The program has served in every state in the nation, ensuring kids not only receive access to early learning opportunities, but have what they need to learn 鈥� nutritious food, health supports, developmental screenings, and the like. It also supports their families to become healthy, well, socioeconomically stable, and skilled advocates for their children鈥檚 education. 

The impacts have been short-term, long-term, and even intergenerational, reaching the children of Head Start graduates, improving their  , employment, , and . Meanwhile, research indicates that linguistically diverse kids 鈥� Head Start calls them dual language learners 鈥� have been . 

That鈥檚 why the Trump administration鈥檚 recent proposal to enact a national English-only mandate in Head Start classrooms is so mistaken. This idea undermines the administration鈥檚 own objectives by for parents and giving local Head Start providers less regulatory flexibility while imposing a greater compliance burden. 

Today, about a third of Head Start鈥檚 enrollees are dual language learners. These children have long been a focus for the program. In 1975, President Gerald Ford鈥檚 administration launched regulations that . For decades since, Republican and Democratic administrations (including the first Trump administration) have sustained that requirement. 

Fifty-one years later, it鈥檚 clear that Head Start鈥檚 architects were ahead of their time. Bilingual early learning centers and schools are 鈥� with both English-dominant families and with families speaking other languages at home. that these programs are highly effective for English learners and English-dominant students alike. 

The Trump administration鈥檚 English-only proposal is not only misaligned with science, law, and the administration鈥檚 own stated goals, it will also cost taxpayers. Given that roughly speak a non-English language proficiently, implementing English-only instruction would force providers to spend considerably on restaffing and purchasing new learning materials. Specifically, implementation costs would be between $73 million and $124 million. 

That鈥檚 a lot to pay, particularly to abandon a half-century of bipartisan consensus that Head Start works best when it鈥檚 responsive to the needs of the particular communities it serves. Indeed, this when it exempted tribal communities from the proposal鈥檚 English-only mandate so that tribes could build stronger connections between children and their heritage. Why would this be any different for children who speak other, non-tribal languages at home and in their neighborhoods? 

The proposed English-only mandate is also a resoundingly bad idea on the merits. : for the nearly one-third of Head Start attendees that speak a non-English language at home, bilingual learning is the educational gold standard. When these children have opportunities to strengthen their abilities in their first languages 鈥� while also being exposed to English 鈥� they are more likely to become fully proficient in English and succeed academically. 

Maybe this seems . Why wouldn鈥檛 English-only instruction help linguistically diverse kids learn more English? It appears that bilingual early care and education programs help these children become stronger language learners in general. That is, by developing their first languages more deeply, they become more confident language users, more able to understand complex elements of grammar, syntax, and the like. Over time, these stronger language competencies help them to more thoroughly and rapidly acquire English. What鈥檚 more, bilingual programs absolutely still provide young, linguistically diverse kids with English-language instruction. 

Bilingual learning models work for early education and K鈥�12 programs alike. Over half a century ago, Texas launched one of the country鈥檚 most ambitious commitments to bilingual education. Since that time, the state has grown its investments in these programs to a point where it is now, perhaps, the country鈥檚 best school system for English-learning students. On the Nation鈥檚 Report Card, better in math and English language arts than their peers in almost every other state. 

Finally, in a more general 鈥� and a more urgent 鈥� sense, anyone who cares about kids鈥� well-being should also be concerned whether it鈥檚 a good idea to trade in safety and quality for more seats. Even if 鈥� after spending around $100 million on a national English-only mandate for local Head Start providers 鈥� the administration鈥檚 proposal lowered costs enough to expand the number of available seats, those seats wouldn鈥檛 be of high enough quality to keep kids healthy, safe, and learning, let alone deliver the results that have made Head Start so effective for so many decades. 

And at some point, once safety, quality, and the high standard of care that has made Head Start the national guidepost are dissolved 鈥� we need to ask ourselves what exactly are we expanding access to? 

Nationwide, nearly 40,000 Head Start jobs could be cut, affecting the program鈥檚 teachers, home visitors, child development specialists, family service workers and many other positions, according to an from Together for Head Start, a coalition of national, state and local organizations that formed in 2025 to protect and strengthen Head Start amid growing threats from the Trump administration. 

The analysis draws from projections made by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in its proposed rule, 鈥�,鈥� which was published on Aug. 7 and is now in a 60-day public comment period, set to end on Oct. 6.

Other impacts, the analysis found, include a 6% to 9% pay cut among some staff, including directors, fiscal officers and staff who oversee health services, as well as stagnant wages for teachers, even as they are expected to care for up to 32% more children. 

The proposed rule would also reduce healthcare services for children and families by up to , which could result in many families seeking out medical, dental and mental healthcare elsewhere, with some having to travel to access that care or, in some cases, going without it altogether.

To come up with these numbers, Together for Head Start analyzed projections detailed in the proposed rule change, which included a evaluating the potential costs, benefits and outcomes of the regulation if it were to be implemented. 

The proposed rule would give individual programs more discretion, but it鈥檚 hard to predict the precise impact, since some programs may make more changes to their operations than others. For that reason, HHS offers three scenario-based models for each regulation change over a five-year horizon: a low, primary and high estimate based on how many programs take advantage of the change. Together for Head Start used the high estimate scenario throughout its analysis. The group also used from Child Care Aware of America about the price and affordability of childcare to draw some conclusions. 

The administration mentions the word 鈥渇lexibility鈥� 160 times in its proposed rule, suggesting that fewer regulations and performance standards will give Head Start operators greater freedom in how they run their programs. Leaders at HHS are also quick to tout the they estimate would follow these changes by 2031. (The Head Start program is currently at about $12.4 billion annually.)

Staff involved in the leadership and operations of Head Start programs, however, have a much more bleak interpretation of the proposed overhaul. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 not a $2.2 billion savings. It鈥檚 a $2.2 billion cut in workforce and services,鈥� said Rhett Cecil, executive director of the Indiana Head Start Association, which is part of the Together for Head Start coalition.

In the analysis from Together for Head Start, which includes state-by-state impacts, Indiana is projected to lose nearly 600 jobs. That amounts to about 15% of the state鈥檚 Head Start workforce, Cecil said. The analysis also estimates that Indiana would face a $2.6 million decline in funding for healthcare services under the rule, and that each family accessing Head Start services could face an average annual increase of $622 in childcare costs per child. 

These changes, Cecil said, would 鈥渉andcuff鈥� families, particularly in rural areas. Half of Indiana鈥檚 Head Start programs operate in rural areas, he said, where Head Start is often the only provider of health screenings, disability screenings and mental health services for young children. 

鈥淚f we take that away,鈥� he asked, 鈥渨hat does that do to half our state?鈥�

Cecil is in favor of a comprehensive review of the , he said. He believes there is room for improvement. 

鈥淏ut you can鈥檛 do that without looking at the six decades of research and data that have been built around Head Start, then going out into the field and talking to seasoned leaders and practitioners in classrooms,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檒l really tell us where changes could get made.鈥�

The changes being proposed now, he said, seem to have come from people sitting in an 鈥渋vory tower somewhere in Washington, D.C.,鈥� without the involvement or consultation of people on the ground. 

Kara McFalls, executive director of the Pennsylvania Head Start Association, doesn鈥檛 buy the narrative the administration has put forward either. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 false flexibility,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t will only increase stress and burden dramatically.鈥�

Together for Head Start estimated that Pennsylvania would lose more than 1,300 jobs and almost $6 million in funding for health services, and that each family would face an average annual increase of $635 in childcare costs per child. The latter estimate comes from in which children receive 99 fewer hours of Head Start annually 鈥� a cost-saving mechanism for the government, but one that would place the burden on families to find alternative care arrangements for their children while they work.

That additional financial strain on families with children in Head Start 鈥� who are, by definition, living in poverty 鈥� would be enormous, McFalls said. To be for Head Start, a family of four must earn less than $33,000 per year, which equals 100% of the federal poverty level. For a family of two, such as a single parent and a child, it鈥檚 around $22,000. 

鈥淚t would be devastating for them,鈥� McFalls said of the projected $635 increase in annual childcare costs. 鈥淭hat could be their ability to stay in their housing. 鈥� That could be the difference of food on their table, food for all the people in their family for months. That could be the difference in their ability to fix their car to be able to go to work.鈥�

That鈥檚 to say nothing of the nearly 8% of children currently enrolled in Head Start who could lose access to the program altogether because their eligibility is based on family self-attestation. (The HHS proposal would as a way to satisfy eligibility requirements.) Many of these families are experiencing housing instability or homelessness and cannot provide the documentation needed to prove eligibility, said Yvette Sanchez Fuentes, senior vice president of government relations and federal policy at Start Early, a nonprofit advocacy organization that launched Together for Head Start and provided support for the recent analysis. 

鈥淭his whole [proposed rule],鈥� she said, 鈥渋s reducing access 鈥� and reducing equitable access 鈥� to families we know could use Head Start, deserve Head Start and for whom Head Start could actually make a huge difference in their lives.鈥� 

Sanchez Fuentes is not alone in worrying about what will happen to the Head Start workforce once teachers are asked to care for increasing numbers of children. The proposed rule change would remove Head Start鈥檚 notably low adult-to-child ratio requirements and ask that programs defer to state licensing guidelines. 

Currently, only two states align with Head Start ratio standards for 2-year-olds, and five states align with ratios for 3-year-olds, according to from the Children鈥檚 Equity Project at Arizona State University. That means a Head Start teacher working with 3-year-olds in the 45 other states could see their classroom size balloon. Rather than two teachers caring for 16 children, as is currently required in Head Start classrooms, that same pair of educators could end up serving up to 30 children in some states, including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas.

鈥淭hat is not education,鈥� said Cecil. 鈥淭hat is simply crowd control.鈥�

Increased class sizes, on top of reductions in support staff and essential services, could eventually lead qualified staff to leave Head Start, said Sanchez Fuentes.

鈥淚t鈥檚 only going to compound the pressure on people who are there every day,鈥� she said. 

When Sanchez Fuentes thinks about the legacy of Head Start over its past 60 years as a federal antipoverty program, she sees it as a leader in the field of early care and education, 鈥渁t the forefront of innovation,鈥� using science and data to inform its programming. Head Start expanded to serve infants and toddlers under Early Head Start in the 1990s, when 鈥渘obody was paying attention to babies,鈥� she said, offering an example. 

鈥淭o suddenly be at this point where 90% of those things are going to go away? It鈥檚 heartbreaking,鈥� Sanchez Fuentes said, referring to the fact that the administration is proposing Head Start standards be reduced from 133 pages to about a dozen. 

鈥淲e will no longer have this foundational piece of quality that鈥檚 good for kids,鈥� she added. 鈥淲hat does that say about how we care about our kids?鈥�

Before I understood federal funding, program performance standards or the complicated systems that make Head Start possible, I understood what it meant to be a Head Start child.

