The ongoing stalemate over federal government funding in Washington is putting an essential safety net for low-income families with young children in limbo.

Four Minnesota providers of Head Start, a national program serving infants to 5-year-olds in need, will run out of federal dollars on Nov. 1 when their annual grant is set to renew.

The shutdown puts that on pause and advocates warn that could force the program to shutter services and layoff staff the longer the federal funding fight drags on.

"We're very concerned about our kids and families and staff and trying to keep operations going for as long as we can, but definitely without federal support, there's some hard realities that we're facing," said Kraig Gratke, executive director of the Minnesota Head Start Association.

The p

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