Loss of Head Start Funding: What This Means for Our Community

Focus: HOPE has proudly served Detroit families through our Center for Children since 1989, and has provided Head Start services since 2014. For more than a decade, our Head Start program has been a lifeline for families in ZIP codes 48202, 48206, 48211 and 48238, offering high-quality early childhood education, nutritious meals, health screenings and family support.

We have now received official notification that our application for federal Head Start funding for the 2025–2026 school year was denied. Without this funding, our Head Start program can not operate for the upcoming school year.

The impact will be significant:

• Hundreds of children will miss critical early learning experiences that prepare them for school success.
• Families will face new barriers to finding affordable, accessible childcare.
• Our community will lose an essential support system that has been in place for more than a decade.

Focus: HOPE is one of many early childhood providers across Michigan and the nation affected by delays and disruptions in the federal Head Start grant process. We are not alone, and this decision does not reflect the quality of our program or our commitment to the families we serve.

We are committed to advocating for the restoration of services, and will continue to share updates as they become available. In the meantime, we are working to connect families to alternative resources.

How You Can Help:

Contact your elected officials and urge them to restore Head Start services in our community. Advocacy Toolkit-How You Can Help

Share your story about the impact of losing Head Start — email us at [email protected]

Spread the word on social media using #SaveHeadStart and #DetroitKidsDeserveBetter.

Every child deserves the chance to start school ready to learn, regardless of their ZIP code. Together, we can fight to bring Head Start back to our neighborhoods.