Years later, I returned, first as a center director and later as a regional director of a Head Start program in Fort Worth, Texas. I have experienced Head Start from both sides: as a child who benefited from the program and as a leader responsible for ensuring other children and families received the same opportunity.

So, when the current administration says its proposed reforms will strengthen Head Start鈥檚 core mission by giving local communities greater flexibility, I have a perspective that is both deeply personal and professional. Let me tell you why I know I鈥檓 opposed to the changes outlined .

Head Start鈥檚 core mission has never simply been about putting more children in classrooms. The program was built on the understanding that a child鈥檚 ability to learn is connected to everything happening in that child鈥檚 life. That is why Head Start has always been more than early education.

Head Start recognizes that supporting a child often means supporting the entire family so the program offers a number of wraparound services to support families in helping their children thrive. From connecting parents with healthcare, dental care and mental health resources when needed, to providing nutritious meals for children, it鈥檚 about working alongside parents in partnership. 

The would dramatically reduce the federal standards that have helped define what families can expect from a Head Start program. 

For decades, Head Start has operated with clear expectations around the comprehensive needs of children. Under this proposal, many of those expectations would no longer be spelled out in the performance standards. Programs would have significantly fewer federal requirements governing how they address healthcare and developmental needs. 

As someone who attended Head Start, I have some of my earliest memories of being cared for in a safe environment by trusted educators and receiving healthy meals each day. For some families with limited resources, knowing their children would receive two nutritious meals and a snack helps ease the burden of choosing between keeping the lights on and providing healthy meals. Head Start also gives parents the opportunity to work while knowing their children are safe, cared for and learning. For my family, Head Start was not simply a place for me to go during the day. It was a support for our entire family.

As someone who has led a Head Start program, I know what these actions look like in practice. It looks like a teacher noticing something about a child and knowing there is a system for responding to the issue. It looks like a family services worker helping a parent navigate resources they may not have known existed. It looks like identifying a concern early enough to intervene. It looks like following up instead of simply handing a parent a referral and hoping for the best. 

Sometimes, Head Start is the first system that truly sees a family. That visibility and acknowledgment can change the trajectory of a child or a family’s life.

The proposed rule would also move away from many of Head Start鈥檚 existing expectations for curriculum, teacher development, coaching, classroom size and teacher-child ratios, to rely more heavily on state childcare requirements. 

I have managed Head Start centers and also worked as a preschool teacher. I know what happens when you increase the number of children in a classroom without increasing the number of adults responsible for their care. Someone pays the price. It may be a decrease in the individual attention a child receives, a delay in the teacher鈥檚 recognition of a developmental concern or less time available to build relationships with families. Removing any of these standards will have a domino effect. 

I struggle to understand how we can say we are giving communities more power while simultaneously weakening one of the clearest structures through which quality early education exists. 

Children growing up in low-income families do not deserve a lesser standard of early childhood education because it is cheaper to administer. They deserve high-quality classrooms. They deserve teachers who have the capacity to see them. They deserve safe environments. They deserve access to support when they need it. Their parents deserve a voice, and their families deserve to be treated as partners. That is what makes Head Start so successful. That is what contributed to my success. 

For generations, Head Start has represented creating opportunity by investing in the whole child and strengthening the entire family, and we cannot strengthen that mission by stripping away the very things that made it powerful.

I am a product of Head Start, and Head Start did not change my life by doing less.

Under the existing model, one group of kids comes for the morning and another group comes in the afternoon. A full day of care would help working families and provide kids with twice as much time in a trusted learning environment.

Six months later, she鈥檚 still awaiting a response, leaving parents in limbo about whether they鈥檒l have childcare for seven hours each day or just 3陆, as they prepare to send their children to her program in just three weeks. 

鈥淲e’ve been working on enrollment, on recruitment, on getting families into the system,鈥� she said, 鈥�(but) families don’t want part day, so at this point, we’re going to have to backtrack.鈥�

Historically, such a request would have gone to a program specialist at Lykins鈥檚 regional office, who would have resolved it within about 45 days, she said. But, in January 2025, the Washington regional office was shuttered 鈥� along with across the country 鈥� consolidating Head Start鈥檚 and completely upending the processes program directors had come to rely on. The consolidated regional offices are each responsible for more programs, so now, Lykins reports to a new office that serves far more grantees and has reduced authority and capacity for support.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a systemic nightmare,鈥� Lykins said, adding that this request was just one of a number 鈥渢hat have not been responded to鈥� over the past year and a half. Ultimately, these delays harm families and lead to additional costs, she said.

Lykins鈥檚 experience is hardly unique. In a of 157 Head Start providers from 33 states, about how the challenges they鈥檙e facing are impacting children and families, nearly 79% of respondents reported an increase in administrative burden since the closures of regional offices, and 90% reported that the level of ongoing support has declined within the new structure. The survey, conducted by the Washington State Association of Head Start and , a national advocacy campaign, was distributed directly to Head Start program directors nationally. The results showed that these impacts aren鈥檛 merely bureaucratic: more than 75% of providers reported that the delays and lack of support have resulted in significant impacts on children, families and staff.

Many providers reported in the survey that significant decision delays have led to increased costs and damaged community partnerships and have left program leaders feeling frustrated and isolated. All respondents had experienced at least one decision delay, and in many cases the delays amounted to double or triple the wait time they used to experience when their regional offices were still functioning.

鈥淲hen we started reading through the results, what struck us was that it鈥檚 not like there鈥檚 one big smoking gun here. There鈥檚 just so many people who are experiencing so many frustrations and delays that it is really a systemic problem,鈥� said Katy Warren, deputy director of the Washington State Association of Head Start who helped lead the survey. 鈥淓very day that a Head Start director goes to work, they don鈥檛 know whether they鈥檙e going to be able to navigate these systems that used to be fairly smooth,鈥� she said, explaining that providers now wait weeks or months for communication from their regional offices.

The survey results were released just days after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a proposed rule change that would drastically reduce Head Start鈥檚 Performance Standards. Kennedy said his department was 鈥渞emoving unnecessary bureaucracy鈥� that would return the program to its roots, but critics argue that if these changes are instituted they will effectively gut Head Start鈥檚 core. 

The updated rules eliminate requirements for standards such as low adult-to-child ratios; services such as medical and dental care; developmental screenings and individualized services for children with disabilities. It would also require most programs to conduct all education in English only. A 60-day public comment period is currently open and will run through Oct. 6. 

In many ways, the closures of the regional offices and the proposed rule change go hand-in-hand, according to Warren.

鈥淥ne of the reasons why we are skeptical about the good intentions of the administration to improve the operations of Head Start programs and services is that we haven鈥檛 seen a real commitment to that over the last year,鈥� she said. Staff layoffs, a shift of decision making from the regional offices to the Office of Head Start, and administrative delays 鈥� often stemming from a lack of clear and timely communication, have 鈥渘ot indicated a priority of efficiency and effective service to children,鈥� Warren added.

Head Start has come under threat repeatedly since the start of the second Trump administration. In addition to the consolidation of the regional offices, the program has faced proposed funding freezes and delays, and workforce reduction.

Providers and grantees who reported to the shuttered regional offices largely heard about the fallout through word of mouth and panicked texts and LinkedIn posts. Many said they didn鈥檛 receive any official notice from the federal government until a boilerplate email arrived in their inboxes two days after the change and a number of them told 社区黑料 they went for months without a replacement program specialist.

In total, the regional staff who were laid off or furloughed 鈥� some of whom had worked at the offices for decades 鈥� served 22 states, a number of territories, and hundreds of thousands of children, pregnant women and their families. Local program leaders had long relied on specialists within their regional offices to help navigate everything from grant proposals to building repairs.

The recent survey asked providers to share the impacts of a number of these hurdles on the children and families they serve, with a particular focus on the closures of the regional offices. 

鈥淲hat took 5 minutes now takes hours,鈥� wrote one grantee from Washington.

鈥淚 have received no individual support or check in to see how I or the program is doing since the transition,鈥� wrote a new Head Start program director in Illinois.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a constant whir of panic,鈥� wrote a third from Virginia.

Nearly half of all respondents said delays or uncertainty around funding, along with reduction in staff support from the Office of Head Start has led to difficulty hiring and retaining qualified teaching staff. One-quarter reported additional administrative burden leading to delays in communication with parents and just over 17% reported an inability to purchase or repair equipment.

Lauri Frichtl, executive director of the Illinois Head Start Association, a nonprofit that supports Head Start programs across the state, said that last winter, one of her program鈥檚 buildings flooded after pipes froze and burst over the holiday break. She recalled one of the program directors reaching out to the Office of Head Start for assistance, but that help didn鈥檛 come in time. Ultimately, they were forced to move forward without federal guidance 鈥渂ecause they couldn鈥檛 wait,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou need immediate answers when you鈥檙e in that crisis.鈥�

Frichtl said that before the Illinois regional office closed, she received quick and helpful responses to similar issues.

鈥淯sually you had your program specialist and you had a relationship with them and you were in direct contact with them, and you had immediate feedback, and everything worked well. You may not have liked all of their responses, but at least you had feedback,鈥� she said. 鈥淣ow it鈥檚 kind of just up in the air. You wait and see.鈥�

Darcee Kilsdonk, executive director鈥� of Clackamas County Children鈥檚 Commission, a nonprofit organization that runs 13 Head Start centers in Oregon, has also experienced administrative delays and challenges after the loss of her regional office. Last August, following inquiries from parents, she submitted a request to redesign the center鈥檚 schedules to align them with local public schools.

Historically, such an application would have been resolved in a month or two, she said. But a year later, she鈥檚 still awaiting approval. 鈥淓very single month I ask about it. Every single month they say 鈥榠t鈥檚 in process.鈥欌�� 

Eventually, Kilsdonk gave up and decided to prioritize the needs of her families, making the schedule change in defiance of the Office of Head Start. 鈥淚 was very open with them that I was going to do it anyway,鈥� she said.

Since the closures of regional offices, Kilsdonk said she has wasted an incredible amount of time trying to navigate the new system, including a four-month period during which she had no program specialist assigned to her at all.

鈥淚f taxpayers knew what this means to the most vulnerable children and families, I cannot believe that they wouldn鈥檛 say, 鈥楨nough is enough,鈥欌�� she said.

Not all providers reported such stark changes and turmoil though: Just under 25% of respondents said their program had not experienced related impacts at all.

Wanda Minick, executive director of the Florida Head Start Association, said that in her nine years doing this work, 鈥渨e鈥檝e always had an issue with communication from our regional office, point blank. There has always been a delay in response.鈥� While Florida鈥檚 regional office was spared during the closures, it still faces increased burdens since they鈥檝e taken on additional states. Over the past year and a half, she said the delays have largely 鈥渟tayed status quo.鈥�

In all, the survey鈥檚 findings point to an already stressed system facing mounting hurdles and unpredictability, leaving providers and families unsure about the program鈥檚 future.

