A coalition of Florida business leaders is warning that proposed federal cuts to Head Start would dramatically worsen the state’s already severe childcare shortage, deepening the state’s workforce crisis and damaging long-term economic competitiveness.
The Florida Chamber Foundation, in partnership with the National Chamber Foundation, estimates that childcare disruptions cost Florida’s economy nearly $5.4 billion annually, working parents miss shifts or leave jobs altogether to care for young children. The pending elimination of federal Head Start funding, floated in a leaked version of the President’s budget, has sparked a new alarm. While a later version of the budget – known as the “skinny budget”—omitted any mention of Head Start, Florida leaders say that silence is cause for concern.
“Eliminating Head Start would pour gasoline on the fire of our existing childcare crisis,” said Paul Mitchell, policy expert with The Southern Group and board member of the Early Learning Coalition of the Big Bend. “We already know childcare gaps drive parents out of the workforce, reduce tax revenue for the state, and place immense strain on Florida families and employers.”
Head Start and Early Head Start programs serve roughly 45,000 low-income children under age five across Florida’s 800+ centers. Losing this vital early learning infrastructure would not only devastate vulnerable families – it would cost the state an estimated $668 million annually to replace those services, double the current state budget for Voluntary Pre-K (VPK).
According to the Florida Chamber Foundation, lack of childcare is the number one reason why working parents of young children leave the labor force. Over 281,000 Floridians reported leaving work in the past year specifically to care for a child, at a time when there are only 90 workers for every 100 open jobs.
Florida TaxWatch, the state’s leading nonpartisan watchdog, estimates that unreliable childcare costs the state more than $743 million in lost tax revenues and $1.7 billion in turnover expenses for businesses each year. “Gutting Head Start would amplify these devastating numbers,” said Jeff Kottkamp, Florida TaxWatch Executive Vice President and former Lt. Governor who chaired Florida’s Children and Youth Cabinet. “This isn’t just a family issue, it’s an economic one.”
Head Start has been studied for decades and delivers one of the highest returns of any federal program. Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman found that every $1 invested in early childhood education generates up to $9 in taxpayer savings, due to long-term outcomes such as:
- Higher high school graduation rates
- Reduced crime and incarceration
- Fewer teen pregnancies
- Lower healthcare and public assistance costs
- Increased workforce participation
“We’d be foolish to defund Head Start, it should be expanded,” said David Lawrence, Jr., retired Miami-Herald publisher and chair of The Children’s Movement of Florida. “We have decades of data showing the difference it makes not just for kids, but for the future of our country.”
Head Start is lauded for its direct-to-community funding model – cutting out bureaucracy to deliver local impact efficiently. That’s why the Florida business coalition is worried about Head Start cuts.
“Families that once depended on welfare are now working, contributing, and thriving thanks to Head Start,” said Wanda Minick, Executive Director of the Florida Head Start Association. “We urge business and community leaders to join us in advocating for this lifeline.”
TaxWatch’s Kottkamp reinforced this point: “Access to high-quality affordable childcare is not only important for families—it’s also important for our state’s economy. The return on investment for taxpayers for the Head Start program is significant. Even more important, the Head Start program leads to better long-term socio-economic outcomes for children and families.”
