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Donors pledge up to $10 million to fund Head Start

children in head start classroom
Photo provided by Missouri Association for Community Action

National Head Start Association officials say a donation of up to $10 million from two philanthropists will help keep Head Start programs in Missouri and several other states running during the federal government shutdown.

NHSA officials said in a release that Laura and John Arnold's donation will help serve more than 7,000 at-risk children while the government shutdown continues.

Programs in Missouri, Georgia, Alabama, Connecticut, Florida and South Carolina were closed at the end of the first week of the shutdown. NHSA officials say the programs have been allocated federal funding, but administrators are blocked from accessing the money because of the stalemate in Washington.

National Head Start Association Executive Director Yasmina Vinci called the Arnolds' donation selfless and says the program helps more than 27 million of America's poorest children prepare for kindergarten.

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