鈥淚t just feels like a huge, heavy blanket over the top of a program,鈥� said Warren. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e constantly under this heavy weight of uncertainty and delay.鈥�

The Trump administration is pushing a total overhaul of Head Start that could fundamentally reshape the 60-year-old program that has provided childcare and key support for America鈥檚 lowest-income families.

A released last week put more than 1,400 regulatory provisions that govern how Head Start is implemented on the chopping block. Across the country, 1,600 Head Start grant recipients provide quality care for disadvantaged children, as well as support for families by connecting them to health insurance, job training, developmental screenings, specialist referrals and postpartum support.

This latest proposal is aimed at cutting red tape and allowing more flexibility in the programs, the administration said.

鈥淭here’s 1,600 providers across the country facing different conditions, and our proposed rule will reduce their paperwork. It will streamline duplicative statutory requirements and give them flexibility for things like personnel and workforce decisions, as well as licensing relief,鈥� said Alex Adams, the assistant secretary at the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), on a call with reporters.

But Head Start providers and experts say the proposal may actually make it harder for programs to operate and transform Head Start to look more like commercial childcare than an anti-poverty program.

鈥淔amilies lose the assurance that Head Start means the same thing everywhere, and taxpayers lose a clear measure of impact that Head Start funding should have,鈥� said Celena Roldan Sarillo, the president of Start Early, a nonprofit that advocates for quality early learning.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on a call with reporters to announce the changes that 鈥渋t is important to protect鈥� Head Start, which is administered by HHS and was created in part by Kennedy鈥檚 uncle Sargent Shriver during the Lyndon B. Johnson administration. Kennedy wants to see more nutrition and physical activity requirements added to Head Start, and agrees the new rules could streamline it and open seats for more children.

That messaging, however, is misleading, said Yvette Sanchez Fuentes, the senior vice president at Start Early.

鈥淎t first glance, these proposed changes might not seem so terrible, but as you dig deeper into it, what we will find is that there really are a lot of changes that will impact what is the heart of Head Start,鈥� Sanchez Fuentes said, adding that the performance standards are not just red tape, 鈥渢hey really are the foundation for how we ensure that programs across the country are supporting children, families and communities in the way that they want best.鈥�

Here is a breakdown of what the administration is proposing to change for Head Start.

Overall, how is this proposal changing Head Start?聽

Fundamentally, the changes would have Head Start operate much more like other childcare centers under state and local rules. Because quality is such an important benchmark in Head Start, its rules are more stringent than the rules governing other childcare options 鈥� in many places, those differences would disappear.

鈥淪tates didn鈥檛 design their childcare programs to serve the population that Head Start serves. They design those to regulate private businesses and set a floor for safety, like they regulate hospitals or restaurants, not to prepare a high-need community for school,鈥� said Katie Hamm, who oversaw the Head Start program under the Biden administration.

Are there any immediate impacts to my child鈥檚 Head Start program?聽

No. The public has until October 6 to comment on the proposed rule before HHS reviews the comments and issues a final rule. That review process can take time 鈥� months or longer 鈥� in addition to any legal challenges that may arise, so it鈥檚 unlikely, though not impossible, for changes to happen this year.

How would classrooms change?聽

One of the biggest changes in the proposal is eliminating Head Start鈥檚 teacher-to-student ratios. One of Head Start鈥檚 quality initiatives is that it offers more individualized care 鈥� each teacher is in charge of a smaller number of students than in most other childcare settings. The policy is both about safety and support for low-income kids, some of whom need more focused attention.

Under the proposed changes, an estimated of children currently in Head Start would be subject to worse ratios. The maximum number of toddlers per teacher in nine states: Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina and Texas.

The proposal also removes the cap on group sizes, so it鈥檚 likely classrooms would have more children.

Another big change: All instruction will have to take place in English instead of offering bilingual support to children who are not native speakers. in Head Start come from homes where a language other than English is spoken.

The only exception is for Head Start programs on Tribal lands.

Are there any changes that impact health and safety?聽

Yes.

Detailed requirements on how to prevent lead exposure are gone and replaced with a broader requirement that programs prevent children from being exposed to lead in water and paint in however way they see fit.

A requirement that a bus monitor be on board any buses transporting children at all times has also been removed.

Other detailed rules on facilities, safety training, hygiene, disaster preparedness and equipment and materials are also gone; instead programs are instructed to follow state laws in those areas.

Is discipline changing under the new regulations?聽

Currently, children generally cannot be expelled from Head Start. The proposed rule would remove that prohibition and allow programs to set their own disciplinary rules, as long as they align with state and local requirements. Head Start would still need to provide children with any behavioral problems with screenings and referral services.

The administration said it made these changes because when the expulsion and suspension rules were first implemented in 2016, many states did not have their own rules governing those issues. Since then, many states have adopted their own.

鈥淭hese proposed changes are not an endorsement of suspension and expulsion as approaches to address persistent and serious behavioral concerns; rather, the intent is to allow programs to determine their own discipline policies, within the context of state and local licensing requirements,鈥� the rule says.

Are there changes related to health support?聽

Head Start typically offers a variety of mental health and health screenings as part of its program requirements. For example, of enrollment, programs have to check that a family has insurance or ongoing medical care; within 45 days it needs to check for or conduct vision and hearing screenings; within 90 days, it needs to check on whether children have immunizations up to date, have had their well-child pediatrician checkup and had dental visits. Programs also require that children brush their teeth at school. All of those specific requirements are gone under the proposed rule.

Many mental health supports, such as a monthly mental health consultation, would go away.

So while the requirement from the Head Start Act 鈥� that programs support families with a comprehensive array of health services 鈥� remains, the set rules on how to achieve that, like the timeline requirements, disappear. Advocates say this could lead to inconsistent care and less accountability.

How does this impact children with disabilities?聽

Similarly, the proposed rules require that Head Start programs comply with all applicable federal and state regulations in providing services to children with disabilities, but eliminates much of the structure for how to provide those services.

What about impacts on unhoused children?聽

The proposed rule removes a provision that allows families experiencing homelessness to simply confirm their situation and thus qualify for Head Start. Families that are unhoused may also be in situations where they are living with someone else or in a temporary structure 鈥� situations they could rarely prove through documentation.

Under the new rules, families and children would have to provide some documentation.

Would newborn and pregnancy services be impacted?聽

Yes. Early Head Start, which services low-income pregnant people and children under the age of 3, would lose a lot of tailored requirements. Newborn home visits would still be required, for example, but the requirement that they happen within two weeks of birth was dropped.

Also gone is a requirement around addressing racial and ethnic disparities in birth outcomes. Currently, programs must track demographic data on pregnant people, identify any disparities and provide services to close those gaps. The administration said cutting that requirement is in line with its mission to cut back on diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and claims programs said it was beyond the scope of what they could reasonably be expected to do.

Would parent involvement change?聽

Possibly.

The way Head Start works now, parents are actively engaged with much of the decision making at individual centers. Each center is required to have a parent committee that has power in advising the school on activities, policies and services, and the regulations determine how those must function.

Under the proposed rule, those committees would be optional, and the rules that govern how they operate would also be eliminated, which the administration said were designed to give programs more flexibility.

Are there any new rules being suggested?聽

Yes, and they largely have to do with nutrition and physical activity.

Programs will be required to offer 30 minutes of physical activity, ideally outside, for every three and a half hours of classroom instruction. That would expand the existing that programs 鈥渞ecognize physical activity as important to learning and integrate intentional movement and physical activity into curricular activities and daily routines.鈥�

require that programs generally fulfill a third to a half of children鈥檚 daily nutritional needs with meals at Head Start. Three- to 5-year-olds must get healthy meals and snacks that conform to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines, and meals should be culturally appropriate as well as developmentally appropriate 鈥� infants and toddlers are fed according to their individual needs and readiness.

Under the new proposal, they will also be required to offer nutrient-dense whole foods within the framework of the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program meal standard, ensuring that 鈥渁ll the meals are aligned with the dietary guidelines,鈥� Kennedy said.

What is the new addition around 鈥渉ealthy marriage”?

One of the less-talked-about additions the administration is proposing is providing educational material to children that 鈥渄emonstrates healthy marriage as a positive good,鈥� in concert with new strategies to engage parents in their kids鈥� learning, and particularly fathers, the rule says.

鈥淭his proposed change to current requirements reflects ACF鈥檚 commitment to supporting strong families as the cornerstone of a healthy society,鈥� the administration said.

If the rule is finalized, do programs have to adhere to it?聽

It鈥檚 unclear.

Adams emphasized that programs can continue to operate as they currently are if they wish to. In the areas where the administration is adding new requirements, however, such as nutrition and physical activity, programs would have to make changes.

鈥淚f a program likes its ratio, it can keep its ratio. If a program likes its group size, it can keep its group size. This does not require them to do anything different. As I said, flexibility is permission; it’s not a mandate,鈥� Adams said.

But the actual regulations that would be part of the final rule 鈥� 鈥� don鈥檛 specify that most of this is optional.

鈥淚f they truly mean, for example, a program can decide to keep the ratios that exist in the regulations today, the regulation should say that. It should say programs have a choice,鈥� Hamm said. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 say that, and so that鈥檚 a problem for a lot of reasons.鈥�

Head Start centers receive grants from the federal government to offer services 鈥� it鈥檚 unclear what assurance there is that the administration will offer grants to programs that choose to adhere to prior rules.

There鈥檚 already some evidence HHS could target programs it deems to be in misalignment with聽 the Trump administration. Earlier this year, the agency to Head Start programs that used words like 鈥渨omen鈥� and 鈥渞ace鈥� in their grant applications, what it perceived to be diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that have been a target of the administration.

Head Start programs in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin sued and a judge granted them a preliminary injunction, blocking the Trump administration from cutting funding while the case is litigated.

鈥淲hen grants get negotiated or when there are grant competitions, and HHS is selecting a grantee, they have a lot of power in that,鈥� Hamm said. 鈥淥ftentimes, a Head Start grant feels like they need to comply with what’s being asked of them.鈥�

Why is the administration pursuing these changes?聽

Since the start of the Trump administration, Head Start has .

Project 2025, the for President Donald Trump鈥檚 second term, advised eliminating the program, claiming it lacked positive outcomes and was rife with abuse. A leaked White House budget in early 2025 showed the administration was hoping to eliminate it altogether before massive backlash from Head Start parents and alumni persuaded the administration to change course.

But programs continued to face financial challenges. Funding was cut off at the start of 2025 as part of a government-wide freeze, leading some to close their doors. Then in April of last year, the administration closed five of the 10 regional offices that support Head Start programs.

