DETROIT – A group of concerned parents and community members in Detroit are speaking out to protect a federally funded program that has been instrumental in providing early childhood education and various family support services.
The Head Start, operated by Detroit nonprofit Focus: Hope, is overseen by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and has helped hundreds of children and families in the area.
Earlier this year, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. assured that the Department of Health and Human Services would preserve the federal Head Start program. However, families connected to the Focus: Hope Head Start program said they are worried about the status of the nonprofit’s recent grant application, which has not yet been approved.
“It’s not a school. I don’t consider it a school. It’s like a family that teaches,” said Renardo A. Bowles, Sr., a parent involved with the program.
These families fear the potential domino effect if the federal funding does not come through.
Kyra Oguinn, a community member and parent, expressed concern, stating, “It’s going to affect the parents. It’s going to affect the community. It’s going to affect the resources that we get. It’s going to affect our programs.”
Federal funding is crucial for Focus: Hope and its staff to prepare children for kindergarten, while also helping families access daycare, job assistance, food, housing, and other important resources.
Since December, Focus Hope and two of its longtime partners have applied, separately, for Head Start grants, yet no decision has been made by the government on the request for funding assistance from Focus: Hope. Parents and the nonprofit have been waiting to get information.
“I have called. I left plenty of voicemails. I’ve texted cell phones,” one parent shared.
Portia Roberson, CEO of Focus: Hope, said the organization’s team is strategizing behind the scenes, amid the uncertainty. She emphasized the serious impact of the delay: 107 staff members could potentially lose their jobs, and more than 350 families could be affected.
“I’ve got every senator that I know, every congressperson that I know, calling the office of Head Start trying to figure out why they haven’t let us know this yet,” Roberson said.
Roberson added, “Please know that it is as heartbreaking for us as it is for you all. And it is uncertain for us, the way it is for you and your children.”
To be clear, Focus Hope has not been told their application was denied; they have just been waiting nearly eight months for a decision.
The parents involved are not sitting idle. They are actively making calls to congressional lawmakers, urging them to step in and help preserve this vital program.
The uncertain future of the Head Start program has galvanized this community to rally together to protect the services that have become a lifeline for many families in Detroit.