WASHINGTON —

Some Head Start centers are at risk of closure in the coming days if Congress doesn't reach a deal to end the government shutdown.

That could cause a lapse in critical early education, health, and nutrition services for tens of thousands of children from low-income families.

"A little bit more than 65,000 children and families might be impacted," said Tommy Sheridan, deputy director of the National Head Start Association. "The development of children is based on their timeline, not on Washington's timeline, so to hear that the decisions they're making in D.C. are impacting that and are going to set children back is deeply alarming."

Sheridan said 140 Head Start programs, or about 10% of providers nationwide, could see disruptions to their federal grant funding because of t

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