Southern Oregon Head Start’s Ashland branch, all other Jackson County branches to remain open as federal funding is restored Wednesday
By Holly Dillemuth, Ashland.news
UPDATE: Federal funding for Southern Oregon Head Start has been restored, according to an email sent by Katherine Clayton, executive director of SOHS on Wednesday afternoon.
“We are overjoyed to announce our funding has come in!” Clayton said in an email. “We are able to continue with normal services! There will be no closures! Thank you for your commitment to our program and patience with us as we navigated this unprecedented time.”
See followup story: Local Head Start programs get last-minute reprieve from federal funding cuts (April 9, 2025)
Original story:
Southern Oregon Head Start’s Ashland branch slated to close Friday
Mom of Head Start student: ‘How do you really explain that to a 5-year-old?’ — Jackson County branches to be cut by April 18 if federal funding remains ‘frozen’
By Holly Dillemuth, Ashland.news
The Ashland branch of Southern Oregon Head Start is scheduled to shutter its doors on Friday, April 11, after serving its last day operating as a preschool and day care facility for 3 through 5-year-olds on Thursday, according to an announcement made to parents on a virtual communication platform on Tuesday afternoon.
“Due to recent funding delays and the serious financial challenges they have caused, we must make the heartbreaking decision to temporarily close several of our classrooms, including your child’s (in Ashland),” said a statement shared on “Playground,” the parent virtual platform, obtained by Ashland.news.
“This means that your child’s classroom will be closed starting April 11. We know this is incredibly upsetting,” the statement added. “Please understand this is not a decision we made lightly. We have done everything we can to avoid disrupting services to our families. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts and the commitment of our staff, we no longer have the funding to operate at full capacity. We are working hard to ensure this closure is temporary. If and when funding becomes available and positions reopen, your child will have the opportunity to return. We will keep you informed every step of the way.”
Parents also learned of the news from teachers at the facility as they dropped off their children on Tuesday morning, a closure being described as “temporary” and due to insufficient federal funding. The closure is anticipated to affect several employees and upwards of 20 families with children who attend the Ashland child care facility, according to one parent who spoke to Ashland.news, but is part of a much broader impact laid out by former Congressman and Early Learning Council member Peter Buckley in an interview with KOBI-5.
In it, Buckley pointed to much more significant impacts, which could cut Southern Oregon Head Start operations by half by Friday, and completely by April 18, without necessary funding. In these scenarios, the impact could expand to 367 staff members, and impacts to 917 children, according to Buckley’s statement to KOBI-5.
Peter Buckley has spoken to members of U.S. Congress and the U.S. Senate about the situation, according to his interview with KOBI-5.
“I’m really hoping that our representatives will be in touch with the administration and insist that these funds that have been frozen somehow are released so Head Start could continue its work,” Buckley told KOBI-5 in an interview, noting he has tried contacting the Federal Government with no response.
Kami Sorrenta, whose 5-year-old daughter Chloe (whose last name her mom withheld) attends Head Start in Ashland, told Ashland.news by phone Tuesday afternoon that she also has reached out to representatives in Congress and U.S. Senate.
“At this point — there are A LOT of questions — and not very many answers,” Clayton said in the email sent out to parents and obtained by Ashland.news.
Sorrenta said she read the email from Clayton as hopeful that parents would at least receive a heads up with much more than a few days notice of any significant impacts.
“It made me think, ‘OK, we’re good for a while,’” Sorrenta said.
A subsequent Southern Oregon Head Start (SOHS) staff meeting late on Monday afternoon alerted teachers and staff of the coming closure.
Sorrenta found out from her daughter’s teacher on Tuesday morning as she dropped her off at the facility.
“I felt blind-sided this morning,” Sorrenta said, especially after reading Clayton’s email.
Sorrenta, a 38-year-old single mom, serves on the Southern Oregon Family Council. She praises SOHS for helping her get access to work and child care for her daughter following a divorce.
“Rebuilding my life came with a lot of turmoil and one of the biggest roadblocks for me was being able to access work without having access to child care, because I have my daughter 95% of the time,” Sorrenta said.
Sorrenta said that Head Start in Ashland was the biggest stepping stone for her in accessing her current job.
“This is a vital resource in our community,” Sorrenta said. “Yes, it’s a preschool, but it’s also child care for people who don’t have any other alternative. Looking at preschools that are available in our area, I’m priced out of a lot of those options — They’re above my budget.
“At the moment, it’s feeling insurmountable,” she added, of the way forward. “I’m resourceful and do what I need to to figure things out for my daughter and I, and this is a huge loss for me, if not all of the other families experiencing this.”
Sorrenta lamented the impact on the staff, some of whom were emotional as they told her the news Tuesday morning.
“They clearly care about their roles and want to be there and want to support these kids,” Sorrenta said.
Angela Beeson, parent of 5-year-old Bailey, also expressed empathy for the impact anticipated on staff. She said that the cook has been on staff for the better part of two decades and others on staff have served consistently as well.
“They’re all amazing, my daughter loves them,” Beeson said. “They work really hard, they pour their love into our children everyday.
“It’s definitely been a lot, really quick,” she added. “Those teachers and the staff, they’re not going to have a job after this week and then there are parents that won’t have child care.”
Beeson said she has not yet found a way to tell her daughter about the news.
“It’s going to affect us more in the sense that my child loves her community that she’s built,” Beeson said. “It’s just like a cutoff, right away.”
Sorrenta said she’s been “kind of swirling” as she tries to plan for child care for her daughter for the immediate future. She has also called Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario, and Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, urging restoration of funding. Sorrenta encourages others to do the same if they feel so inclined.
“In some ways, I feel like I have some concrete steps I’ve taken to just, at least hopefully, get my voice heard, and also just trying to scrounge together some resources for at least next week,” she said. “Take it a week at a time and try to piece together something.”
On top of that, Sorrenta spoke to Ashland.news about the intricacies of telling a 5-year-old why their preschool would close before summertime arrived.
“I was just talking to her tonight during bathtime,” Sorrenta said. “Knowing her, I knew she needed a little bit of a heads up on that coming … it’s pretty sudden for all of us.
“She had questions,” Sorrenta added. “A kid doesn’t fully understand — ‘Well, the government’s pulling funding’ – How do you really explain that to a 5-year-old?”
Standing outside her green Jeep while her curly-headed daughter Indira Rose, 5, poked her head out the car window, Dixie Nunez said she found out about the news while picking up her daughter from the child care facility Tuesday when a fellow parent came out of the facility crying.
She also shared empathy for employees of Southern Oregon Head Start in Ashland who will soon be out of jobs.
“That doesn’t give any time to line anything up for next week,” Nunez said.
One of the things Nunez liked so much about Head Start has been their teaching philosophy.
“You take care of yourself, you take care of your things, and you take care of others,” Nunez said. “They really focus on teaching those things to the kids.”
Nunez said the hours of operation also really helped her as she works remotely as a graphic designer and website developer.
She normally drops her daughter off at the preschool at 7:45 a.m. and picks her up at 2:30 p.m, with availability through 5 p.m., making work schedule hours accessible for her and others.
Her plans for childcare moving forward are up in the air.
“Most places are in the middle of their year and they’re full, you know?” Nunez said. “So even if you can find something — then being able to afford it — is a whole thing.”
Southern Oregon Head Start headquarters in Central Point declined to confirm nor deny the impending closure late Tuesday afternoon, but said more information might be available on Wednesday.
If you or someone you know is directly affected by this closure, we want to hear from you. Please reach out to Ashland.news reporter Holly Dillemuth at [email protected].
