DODGEVILLE, Wis. — The Southwestern Wisconsin Community Action Program will close its nine preschool Head Start classrooms on Monday as the federal government shutdown stretches into its fourth week.

The closure affects 145 preschool-aged children in Iowa, Lafayette, Grant, Green and Richland counties. The Head Start program serves low-income families by providing access to childcare and food services.

SWCAP will lose $3 million in federal funding when the grant supporting the program is not renewed Nov. 1, due to the shutdown. Without a federal budget, the government cannot fund the grant.

"I was one of these kids, as a kid. And so, I want to make that difference. I want to be the person that I needed at that age," said Becky Logue, who has taught preschool for Head Start in Boscobel f

See Full Page