Focus: HOPE's Detroit Head Start program closes doors after losing federal grant

Detroit families reeling after nonprofit loses federal Head Start funding

Kyra O’Guinn and her young family have relied heavily on Focus: HOPE’s Early Head Start programming to help raise their daughter since she was just 4 months old. This story also appeared in Chalkbeat Detroit But that safety net was eliminated when the longtime Detroit nonprofit announced that it has not received federal Head Start funding for the 2025–26 school year. The closure of the Head Start program affects more …

Focus: Hope to Close Detroit Head Start Programs After $6 Million Federal Funding Loss

Focus: Hope is facing one of the most significant setbacks in its 56-year history after learning it will lose $6 million in federal Head Start funding, with no explanation from Washington and no other provider stepping up to serve the affected neighborhoods. The loss will end a program that has been a lifeline for hundreds of Detroit children and families, strip at least 90 workers of their jobs, and undermine the stability that allows parents t…

Focus: HOPE's Detroit Head Start program closes doors after losing federal grant

Focus: HOPE will not receive federal funding for Head Start, leaving hundreds of low-income parents without child care.