By Richard Cowan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Education, child care and nutrition services for tens of thousands of young American children will begin to be cut off on Saturday, as Republicans and Democrats in Congress fail to reach a deal to end the second-longest government shutdown in U.S. history.

Funding for the $12.3 billion program that serves some 65,000 children aged up to five years old is set to run out beginning on Saturday, which would be the 32nd day of the shutdown, hitting more than 130 Head Start operations in 41 states and Puerto Rico.

“We will not be providing service to 438 kids in southwest Washington” and their parents, said Rekah Strong, CEO of Educational Opportunities for Children and Families, which operates Head Start programs in Vancouver, just 9 miles (14.5 km) fro

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