East Coast Migrant Head Start Project forced to temporarily layoff 48 Harnett County employees due to government shutdown

By Staff Report, posted Nov 4, 2025 on BizFayetteville.com

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As of Nov. 1, all East Coast Migrant Head Start Project centers and offices are temporarily closed due to the ongoing government shutdown.

This has resulted in temporary layoffs for a total of 258 employees across the state, including 17 employees at the Angier MSHS Center and 31 employees at the Newton Grove MSHS Center. 

East Coast Migrant Head Start Project is a nonprofit that provides early childhood education to the children of farm workers. 

The layoffs are caused by the federal government shutdown, which has suspended funding from the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) that ECMHSP relies upon to operate the Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Program. 

“We regret the hardship this temporary shutdown will cause and assure you that ECMHSP will resume operations promptly once federal funding is restored,” shared a representative from the company in the official Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification report. 

The precise return-to-work date is not known, as it is subject to the length of the government shutdown.

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