Last summer, the administration released a proposed rule that would bar undocumented children from Head Start entirely. The proposal is on pause due to ongoing litigation.

Adams said the goal of the proposed rule is to provide flexibility in the program, not dismantle it.

鈥淚n broad strokes, what we are trying to accomplish is we built this rule around trusting local leaders to make the decisions that are best for their local communities,鈥� he said.

If the changes were enacted across programs, the administration estimates a savings of $2.2 billion that would be reinvested in the program to open as many as 236,000 new Head Start spots. There is no national repository of waitlist data on Head Start, though programs are required to be filled and maintain an active waiting list.

鈥淲e’re trying to ensure that programs have the flexibility not just to meet their community needs, but to start clearing out some of their waitlists, ensuring more children are served,鈥� Adams said.

How could these changes impact childcare staff?聽

The administration is proposing a reduction in how much money programs can spend on administrative overhead, lowering it from 15 percent to 5 percent.

The justification, Adams said, is 鈥渟o that more money is reaching children and families, and less is going to administrative overhead, like administrator salaries or administrative offices.鈥�

But childcare providers have argued that the reduction will actually mean less money to operate Head Start 鈥� money that goes to things like buses and human resources, or to conduct background checks and fix the refrigerator when it breaks.

鈥淒on’t believe that somehow that 15 percent makes our Head Start directors rich. It does not. Everyone I know in Head Start, including myself, has never become rich from being a Head Start employee,鈥� said Lori Pittman, the co-founder of the Washington State Parent Ambassador Program and a former Head Start parent.

By the administration鈥檚 own analysis, the changes could lead to at centers across the country. Other workforces that : home visit staff, health and mental health personnel, child development specialists and bus monitoring staff.

Is there any new money for Head Start under the proposal?聽

No. Funding for Head Start has remained flat for the past three years 鈥� about $12 billion 鈥� even though operating costs and inflation have risen.

How can I comment on the regulations?聽

Comments in the federal registrar . The open comment period will close October 6.

was originally reported by Chabeli Carrazana of . .

I鈥檝e been around long enough to know that when it comes to meeting the needs of children with disabilities, specifics matter. Head Start currently has a robust set of with numerous related to services for children with disabilities The require programs to follow federal law and promise added flexibility in how that鈥檚 done, but offer no guidance, stripping away detailed requirements.聽

If the proposal is approved, programs would no longer be required to give developmental assessments to each child or accommodate all children so they can fully participate. 

It removes a specific directive that programs can鈥檛 turn children away because of a disability or chronic health condition. It removes the detailed guardrails on temporary suspensions and a prohibition on expulsion, which are important protections for children with disabilities. It also strikes requirements that programs support parents through the IEP process, which can be confusing and hard to navigate.

Head Start鈥檚 performance standards make sure children are given early support and opportunities that can shape their entire future. If those requirements disappear, children with disabilities lose the services, protections and pathways that make inclusion possible.

Since the 1960s, Head Start has provided early learning, health, nutrition, family support and developmental services to children whose families often face the greatest barriers to care. For children with disabilities, it has played an especially important role.

A decade before children with disabilities won the right to a free, appropriate public education, young children with disabilities were already being included in Head Start programs. Head Start helped establish a basic expectation that children with disabilities belong in early learning settings alongside their nondisabled peers.

Key to that progress are the standards built by Congress, advocates and the Office of Head Start, making room for children with all types of disabilities, including Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and spina bifida, not just those with speech and language delays.

That鈥檚 important because children with disabilities are often turned away from other early childhood programs. Parents are told their child鈥檚 needs are too significant, that staff aren鈥檛 trained, that accommodations aren鈥檛 available or that another setting would be better. Families get the same message, again and again: Your child doesn鈥檛 belong here.

Head Start has been one of the few places where the answer is different: Yes, your child belongs, and yes, we know how to support them.

Federal law requires Head Start programs to include children with disabilities. The standards help make that requirement mean something in a child鈥檚 day. They catch delays in development early, oftentimes before it can affect learning. They shape whether a teacher knows who to call when a developmental concern comes up, whether a family gets help starting an evaluation, whether services continue while paperwork moves, and whether a child is supported in the classroom instead of sent home.

One of the central elements of a quality Head Start program is partnership. Partnerships with school districts, Medicaid agencies and parents. These partnerships work because the performance standards spell out the nature of the engagement. It鈥檚 not enough to tell a family that these services are available. Staff in all the partner agencies must understand fully their roles and responsibilities under multiple federal laws. When they don鈥檛, which will happen if the performance standards are abandoned, children miss out. 

Without these standards, a child鈥檚 experience could depend far too much on where that child lives, what resources a local program has, and whether a parent knows how to navigate a complicated system. Children鈥檚 disabilities will be diagnosed later, which will put them at greater risk once they enter elementary school. Families with money and time may be able to hire specialists, pay for private evaluations or find another preschool. Families with fewer resources may have no alternative.

Children with disabilities are still eligible for special education services through the public education system, but without detailed standards they may no have access to the full array of Head Start鈥檚 comprehensive services, including physical and mental health care and parent engagement. That doesn鈥檛 give children more opportunity. It gives families less to count on.

Serving preschool children well, including those with disabilities, isn鈥檛 easy. It takes skilled teachers, family partnership, coordination with health providers and school districts, and a deep respect for each child鈥檚 development. Head Start staff do this work every day, often with too little pay and too few resources. Without the guidance of required performance standards, these essential supports won鈥檛 be maintained.

Children don鈥檛 get a second chance at early childhood. The first years of life are when communication, relationships, confidence and learning begin to take shape. When a developmental delay is identified early, a child can get the support they need to thrive. When a child with a disability learns alongside nondisabled peers, all children learn that difference is part of life and that every child belongs in the classroom. 

I鈥檝e spent my career working with families, educators and advocates who know what happens when systems treat children with disabilities as someone else鈥檚 responsibility. Head Start鈥檚 standards help prevent that. They give programs clear responsibilities and families clear expectations. They help ensure that a child鈥檚 access doesn鈥檛 depend on how much a local program knows about disability or how hard a parent can fight.

The federal government should be strengthening that commitment.

Children with disabilities and children from families with low incomes already face too many barriers to early learning. Weakening Head Start鈥檚 standards would add another one.

This proposal should be judged by one question: Will it make it easier or harder for a child with a disability to be welcomed, supported and included? It鈥檚 very clear to me that this proposal eliminates and weakens the performance standards, that children with disabilities will be among the first to be harmed, and that harm could last a lifetime.

Head Start鈥檚 performance standards grew out of decades of experience with children and families. They must be maintained, enforced, and strengthened,  not dismantled.

The magic of Head Start is what happens once children and their families are enrolled, and for children with disabilities, that requires strong standards and a federal commitment to inclusion. That鈥檚 the Head Start worth protecting.

The turning point came several years ago for Reed, who lives in Spokane, Washington, when she was offered transitional housing in an apartment building that happened to be co-located with a Head Start program. 

Reed, a single mom, enrolled her youngest child, an infant daughter named Evie, in Head Start.

The federal antipoverty program is best known for providing high-quality early care and education to young children from low-income families, but as Reed soon learned, what truly sets it apart is the slew of wraparound services that meet families where they are and help them build toward something better. 

Head Start provided Reed with essential goods like diapers, formula, clothing and food. Staff helped her navigate the public school system with her older son, who has autism, even though he wasn鈥檛 in the program. Head Start provided her daughter with free hearing and vision screenings and dental care. It empowered her to 鈥渇ind her voice鈥� by giving her a leadership position with the policy council, a majority-parent group involved in each Head Start program鈥檚 decision-making, a step which she said has made her a 鈥渂etter mom and 鈥� better community member.鈥� 

鈥淚 felt like they loved my children like they were their own and cared about all of our well-beings,鈥� said Reed, whose daughter is moving on to kindergarten later this month. 鈥淭hey saw us as a whole and tried to help wherever they could. And if they couldn’t, they would sit down and research what would help.鈥�

Some of the very services that proved to be transformational for Reed and her family, however, may now be at risk. 

In a proposed rule change on Aug. 6, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. invoked the name of his uncle, Sargent Shriver, who led Head Start’s creation in 1965, saying his department was “removing unnecessary bureaucracy” that would return the program to its roots. Others say the changes will weaken or eliminate most of the standards that have long positioned Head Start as the 鈥済old standard鈥� for early care and education licensing and quality in this country. “Nothing else compares,” said Shantel Meek, founder and executive director of the Children鈥檚 Equity Project at Arizona State University.

The Trump administration is proposing that the of Head Start Program Performance Standards be reduced to about a dozen pages, eliminating requirements for standards such as low adult-to-child ratios; services such as medical, dental and developmental screenings and individualized services for children with disabilities; and requiring programs to conduct all education in the English language. The , which will officially be published to the Federal Register tomorrow, outlines the drastic reduction in standards. If passed, these changes would allow Head Start programs to adhere only to state and local childcare licensing requirements, which typically fall of the quality and safety standards long embraced by Head Start.

鈥淚t basically takes the country from the ceiling to the floor,鈥� said Meek. 鈥淭he kids that Head Start serves will bear the brunt of the impact, but it will go beyond. States and the field in general see Head Start as a north star we鈥檙e trying to build to, and they鈥檙e trying to tear that down and gut the heart of the program.鈥�

In addition to removing many Head Start standards, this proposed rule would also change the cap on administrative overhead from 15% to 5% of a program鈥檚 total costs. Trump officials believe this, plus other cost-saving measures such as having fewer teachers on staff, serving more children in each classroom and spending less money on services such as home visiting and mental health supports, will reinvest up to $2.2 billion in the program, allowing Head Start to 鈥減reserve or expand鈥� services to an additional 236,000 children nationwide. Critics, however, believe that reducing the quality of care for the sake of adding slots is a dangerous game to be playing 鈥� especially when quality has been a hallmark of Head Start throughout its history. 

鈥淚t feels like the Trump administration is saying, 鈥楲et鈥檚 see who can do this for the cheapest.鈥� That鈥檚 not what I think anyone wants 鈥� or should want,鈥� said Joel Ryan, executive director of the Washington State Association of Head Start and the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program. 鈥淚 see this rule as incredibly destructive. I see it as another attempt to dismantle the Head Start program.鈥�

Ryan鈥檚 colleague Lori Pittman, chief strategist at the WSA and a former Head Start parent, said the 5% cap would be a 鈥渞eally, really scary thing.鈥�

鈥淭o take away the foundation and the structures that build this house called Head Start,鈥� Pittman added, 鈥渨ill only destroy it, and we鈥檙e not going to let that happen.鈥�

The publication of the full proposal tomorrow will kick off a 60-day period of public comments, during which administration officials will receive and review feedback. The federal changes could also face legal challenges, many stakeholders told 社区黑料.

