In rural America, one in three child care centers are actually Head Start programs – and they might be up next on the chopping block.

Something once unthinkable to attack – funding for low-income, rural preschoolers – may well be completely defunded if Trump's plans move forward without serious public blowback.

Head Start is a one-stop-shop for rural working parents who want to give their kids the best leg-up they can – and it's often the only form of childcare that exists in rural communities. Farmers, agricultural workers, and anyone working swing or split shifts rely on Head Start to be there for them, especially in the early mornings or between shifts.

But it's so much more than just childcare – it encompasses preschool and Kindergarten readiness, food assistance and nutrition education, well-child visits, dental check-ups, social and emotional support, and more.

Head Start began in 1965 and has grown over the decades to be one of the most successful federal programs in history, with the data showing that kids who attend do better in school, go further in school, earn higher wages in adulthood, and reduce teen pregnancy and criminal activity rates.

But, as a consequence of the haphazard, on-again, off-again funding freezes, Head Start is already struggling and worried about an uncertain future. Some regional offices have been closed and administrative staff laid off.

Cutting this program would be catastrophic. Parents will be forced to take time off work or leave the workforce altogether, pay much higher costs to private providers (if any are even available), and leave thousands of educational workers without jobs.

Head Start is a lifeline in rural America. To our Republican Party leaders, friends, and neighbors: if you're not on the side of children and working parents, whose side are you on?

Heidi

Heidi Heitkamp, Former U.S. Senator for North Dakota
Founder, One Country Project