The Pulaski County locations of Arkansas’ federally-funded early childhood education program will temporarily close Nov. 1 due to a lack of funding caused by the federal government shutdown, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences announced Tuesday.
“Unless UAMS receives federal funding and a new federal contract to administer the Head Start program, this program will have to remain closed,” Head Start Program Director Tyra Larkin wrote to families in the program. “We understand how disruptive this will be for your family, and we are deeply sorry for the stress this may cause.”
The six facilities in Little Rock and North Little Rock serve 446 children and their families, and 130 employees will be furloughed due to the closures, UAMS spokesperson Leslie Taylor said…