Katie Hamm, former deputy assistant secretary for early childhood development under President Joe Biden, said that the proposal would strip away the elements of Head Start that make it exceptional. 

鈥淲hat sets Head Start apart from other programs are its quality standards, comprehensive services, parental involvement in shaping the program, and a commitment to welcoming all children,鈥� Hamm said. 鈥淎ll of those things are undermined in the revision.鈥�

Trump administration officials see it differently. The proposed rule is about cutting red tape and 鈥渢rusting local leaders to make the decisions that are best for their local communities,鈥� said Alex Adams, who leads the Administration for Children and Families at HHS, during a call with reporters, adding that 鈥渙ne-size-fits-all mandates from Washington cannot fully account for the realities facing the 1,600 grantees.鈥� 

Later in the call, Adams referred to the proposed rule as a 鈥渞ight-sizing鈥� of Head Start and emphasized that the flexibility these changes are meant to provide is 鈥減ermission, not a mandate.鈥�

Yet leaders on the ground fear that if it鈥檚 not required, it won鈥檛 hold up in most programs. 

鈥淗ow quickly this affects families will vary by program, and that’s the problem,鈥� said Hamm. 鈥淚f the floor is gone, it comes down to whether each local decision-maker chooses to hold the line or start cutting corners. That’s happening against flat funding and rising costs, with pressure to serve more children. When a standard isn’t on paper, it becomes optional.鈥� 

Head Start, a federally funded early childhood development program that turned 60 last year, has come under fire repeatedly since the start of the second Trump administration a year-and-a-half-ago. 

The program serving nearly has long been a target of the right, most recently with the conservative playbook calling for its total elimination and a leaked appearing to cut funding for the program altogether. Though that ultimately didn鈥檛 pass, the administration turned to what Hamm called 鈥渢he death-by-a-thousand-cuts approach,鈥� repeatedly delaying funding and disrupting grants, closing roughly half of the program’s regional offices and eliminating a number of federal positions that supported Head Start.

The administration then unsuccessfully attempted to ban practices involving diversity, equity and inclusion and exclude scores of immigrant kids from the program, meaning preschoolers without legal status 鈥� and even some with鈥� . And it the federal policy protecting childcare programs 鈥� and other so-called sensitive locations 鈥� from immigration enforcement. Meanwhile, last year鈥檚 government shutdown also locked thousands of the nation鈥檚 most vulnerable kids out of Head Start programming. And more recently, the administration a Biden-era rule requiring higher wages and better benefits for Head Start teachers.

This week鈥檚 proposal to overhaul Head Start鈥檚 regulatory standards will only further contribute to the widespread uncertainty and confusion, various stakeholders told 社区黑料. And if the changes are confirmed, they will have enduring consequences for children, families and early educators. 

To middle and upper class Americans, the value of some of Head Start鈥檚 signature services may seem overstated, noted Nancy Baker, Head Start director for the Butler County Educational Service Center in southwest Ohio, which oversees 631 children in Early Head Start and Head Start across 16 sites in two counties. 

But the reality is that for many children in Head Start, the classroom setting may be their only opportunity for services such as oral care or a vision screening. 

鈥淭hese families are in poverty,鈥� Baker said. 鈥淭hey may not have transportation 鈥� If you are working in a low-paying job that may not offer sick leave, when the doctor鈥檚 visit comes due and you have to work that day, a parent will have to choose between, 鈥楧o I go to work, or do I take my child to the dentist and risk being fired?鈥欌�� 

鈥淓very day missed is money out of your pocket,鈥� Baker added. 鈥淚t becomes kind of a vicious cycle.鈥�

Head Start鈥檚 comprehensive services are provided, in part, out of a recognition that families who are eligible for the program face resource constraints and other barriers that may prevent them from meeting their children鈥檚 basic needs. The program aims to address those needs so families can pursue stability and children can be free to learn, develop and thrive. 

Plus, Baker added, physical impairments in a young child can be mistaken for behavioral issues. A child with imperfect vision may be perceived as inattentive and unable to focus. With a pair of glasses, their entire learning experience 鈥� and classroom identity 鈥� can change. Head Start also tests children for lead, Baker added. They鈥檝e discovered children in Butler County with high lead levels, which 鈥渃an mimic ADHD-type behaviors,鈥� she said, adding that 鈥渃ontinuous lead exposure can lead to some pretty serious cognitive delays.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 a holistic program,鈥� Baker said of Head Start. 鈥淚t鈥檚 much, much more than childcare. It鈥檚 even much more than preschool. That鈥檚 where the standards start coming into play.鈥�

Baker is proud of the services her community鈥檚 Head Start programs provide to children and families, from nutrition to family engagement to mental health consultations. And she is 鈥渄isheartened鈥� by this new attempt to 鈥渨hittle down鈥� Head Start. 

鈥淪ome things they鈥檙e looking to reduce or eliminate are not massive, budget-saving things,鈥� Baker said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e just good things to do for kids, particularly for children experiencing poverty.鈥�

Most of the standards the administration wants to eliminate, she added, are 鈥済ood, proven services that don鈥檛 break the bank. We鈥檙e not tied up in bureaucracy and red tape. These are health screenings. Why would you want to get rid of that?鈥�

Meek feels similarly about the 鈥渃utting red tape鈥� argument from the administration. 

鈥淏rushing kids鈥� teeth and providing inclusive services for kids with disabilities and 鈥� using ratios that are manageable so adults can engage in the learning process with kids 鈥� none of that is red tape,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hose are all essential things to make sure kids are safe, healthy, developing and learning.鈥�

Some parents have echoed these concerns. Reed, the mom in Spokane, worries about the elimination of Head Start鈥檚 low ratios, which allow adults to work with fewer children at a time, thereby giving each child more care and attention. 

If this proposal is confirmed later this year and Head Start programs do begin to align only with state and local childcare licensing requirements, many programs could see dramatic increases in ratios and group sizes. 

For example, Early Head Start, an extension of Head Start that serves infants and toddlers, allows one adult to care for up to four 2-year-olds at a given time. Only three states meet that same benchmark for 2-year-olds, according to an from the Children鈥檚 Equity Project. By contrast, in Mississippi, one adult is permitted to care for up to 12 2-year-olds, and in Texas and Florida, one adult can care for up to 11 toddlers. If a Head Start teacher begins caring for two or even three times as many children as before, they not only risk missing warning signs in some children 鈥� such as a behavioral issue or a physical need going unmet 鈥� but they are also much more likely to burn out and leave the position.

Meek, at the Children鈥檚 Equity Project, said this is one of the standards that she feels most strongly about. Another, she said, is the impact on dual language learners. 

Currently, Head Start standards include several provisions specific to children who are learning English alongside the language that is spoken at home. For example, if a majority of children in a program speak a primary language other than English, at least one staff member who regularly interacts with those children must also speak that language. 

That standard has been in place since 1975, when the original regulatory standards for Head Start were published, the Children鈥檚 Equity Project found. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 not something new and crazy and ideological that was added,鈥� Meek said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been there since the beginning.鈥�

The changes for dual language learners 鈥� including the requirement that all programs educate children only in English 鈥� would affect an estimated of children in Head Start.

Adams at ACF told reporters in the press briefing that he hoped the 60-day public comment period would lead to 鈥渞obust engagement and thoughtful engagement with the community so we can get this rule right in broad strokes.鈥� 

But at least some families and providers involved in Head Start worry that the major decisions around this rule change have already been made. 

鈥淭his is like a slow-moving disaster,鈥� said Ryan, 鈥渁 slow erosion as dollars fade away, people fade away and ultimately quality fades away. And that鈥檚 the real danger in this.鈥�

WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President Donald Trump’s administration is planning a dramatic overhaul of  that would gut its quality standards, upending the hallmarks of the early education program for impoverished children, two people familiar with the deliberations said.

Head Start, established in the 1960s to help fight poverty, has long been considered by experts to be a gold standard early learning program. Its regulations, which stretch more than 100 pages, outline requirements on everything from child-to-teacher ratios and child health screenings to family engagement.

Trump’s Republican administration would replace those regulations with around a dozen pages of rules, leaving most of the specifics up to state and local law, said the people familiar with the deliberations, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss information that was not yet public and because they feared reprisal.

In a post on X on Saturday night, the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees Head Start, said to expect a rule to be published this week. The administration 鈥渞emains committed to strengthening Head Start by preserving federal investment in the program while advancing reforms that expand access, increase local flexibility, reduce unnecessary administrative burden, and ensure services are delivered effectively to children and families in need,” department spokesperson Emily Hilliard said Monday in an email.

The draft rules would require more documentation from parents who are homeless or unemployed, the people familiar with the deliberations told The Associated Press. An early version of the proposal also would have barred parents who are in the United States illegally from enrolling their children, even if the children are U.S. citizens. It’s unclear whether those provisions will make the final draft.

Head Start, which operates in all 50 states, has long enjoyed robust bipartisan support. But some prominent conservatives in recent years have called for , saying the federal government should get out of the education business at every level. Deregulating the program would deliver a win for them and aligns with the Trump administration’s goals of scrapping rules it views as onerous or unnecessary.

Head Start is designed to target poverty, experts say

Head Start serves more than half a million low-income babies, toddlers and preschoolers nationwide. For families that qualify, it offers free preschool and screenings to identify developmental delays. It also offers supports for families.

If the changes take effect, they could make Head Start unrecognizable, said Khari Garvin, who ran the Office of Head Start under President Joe Biden, a Democrat.

鈥淲e’d have the carcass of Head Start,鈥� Garvin said. 鈥淵ou might have a program that’s called Head Start, but in substance it will not be.鈥�

The proposed rules were originally reported in The Bulwark.

Tommy Sheridan, deputy director of the National Head Start Association, said the organization has yet to see the proposed rules. But he said the potential for a massive overhaul has left the organization on edge.

鈥淲e’re very anxious,鈥� Sheridan said. 鈥淲hen it does come out … we鈥檒l be ready to fight back where we need to fight back.鈥�

Still, he emphasized that Head Start centers might not be impacted for months, if the rules get on the books at all. Once the proposal is made public, federal law requires the administration to give at least a month for the public to weigh in on it. Then, once finalized, it may take more time for the rules to take effect. There’s also the potential for a lawsuit to halt implementation.

Current rules cover dental screenings and staff-to-student ratios

Head Start was created as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson鈥檚 War on Poverty and targets the myriad challenges that low-income households face. It serves children and adults alike, coaching parents on reaching their goals, connecting them with services and even employing them.

Head Start operators, which include school districts and nonprofit organizations, are required to provide medical, dental and vision screenings for children and to monitor them for developmental delays. There’s also a curriculum framework and prohibitions on physical and emotional abuse of children.

Many of the features that make Head Start distinct from mainstream preschools are spelled out in 122 pages of performance standards. The Trump administration’s proposal would toss most of that rule book and replace it with a much shorter version that eliminates or loosens many requirements, the people familiar with the proposal said. But the proposal also calls for some new regulations, such as requiring all instruction in English.

