A Hudson Valley community is still searching for answers after a child care program used by hundreds abruptly ended. The closure is prompting calls for federal assistance from lawmakers, all the way up to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

It’s been nearly two weeks since Sullivan County Head Start announced its sudden closure, and parents are still looking for answers and trying to figure out what to do for child care.

Caroline Sylvester has been calling out of work and asking family members to assist with caring for her daughter, Mireya, for nearly two weeks now.

“Actually, I’m very nervous for having to miss so many days of work. So I’m really hoping that they resolve this issue within a timely manner,” Sylvester said.

Three-year-old Mireya attended Sullivan County Head Start’s program until its abrupt closure on Feb. 2, leaving parents scrambling.

“It’s very devastating for us to not have this program anymore. Being a single mother of a 3-year-old, Head Start was a blessing to have in the community,” Sylvester said.

The nonprofit utilizes federal funding to provide programming and meals to children from birth to age 5. The Office of Head Start at the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said those in charge of Sullivan County Head Start claimed they were running low on allocated federal funding, but the exact reason behind the closure is still unclear.

“This just shouldn't have happened. It was devastating for families," U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro said. "It was wrong for families. And it isn't something that we should just sweep past us. We really do need to understand what happened.”

Molinaro, who represents New York's 19th Congressional District, said he’s working with local, state and federal officials to assist families. His team held a town hall-style discussion with many parents in attendance, including Sylvester.

“I feel like having a conversation about it makes it relevant,” Sylvester said. “If it's being relevant, then it holds the community, the county and the federal people accountable.”

“We wanted to give residents the ability to ask some questions, get their concerns on paper, and then we can communicate with other agencies, other elected officials, other levels of government, what the public and our neighbors truly feel, what they're concerned about and how we can help them,” Molinaro said.

Molinaro said it was determined that Sullivan County Head Start could not continue its work, so it had to give up its license. According to him, the Office of Head Start is working to begin a relationship with a new provider, but it will take several weeks to get back up and running.

Molinaro said this temporary transition could become a new permanent Head Start program, or another provider may offer it.

“This is a valuable program nationwide. This provides great services to kids and families in Sullivan County,” Molinaro said. “Every step needs to be transparent, and we're going to continue to push on the regional office and the federal office to ensure that transparency occurs.”

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Heath and Human Services, calling on the federal government to ensure a long-term plan for child care in Sullivan County is developed.