a car, getting a job, starting college, anything like that. We’re a very comprehensive program,” Willoughby said.

The other agency’s other programs — such Senior Companion Program, Foster Grandparent Program and Homeless Assistance Program — are also at risk of being affected if an agreement on the federal budget is not reached soon.

“Even some of our state funding starts off at the federal level, so if there’s a long, long impasse, it could affect pretty much every other program we have, as well – our weatherization programs, our senior programs,” Willoughby said.

There are two other U.P.-based CAAs that run Head Start programs, Gogebic-Ontonogan Community Action Agency and Community Action Alger-Marquette. All three agencies face the threat of ceasing their services.

Willoughby said their agency is among 140 others in the country that, unfortunately, receive their federal funding in either October or November, which happens to be exactly when the nationwide shutdown is in place.

“They can’t have every grant renew at the same time because it’s such a big program, so we drew the unlucky straw,” Willoughby said.

Despite the uncertainty, the agency is staying optimistic.

“We’re certainly hopeful that they will resolve this pretty soon, because we absolutely rely on these partnerships and have for a long time,” Willoughby said.

Enrolled families will continue to be updated through the agency’s communication systems and social media.

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Sophie Vogelmann can be reached at 906-786-2021 or svogelmann@dailypress.net.