Requirements around staff-to-student ratios and safety standards would be erased. Operators instead would be instructed to follow local and state laws, which are often far more permissive. And the new proposal also says nothing about suspensions and expulsions, the people said, making it easier for programs to  who are difficult to educate.

Head Start is under threat

Head Start, which has enjoyed robust bipartisan support for decades, has faced several threats since Trump . Project 2025,  authored by the official who is now Trump’s budget chief, called for the federal government to get rid of the program altogether. Last year, in a draft budget, the administration proposed exactly that, saying: 鈥淭he federal government should not be in the business of mandating curriculum, locations, and performance standards for any form of education.鈥� After public outcry, Health Secretary , whose department oversees Head Start, told Congress the program’s funding was safe.

Funding for the program was disrupted not long after Trump took office, leading some programs to have to shutter temporarily. It was once again halted after  in October that led some centers briefly to close their doors.

Earlier this year, Trump officials also erased a Biden-era rule that mandated raises and greater benefits for Head Start employees. When the rule went in to effect in 2024, , the majority of whom have bachelor’s degrees, earned less than $40,000 a year on average.

The story was originally published by The Associated Press. Ali Swenson contributed reporting.

Head Start, the federal program providing free early education for low-income children, has benefited from strong bipartisan support since its 1965 inception, withstanding funding cuts and political turbulence across 11 presidencies.

But more recent threats from the second Trump administration have thrust Head Start into the spotlight. Last year, its programs faced disruptions and threats of closure following funding freezes, a federal shutdown, staff layoffs across the agencies that oversee Head Start and attempts to exclude immigrant children. Now, the federal government could attempt to deregulate standards that Head Start programs are required to maintain, according to a program official.

At each turn, supporters 鈥� alumni, teachers, families, child development experts, community members 鈥� have rallied behind the program.  were filed and   halted some of the federal actions.  to block immigrant children from social benefit programs drew .

鈥淥n the positive front, Head Start is still funded. Head Start is still here,鈥� said Melanee Cottrill, executive director of Head Start California. 鈥淚 think Head Start is one of those terms that people often know and have positive associations with without necessarily really understanding the depth of it.鈥�

The program provides a wide range of services to the  enrolled in California. These include health and behavioral screenings, dental services, parent engagement opportunities, meals, transportation and more.

While these services are still in place, Head Start staff say it remains challenging to keep up with costs. A recent $85 million increase, to be shared nationwide, won鈥檛 cover rising expenses amid high inflation, supporters say.

Here鈥檚 what we know about the state of Head Start in California and at the federal level.

The origins of Head Start

Head Start is often referred to as a single program, but there are a few branches under the Head Start umbrella that serve vulnerable populations.

When the program was first established in 1965, it was designed by a panel of child development experts as an eight-week project to help disrupt generational poverty. The programs were created to be comprehensive, meaning they would aim to meet children鈥檚 emotional, educational, social and health needs while also engaging the child鈥檚 family. Congress soon made Head Start permanent, and it was developed into a full-day program.

Head Start is administered by the Administration for Children and Families, which is in the Department of Health and Human Services.

But it also includes other programs such as: American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start, Migrant and Seasonal Head Start and Early Head Start.

Each Head Start program enrolls children ages 3 to 5. The exception is Early Head Start, which enrolls pregnant women and children from birth through age 3. Some of these programs are available in early learning centers. while others are home based. More information on each type of setting can be found .

Head Start programs are for families living below the federal poverty line. Eligibility can be met by verifying income or enrollment in other benefit programs, such as Cal-Fresh, CalWORKS or Supplemental Security Income. Children experiencing homelessness or in the foster system are also eligible.

How are recent disruptions affecting families?

As long funding remains relatively stable, children enrolled in Head Start will continue to receive services, said Cottrill.

鈥淭he experience for a family enrolled in Head Start will be the same as it always has been,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e still going to get all of the comprehensive services. They鈥檙e still going to have qualified teachers. Their kids are going to come out of that program way better prepared to succeed in school and beyond.鈥�

If there are cuts, the question is how many children will be able to stay enrolled. Cuts have happened before, and have had an effect, Cottrill said. Cuts proposed in recent years, including , would have led to about 80,000 fewer Head Start spaces available for children nationwide.

鈥淭his is already a lean program. There鈥檚 not a lot to cut,鈥� Cottrill said. 鈥淪o, ultimately, what we often see is it means we have to close classrooms and serve fewer kids.鈥�

If Head Start classrooms begin to enroll fewer children, California does have other early-learning options for low-income families. But the state鈥檚 options will not cover Head Start cuts, say experts.

鈥淚f Head Start funding is cut or eliminated, those families essentially enter the waiting list for our state systems, which are already oversubscribed and under-resourced,鈥� said Laura Pryor, research director at the California Budget & Policy Center, a Sacramento-based nonpartisan think tank. 鈥淚t really just exacerbates the existing challenges we have with state investment in childcare.鈥�

Sometimes, a family with a 4-year-old might find it easier to enroll in transitional kindergarten, also known as TK, because it requires less paperwork and there are no strict income eligibility requirements.

But certain aspects of Head Start 鈥� including the medical screenings and strong emphasis on parental engagement 鈥� are not available to the same degree in the public school system.

鈥淭K doesn鈥檛 do all of the wonderful wraparound services that Head Start provides,鈥� Pryor said.

How would federal proposals impact quality?

Built into Head Start are  for parent engagement, developmental screenings and nutritional guidelines. This level of support was deemed critical in the that outlined what Head Start would eventually become.  was released in 1975.

In May, the federal agencies overseeing Head Start  to remove wage and benefits requirements in part to 鈥渞estore needed flexibility and autonomy to local programs鈥� while reducing paperwork. Cottrill, of Head Start California, said she and other supporters of the program are also expecting proposed changes to the regulations.

Alex Adams, who leads the federal Administration for Children and Families that controls billions in childcare and preschool funding, has allegedly  he wants federal childcare regulations to 鈥渇it on an index card,鈥� according to the New York Times.

Why is Head Start vulnerable to instability?

Head Start鈥檚 funding structure is unique in the early childhood field.

Funding for these programs flows directly from the federal government to the programs administering Head Start. Other programs that offer childcare and basic necessities tend to be structured differently: federal dollars will typically be sent to the state or county, which will then distribute the money to local programs.

The direct line of funding allows programs to be more responsive to the needs of the families they serve, but also makes them vulnerable to instability within the federal government.

It鈥檚 part of what happened late last year, during the nation鈥檚 longest shutdown. The longer the shutdown went on, the longer Head Start programs went unfunded. Some programs were forced to temporarily shut down because furloughed federal staff were not able to process grants.

This story was originally by EdSource

The classroom at the Northeast Community Action Partnership Early Head Start was part of a five-week program that uses the recorders 鈥� often called talk pedometers 鈥� to gather data on teacher-child interactions and train their educators to guide them toward longer, more in-depth conversations. The program is offered by the national nonprofit , or Language Environment Analysis, which uses the technology to research young children’s language skills.

The Buffett Early Childhood Institute, an education research center at the University of Nebraska, partnered with seven rural and urban Head Start locations to use Lena technology this spring with more than 1,300 children. It was Nebraska鈥檚 first statewide implementation, funded by a five-year, $1.3 million geared toward helping states create programming to improve child literacy skills.

Lena has existed as a research nonprofit for more than two decades, but its professional development program, Lena Grow, started about six years ago. Last year, Florida lawmakers to provide Lena Grow to more than 400 preschools. The program has been over the past two years with a $3.2 million grant. Tennessee currently uses the technology in more than .

鈥淚t鈥檚 such a huge opportunity to be able to utilize these grant funds because it sets a really wonderful foundation for [children] as they enter kindergarten,鈥� said Paula Thompson, a University of Nebraska-Kearney professor and one of the grant project directors. 鈥淚t will hopefully have positive outcomes as we look toward that ultimate goal of increasing third grade proficiency.鈥�

The work follows decades of discussion over how preschoolers best learn language. 

A found a dramatic difference in the number of words heard by children, depending on their family鈥檚 income 鈥� often referred to as the 30-million-word gap. has found that it鈥檚 not so much the number of words children hear, but the quality of the language they are exposed to.

Researchers have that talk and interaction between adults and children in their first few years of life often impacts future cognitive development and academic achievement. This engagement is measured in 鈥渃onversational turns,鈥� or the back-and-forth exchange of words between children and adults. 

鈥淭he term ‘serve and return’ is kind of a basic analogy for these conversational turn-taking events,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淚t’s been a foundation in language and literacy for years, and we just continue to strive toward better understanding it.鈥� 

Lena records and collects data about conversational turns through the device in each child鈥檚 purple vest. Daycares, preschools and Head Start centers use the data and training to increase the number of conversational turns between adults and children.

Lena Grow was designed to be used by all children in a classroom, but it is especially helpful for kids who don鈥檛 talk much or are at risk of 鈥� meaning they get fewer than five back-and-forth exchanges with an adult per hour. An of 33,256 children using Lena Grow found that 13% experienced language isolation.

鈥淭he way to improve literacy is actually to invest in and support language development in these early years,鈥� said Alexandra Daro, director of applied research for the Buffett Institute. 鈥淭he more back and forth you can get in a particular conversation, the better children are able to pick up on the language that you’re using.鈥�

A child鈥檚 use of conversational turns has been to early literacy skills, social development and IQ scores. 

A June shows that the 51 children who participated in Nebraska鈥檚 initial Lena Grow program increased their conversational turns by 21% over the course of five weeks 鈥� from 33.5 to 40.6 per hour.

Children in center-based childcare average 15 hourly turns, but an optimal early talk environment is roughly 40, according to Lena. Youngsters who began Nebraska鈥檚 Lena Grow program with fewer than 15 hourly conversational turns boosted their talk by 111%, from an average of 9.7 to 20.5.

During the professional development program, early childhood centers have the children wear their vests one day per week. The recorder collects the number of conversational turns per child, in whatever language they are speaking, while the teacher continues the day like normal.

Norfolk educator Cassie Neidig said the data brought attention to children the adults weren’t talking to as much, such as Elvis, a 3-year-old who is nonverbal. It also showed that some toddlers were vocalizing words but not creating conversational turns with adults.

鈥淚 thought I was talking to Elvis a lot,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 realize how much more we talked to Marlo versus the other [children] 鈥� he鈥檚 our best talker because he鈥檚 the oldest. But even though he鈥檚 talking a lot, it鈥檚 not necessarily with conversational turns.鈥�

Neidig said the toddlers loved the vests when they were first introduced to them, but there have been struggles because the children are so young.聽

鈥淲e鈥檝e had a couple of issues just because they want you to let them play, and they don鈥檛 want to have to put them on. But otherwise, we鈥檝e had a great time with it,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e just let them talk, and I do not treat it any differently than a normal day other than trying to focus on whatever goal we are focusing on that week.鈥�

One student with sensory issues struggled wearing one at first, but got used to it within a couple of hours. Placing stickers on the front of the vests also helped the kids warm up to the idea of wearing them once a week.

