RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia's Head Start programs remain open amid the wave of closures across the country, triggered by the ongoing government shutdown.

According to the Virginia Head Start Association (VAHSA), none of the state's Head Start programs are facing closure. Head Start is a federally funded program that provides free early childhood education and services to low-income families.

"If programs don't have funding or don't have agencies that can help provide the funding needed, they may have to cut their services," said Dr. Cindy Smith, a professor of human development and family science at Virginia Tech.

That's now the reality for nearly two dozen centers nationwide. Federal grants for these programs renew on a staggered schedule. When the shutdown extended past Saturday,

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