PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Around 17,000 children in Arizona are currently enrolled in Head Start programs . But funding uncertainty amid the ongoing government shutdown threatens to disrupt the help the program gives.

The 60-year-old federally funded program helps the youngest in a community by providing education, nutrition and family services to help set children up for success.

“I love watching when families and children enter our program,” said Keri Flathers, the child development manager at Educare Arizona . “It’s a concern on everyone’s minds.”

According to the National Head Start Association , 140 programs nationwide will lose their operational funding if the government shutdown continues into November, including about 210 kids and 37 staff in Arizona.

“For Head Start progra

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