At Dodge County Head Start in Fremont, Nebraska, the 5-year-olds in the Lena program were excited to wear their vests, said Brittany Brown, a Head Start education specialist. One boy said the bulky recorder on the front made him feel like Iron Man 鈥� the device reminded him of the glowing reactor in the center of the superhero鈥檚 suit.

鈥淭hey feel a little empowered, and they really like having it 鈥� there’s no hesitancy to put the vest on,鈥� Brown said.

After a day of recording, the data is uploaded and analyzed. Then, a Lena coach 鈥� often a local staff member trained by the nonprofit 鈥� teaches the educators participating in the program ways to increase the number of turns. 

鈥淭he teacher is able to see if there is a certain hour where there’s a dip, and they’re able to discuss with their coaches ways to increase those conversational turns throughout the day,鈥� said Rocy O鈥橩eefe, the nonprofit鈥檚 chief growth officer.

During the coaching sessions, educators choose strategies to implement in the classroom. For example, Lena recommends that while teachers talk, read or sing with a child, they should comment on what the student is doing, name things the child is interested in, wait for responses, imitate them or get down on the children’s eye level so interactions are face-to-face.

鈥淭he coaches will work with teachers to set a goal based on the observations of the data 鈥� either a classroom average goal, or they are looking at individual children who might need some individualized attention,鈥� Daro said. 鈥淭hen the teachers practice throughout the rest of the week.鈥�

Amy Bloomquist, coaching coordinator and area manager, was trained by Lena to be a coach for the Norfolk Head Start program. She said teachers have responded well to working on a specific topic each week to increase conversational turns. They also talk to families about the program after parents have given permission for their child to wear the recording device. 

鈥淓ach week they’re sending an informational flyer home with the families, sparking some conversation between the teachers and the families,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e also giving them some tips on how to increase conversational turns at home.鈥�

In Nebraska, 22 Head Start centers are eligible to participate in the program, and Thompson said the Buffett Institute hopes to work with as many as it can by the end of the five-year grant. Its main goals for the next few years are not only for Nebraska children to improve their conversational turns, but for Lena Grow to increase 4-year-olds’ literacy scores on an assessment of early childhood development called Teaching Strategies Gold, or TS Gold. Lena Grow has been to improve language and literacy scores on these assessments in other states, such as Wisconsin, Florida, Ohio and Washington, D.C. 

鈥淭he dream goal is to also eventually be able to work with the school districts that these kids are entering into to look at improvement in TS Gold [scores] as they transition into kindergarten,鈥� Daro said. 鈥淪o, big dreams, but that’s what we’re going for.鈥�

Disclosure: The Walton Family Foundation and Overdeck Family Foundation provide financial support to Lena and 社区黑料.

The preschooler鈥檚 prolonged absence was related by Decca Calloway, the executive director of early learning at Puget Sound Educational Service District in Renton, Washington. And this young learner was not the only one to feel the effects of the Trump administration鈥檚 immigration crackdown, said Calloway,聽whose district serves nearly 1,000 Head Start and roughly 360 Early Head Start children across two large counties.聽

鈥淢any children stop coming to school,鈥� she told 社区黑料. 鈥淚t happens to one family, but most of our families 鈥� especially our immigrant community families 鈥� are really tight knit (and) they take each other’s children to school. So when you have one child or one family afraid, you essentially have many families and many children afraid.鈥�

Calloway is one of nearly 300 Head Start directors, parents and teachers across seven states who participated in an April which found that Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions are causing significant fear, stress and disruption for preschool-aged children and their families. 

In total, just over half of surveyed Head Start leaders reported at least one instance of ICE activity near their facility within the past 12 months, and 6% noted that activity was during particularly vulnerable school pickup and drop-off times. 

Nearly 80% of surveyed staff reported that ICE enforcement has had a noticeable impact on student attendance: On average, surveyed programs have experienced 7% of their students disenrolling altogether, and 14% of directors said they faced delays in new student registrations, attributing both to immigration fears. Center leaders estimate an average 7% chronic absenteeism rate explicitly tied to ICE, though that number varies drastically among the surveyed districts and states, ranging from 0% at some centers up to a reported 62% in others.

When Calloway analyzed her district鈥檚 attendance data, she found that up to 20% more young children were chronically absent this February as compared to 2023, much of which she attributes to increased panic around immigration enforcement. Even before ICE and border patrol officers made their presence known in the state, concerns around impending action had a chilling effect, she said, leading to significant dips in enrollment.

Just under half of all survey respondents said they had observed negative behavior changes in children in response to the crackdown, consistent with clinical symptoms of anxiety, stress and trauma. This has appeared in a variety of ways, including kids having more frequent tantrums and expressing concern around going outside to play. Others have told teachers they鈥檙e afraid to leave their homes, 鈥渢hinking that they won鈥檛 see their parents again.鈥�

Children at some centers also appear to be mirroring language they hear on the news or from adults around them. For example, one staff member wrote, 鈥淚 have had 4 instances (between HS children) where 4 individual, separate white children have told Latino children in their classroom that either the police were coming to shoot them or telling them that they were going to report them and have them sent away.鈥�

The survey was conducted by the Washington, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin Head Start associations throughout April. The groups surveyed 277 respondents in their own three states and across four others: California, Florida, Virginia and West Virginia. Those queried encompassed 90 program leaders, 165 staff members and 22 parents or caregivers. 

Sandy Diaz, an advocacy and family engagement specialist at the Washington State Association of Head Start who led the survey, noted that even children who are not from immigrant families are being impacted by ICE enforcement actions.

鈥淚t’s everybody in these Head Start communities who is witnessing and hearing about ICE activity (that) is being affected,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd that ultimately affects the quality of learning that children are receiving.鈥�

鈥業t wiped out our parent programs鈥�

For nearly three decades, immigration enforcement was largely prohibited in and around schools, hospitals, places of worship and other so-called sensitive locations. But President Donald Trump as one of his first acts in office in January 2025. 

Earlier this year, the Department of Homeland Security faced a , the longest in history, amid heated debates around immigration. A bill to fund ICE and border patrol in the Senate ahead of the Memorial Day recess, meaning it won鈥檛 pass before the June 1 deadline set by Trump.

Democrats have that protections for sensitive locations be reinstated as yet as it stands, the stalled legislation does not appear to include this provision.

A separate bill, , was introduced in the House in February 2025 and would prohibit immigration enforcement actions within 1,000 feet of places such as Head Start centers and hospitals, except in certain extreme circumstances. Since early January of this year, the bill has gained 33 co-sponsors in the House and four in the Senate, meaning over two-thirds of the Democratic caucus is officially in support. No Republicans have signed on, leaving it in limbo.

Without such protections, providers fear continued harmful effects for their staff and families. Of the nearly 50% of Head Start leaders who reported ICE activity around their program, 3% said it had occurred directly at their site and nearly 10% said it had occurred at a family鈥檚 house. 

One-third of parents said they were more anxious or cautious about being involved in program activities and felt worried about traveling to their Head Start centers or being in public spaces. Over a quarter said they have changed the way they routinely do pickup or drop-off at their programs.聽

鈥淪taff have been heartbroken that families ask them if they will be the emergency contact for the child if the parent is picked up,鈥� wrote one provider.

鈥淲e have seen a decrease in playgroups/socialization,鈥� wrote another. 鈥淔amilies are not as willing to hang out during drop-off/pickup to speak with teaching teams. More families are requesting transportation for their child, limiting their exposure at the center.鈥�

The recent survey also found that local ICE activity has impacted staff and center operations: Three-quarters of leadership members received requests from employees for guidance on how to handle immigration officer encounters and 71% of programs have actively altered their systems or security operations, such as installing doorbell cameras.

Calloway, the Washington director, has seen this play out with parents and staff firsthand. 

鈥淎t some locations, it wiped out our parent programs, because we have a high population of children who speak a language other than English in their household, and those parents were the most afraid 鈥�  Parents didn’t come anymore,鈥� she said. 

When Rickencia Clerveaux McClean’s son was around 18 months old, she noticed he wasn’t speaking the way she expected. He pointed instead of asking. He struggled with food textures. McClean looked ahead at his future in public school with some dread.

Fortunately, she said, there was an opening at Head Start at Action for Boston Community Development in Dorchester 鈥� the same program her younger sister had attended years before. Now her son is three, eating applesauce with his classmates and using his words.

“I feel like ABCD helped him navigate first before he was able to go to a public school,” said McClean, whose 2-year-old daughter is enrolled there, too. “That’s the best pathway for any kid who’s having a difficult time on their own.”

McClean, 27, is a student at Roxbury Community College working on the requisite classes for the nursing program. Head Start, she said, is what makes that possible.

She is among the lucky ones these days. Massachusetts has lost 1,300 Head Start slots over the last three years, as the federal government has level-funded the program, and there is worry that more seats could be in jeopardy.

The 60-year-old federally funded program for children from low-income families is navigating what advocates describe as a painful stretch of uncertainty.

The Trump administration’s , released earlier this month, includes $12.3 billion for Head Start nationally 鈥� the same level as the prior two fiscal years. While that has forced programs to reduce the number of families they serve, it is a retreat from that the administration might seek to eliminate the program entirely.

“It has been an incredibly unpredictable year, from both policy changes to funding instability,” said Michelle Haimowitz, executive director of the Massachusetts Head Start Association, which advocates for Head Start programs in the state. “Flat funding itself is a pretty sharp cut to programs every year, given increasing costs from things like health care and rent and utilities, as well as the need to continue to raise wages for our educators.”

Head Start provides early education, health, nutrition, and family support services to children from birth to age five.

In Massachusetts, it serves more than 11,000 children annually across 28 programs and employs about 4,000 early childhood professionals, according to the . Families receiving Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children, SNAP benefits, or disability assistance, as well as children in foster care or experiencing homelessness, qualify automatically.

Massachusetts is one of the few states that supplements the federal program with state dollars, contributing $20 million on top of the $189 million in annual federal funding that comes to the state, according to the .

The Massachusetts Head Start Association is asking the Legislature for a $4.56 million increase 鈥� enough to fund a 3 percent cost-of-living adjustment for program staff.

“Just because you close a classroom here or there doesn’t mean the children aren’t there to fill it,” said Haimowitz. “Programs need to make terrible choices between access and being able to staff the classrooms they are able to maintain.”

State financial support has crept up in recent years, but Gov. Maura Healey鈥檚 proposed 2027 budget kept its recommendation at $20 million, as does the version advanced through the House on Wednesday.

