Navajo Nation Gets Back Head Start Millions

None by Lara Jones

Lack of Proper Background Checks Forced Fed Freeze

(KCPW News) A lack of proper background checks forced the U.S. Government to freeze Head Start funding for the Navajo Nation earlier this year. But President Joe Shirley reports that the tribe has satisfied the concerns of the federal government, which will restore full funding by the end of the month:

"The monies are coming down as we speak," Shirley says, noting that "we just got $8.8 million dollars the other day, and, before that, close to $5 million."

Still, Shirley wishes a different approach could have been taken that would have left the Head Start programs functioning while the Navajo Nation went about improving its background checks. The tribe receives more than $30 million from the U.S. Government for Head Start programs at its 177 schools.

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