15 Head Start centers in rural Georgia set to close due to government shutdown

This story was updated on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, at 2:43 p.m.

A Head Start provider in rural Georgia, Action Pact, is closing 15 early childhood education facilities on Monday due to the government shutdown, stopping services for 548 children and furloughing 187 employees.

Head Start is a federally funded program that provides free early education and child care, health screenings, meals and other wraparound services to low-income kids under age six and their families.

Action Pact typically receives a notice of award for Head Start on Nov. 1, which allows it to use federal money to fund services. Without those funds, facilities are not able to remain operational.

“These things can have devastating ripple effects. You know, many of our staff are like so many Americans and we live paycheck to paycheck,” Rogers said. “A couple of missed paychecks really sends you into a downward spiral.”

Action Pact’s Head Start centers serve Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Brantley, Candler, Charlton, Clinch, Coffee, Jeff Davis, Pierce, Toombs and Ware counties in South and Central Georgia.