The Trump administration appears poised to gut the central policies that shape Head Start, a popular and long-established early childhood education program that serves the country’s neediest children.
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced the changes Thursday.
The federal Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs posted a notice stating it intends to “significantly reduce regulatory requirements” for Head Start, effectively stripping the program of the unique features that have defined it since its creation in the mid-1960s.
That announcement came in late May and will likely go through a review process before becoming official in 2027.
The agency doesn’t specify exactly what it plans to cut, but reports indicate it could be most of the program’s standards and guidelines. That may include low student-to-teacher ratios, minimum teacher qualifications, and stipulations that Head Start accept all income-eligible children regardless of whether they’re disabled or if their parents are citizens.
The agency also suggested it wants to shift Head Start funding to the states, although it didn’t specify how or when this would happen.
“The complete gutting of these goals ignores what we know really works in early childhood education,” said Deborah Stipek, a former dean of the Stanford School of Education who’s researched the topic. “If you’re going to spend money on something, wouldn’t you want it to have positive effects?”
The agency said in its announcement it expects the cuts to be “well-received by Head Start programs, since they will welcome reduced (administrative) burden and increased flexibility.”
It also said it would allow local Head Start programs to keep policies that “best address the needs of their communities.” But individual Head Start programs are unlikely to comply with standards that aren’t required, particularly if they’re facing pressure to serve more students, said Melanee Cottrill, executive director of Head Start California, a nonprofit that advocates for California’s 1,813 Head Start centers.
Washington Head Start leader blasts proposal
The leader of the Washington State Association of Head Start and ECEAP lambasted the DHHS announcement, saying it is aimed at weakening the national Head Start program and would gut the policies and practices that have shaped the program’s success since its inception.
The proposed new rules “would strip away decades of research-based standards and jeopardize one of America’s most successful investments in young children and families,” wrote Joel Ryan, association director, in an email statement on Thursday. Research shows that the well-documented, evidence-based Head Start program “pays for itself” in improved school readiness, educational attainment, health, and long-term economic outcomes.
The administration called its proposal mere streamlining. However, Ryan stresses the proposed changes would obliterate the national program’s performance standards—what he called Head Start’s “operating manual.” In Washington, approximately 15,000 children are served by Head Start and Early Head Start (infant/toddler) programs.”
“The proposal also includes a backward and mean-spirited attack on immigrant families by requiring Head Start agencies to provide instruction only in English, leaving out thousands of children and families who speak another language at home,” Ryan stressed.
In the same announcement, DHHS said it also planned to boost the nutrition and physical exercise components of Head Start, but didn’t offer further details.
‘It will be very different’
So far, Head Start has evaded major budget cuts, and the federal government doesn’t appear poised to slash funding now. A handful of California Head Start programs shuttered during the government shutdown last fall, but reopened when legislators returned to work. Some in Washington also closed.
But a reduction in standards would, eventually, have a significant impact, Cottrill said. It’s likely Head Start will have less qualified teachers, larger class sizes and fewer opportunities for parent involvement, she said.
“Those standards are what make Head Start a high quality program,” Cottrill said. “Head Start will still exist, but it will be very different from what it is today.”
Ryan concurred: “The proposal would make it harder for local programs to provide the high-quality education, health, and family services children deserve.”
Head Start, launched in 1965 as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty, is a federal childcare program that serves the country’s lowest-income families – those earning less than $33,000 a year for a family of four. The federal government issues grants directly to school districts, nonprofits or other organizations that run Head Start programs, sometimes in combination with other funding sources.
Head Start offers health screenings, meals, curriculum focused on literacy and math, and resources for parents such as parenting classes. Children who attend Head Start are more likely to go to college and hold professional jobs later in life, a 2022 study found.
In California, about 70,000 children are enrolled in Head Start. The number would be higher but programs have had to turn away families because they struggled to hire staff. Early childhood educators sometimes earn less than fast food workers and turnover is high, Cottrill noted.
Cost of losing disability screening
One Head Start standard that could be especially costly to eliminate is disability screening. Identifying and addressing disabilities such as dyslexia early can reduce the need for special education later on, potentially saving thousands of dollars, Stipek said.
Beth Meloy, an early childhood education consultant who worked on the federal government’s Head Start standards, said that simplifying and streamlining the standards is probably a good idea. Navigating too many standards may be overly burdensome for some local Head Start programs, she said.
But gutting them entirely would be a disaster, she said.
“Head Start is built around a mission of giving low-income children a path to sustained education and life outcomes,” Meloy said. “These changes lack the thoughtfulness that these children deserve.”
“Head Start works because it does far more than provide preschool,” Washington’s Joel Ryan said. “It ensures children receive health care, developmental screenings, nutritious meals, disability services, highly qualified teachers, and strong partnerships with families. Those aren’t bureaucratic requirements—they are the reason Head Start has changed millions of lives.”
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Additional reporting by Seattle’s Child.
