Government shutdown puts Oregon preschool programs in jeopardy

At least four Oregon Head Start programs are at risk of having to close classrooms serving more than 1,000 children and lay off staff if the federal government shutdown drags on into 2026.

Two of the potentially impacted programs are in the Portland area: Albina Head Start and Portland Public Schools’ Head Start program, said Nancy Perin, the director of the Oregon Head Start Association. The other two are Southern Oregon Head Start, which enrolls children in Josephine and Jackson counties, and Head Start of Yamhill County.