“We know it’s a tough budget year,” Haimowitz said. “And at the same time, we need to make sure our programs have what they need to keep as many classrooms open as they can.”

Compounding that financial pressure is a bureaucratic disruption that began a year ago. On April 1, 2025, the Trump administration five of Head Start’s 10 regional offices, including the Boston office that had served Massachusetts and the five other New England states. Massachusetts programs were reassigned to the Philadelphia regional office, which now carries twice its previous caseload.

Haimowitz said several programs in the middle of federally approved construction projects have nearly missed contractor payment deadlines because approvals that once flowed through the Boston office have stalled.

“Those bureaucratic slowdowns can seem really minor, but if you’re a contractor who’s been hired to build a Head Start program and your check hasn’t been clearing 鈥� that’s not minor,” she said.

The funding pressure came to a head last fall, when the federal government shutdown cut off grants to six Massachusetts programs with November award dates. operated by Self Help Inc. in Brockton and Norwood closed, leaving roughly 550 children without care and more than 150 staff furloughed.

McClean, who sits on ABCD’s policy council, has been tracking the funding uncertainty alongside other parents.

“Everybody’s on the edge, because we don’t know exactly the certainty of what can happen,” she said. A Haitian immigrant trying to carve out an education and a life for her family, McClean said the Head Start program is not 鈥渏ust like a place you drop your kids. It’s a family. It鈥檚 a community.鈥�

She said the program is not only crucial to her children鈥檚 development, but also makes it possible to work toward her goal of becoming a nurse. If her Head Start program is cut, McClean said, 鈥淚鈥檒l have to drop out of school.鈥�

This first appeared on and is republished here under a .

In 2024, Mama Freda鈥檚 Tiny Tots Child Care opened as first in-home child care program in North Carolina.

The licensed family child care home (FCCH) in Kings Mountain is one of four of its kind across three states that the nonprofit, formerly known as East Coast Migrant Head Start Project, has opened in recent years to serve agricultural workers and their families.

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The organization started launching home-based child care programs two years ago because of their convenience for families, their intimate environment for children and parents, and their fit for rural communities, Grow Early Learning staff told EdNC on a recent visit to Mama Freda鈥檚.

鈥淲e鈥檙e able to serve closer to where families actually live, and 鈥� it鈥檚 more affordable,鈥� said Andrea Martinez Langlois, Grow Early Learning鈥檚 family child care home manager. 鈥淲e can provide all the services that (we can at) the center level, just more intimate. And I like that we can bring people like Arikco in who has built such trust with families.鈥�

Support from Grow Early Learning has guided Arikco Watkins, owner of Mama Freda鈥檚, from opening the program in 2024 to creating a place of learning and consistency for families during an uncertain period.

Grow Early Learning, a grantee of the federal early childhood program Head Start, operates and one family child care home in North Carolina that together serve 24 of the state鈥檚 counties.

As Watkins opened Mama Freda鈥檚 with new support, federal policy change and government shutdowns have threatened Head Start programming across the country.

Last fall, the federal government shutdown 鈥� the in U.S. history 鈥� across 10 states. Ten of those centers were in North Carolina. At the time, Grow Early Leaning CEO Javier Gonz谩lez said the shutdown disrupted care for 250 children across the state.

When the federal government reopened on Nov. 13, however, challenges remained.

For many years, federal policy limited immigration enforcement officials from entering places of worship, hospitals, and schools 鈥� including 鈥� based on their status as 鈥�,鈥� or locations where people access activities essential to their well-being.

In January 2025, an executive order and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) removed these locations鈥� protected status, allowing immigration enforcement to occur in locations central to communities鈥� well-being. Across the country, Head Start providers witnessed the negative consequences of this federal action, from decreased attendance rates to detainment and family separation.

In response, 12 Head Start associations addressed a letter to Congress in March 2026 demanding changes to these policies. As lawmakers look to end a driven by disagreement over DHS funding in light of immigration enforcement tactics, the asks lawmakers to place restrictions on DHS to 鈥渆nsure that ICE and CBP agents no longer conduct enforcement actions at Head Start, child care, or other early learning programs with young children.鈥�

鈥淚t is essential to protect the children served by these programs nationwide so that parents can feel secure knowing their children are safe while they work, attend school, and support their families and the economy,鈥� reads the letter.

Last fall, some of the parents whose children attend Mama Freda鈥檚 caught word that immigration agents were nearby.

Watkins had already discussed a plan with Grow Early Learning staff. She was able to communicate with parents and assure them that agents were not allowed in the home without a judicial warrant. Parents picked up their children, some telling Watkins their preferences in case they were separated from their children. Watkins sent them home with extra food and told everyone to text her when they made it home. Everyone was safe.

But it鈥檚 not just during emergencies that Grow Early Learning鈥檚 support has made a difference for Watkins and her program, she said.

鈥淪ometimes I sit and I cry because 鈥斅營鈥檓 serious 鈥斅營鈥檝e never had this opportunity, or even had this support,鈥� she said.

The difference made by funding and coaching

Grow Early Learning鈥檚 funding, technical assistance and coaching, and emotional support has changed the experience of owning and operating a family child care home, Watkins said. She knows what it鈥檚 like to do it all on her own.

After getting married and having kids in her early 20s, Watkins said she struggled to find child care for her own children and wanted a job with more flexibility. She drew inspiration from her mother, Freda, who took care of the neighborhood鈥檚 children when Watkins was a child. She decided to open her first family child care home, which offered 24/7 care, and ran it for seven years on her own.

鈥淲e wear many hats,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e are the cooks, we are the teachers, we are the disciplinarian. We are the secretary. We have to do it all.鈥�

The wide range of demands, along with the isolation that comes with limited adult interaction, are common reasons for burnout in the field.

In North Carolina, the number of family child care homes has decreased by 17% since 2018, according to the state鈥檚 .

Watkins鈥� winding journey, including running a child care center for a brief time before considering leaving the field altogether, brought her back to in-home care. When she left a job as a teacher at a local child care center to pursue opening a new program of her own, she did not know how she would find the funding or the children.

鈥淪omething was like 鈥� you need to do it, you need to do it,鈥� she said. Watkins moved forward with getting a new license and named the program in memory of her late mother.

The same day Watkins left her job, she got a call from Destiny Simmons, a family child care home specialist at Grow Early Learning. Simmons had been searching for new licensed programs to partner with the organization.

Simmons not only helped Watkins find children and open her program, but she also visits every two weeks to coach Watkins and meet with families. As part of the Head Start model, Simmons provides case management services to families. She connects them with resources from health to education and helps them set and meet goals.

Four children in Watkins鈥� program are funded through Grow Early Learning, but the coaching and high-quality curriculum provided by Grow Early Learning improves the experience for all children in the program, Watkins said.

And the consistent funding has allowed Watkins to hire other staff, including one full-time and two part-time employees. Watkins said having a team of adults on site makes the job less stressful and isolating 鈥� and improves the care and education they are able to provide to children.

鈥淲hen you think of a family child care home, it鈥檚 just you,鈥� Watkins said. 鈥淏ut then when you鈥檝e got a team that comes in, and not just a team, but (it) becomes family.鈥�

Supporting 鈥榟ow we get food on our table鈥�

For 50 years, Grow Early Learning has served agricultural workers鈥� child care needs across the country, including an estimated workers residing with their families in North Carolina.

The federal 2024 Appropriations Act , allowing migrant and seasonal Head Start programs to serve any child who has one family member whose income comes primarily from agricultural employment and removing prior restrictions based on federal poverty guidelines.

Grow Early Learning鈥檚 explains that these new eligibility requirements have created more opportunities for families to enroll children at one of Grow Early Learnings鈥� campuses 鈥� including four children enrolled at Mama Freda鈥檚.

鈥淭his is how we get food on our table,鈥� said Martinez Langlois of the agricultural families Grow Early Learning serves. 鈥淭his is a population that is important and a daily part of everyone鈥檚 lives. So the idea that us together can support that is beautiful.鈥�

New ways to reach families

In recent years, Simmons and Martinez Langlois have built Grow Early Learning鈥檚 first family child care programs from the ground up.

鈥淲e started from ground zero,鈥� Simmons said.

They knew that small, in-home programs would help them better serve rural places with small pockets of children, where larger centers do not make sense. And they knew many families prefer the family-like environment, especially for their youngest children. Nationally, infants and toddlers are more likely to be served through in-home programs than centers, .

The Grow Early Learning team had to find families that needed care and providers who were willing to partner with them and locate physically close enough to the families. They had to address a host of logistical challenges home-based programs face, like navigating zoning and homeowners association rules. They also walk new providers through the licensing process, which can be confusing and overwhelming.

鈥淲e have connections where we can bring you from zero to licensed,鈥� Martinez Langlois said. 鈥淲e make it happen.鈥�

They have learned a lot, and they know there is a need for more facilities.

鈥淲e suffer through the same struggle that most people in rural areas suffer with, which is there is more children who need care than there is (individuals) available to provide it,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o we are constantly looking at: we know there鈥檚 a population here, there are no providers right now, but there may be soon, and contacting either licensing specialists or regional specialists.鈥�

Growing Early Learning has partnered with the Southwestern Child Development Commission鈥檚 , one of several efforts in North Carolina to reverse the trend of home-based program closures.

Finding the right people and building relationships takes time, Martinez Langlois said.

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 make providers pop out of thin air,鈥� she said.

Creating community, giving back

Building relationships with parents, too, takes time. But Watkins鈥� care for her parents, in addition to support from the Grow Early Learning team, has built a community at Mama Freda鈥檚 that protects its members鈥� well-being.

When Watkins encountered a language barrier with some of her parents who primarily speak Spanish, for example, she prioritized finding a solution in a translating device to make sure she could communicate with them, and she is in the process of hiring a staff member bilingual in English and Spanish. More recently, outside of the family care home facility鈥檚 operating hours, she hosted a Halloween party and planned an Easter egg hunt for the spring 鈥� both events that she plans with parents鈥� schedules in mind to make sure as many of her families as possible can attend and be in community with one another.

鈥淚 center it around them,鈥� said Watkins of her approach to engaging with students鈥� parents, adding that the care she provides is reciprocated by parents in both words and actions.

鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing just how supportive they are and how they appreciate. It shows me that they appreciate what I do for their babies,鈥� she said.

Simmons added that relationships between parents have also helped parents navigate the state鈥檚 early childhood health and education system and its requirements, like registering children in kindergarten or signing up for Medicaid.

鈥淚 feel like they advocate for each other because it鈥檚 so intimate,鈥� she said.

Supporting each other extends to times of uncertainty at the federal level. When navigating the moment of potential of immigration enforcement last fall, Martinez Langlois said Grow Early Learning provided specific mental health support to families, like a therapist coming to the family child care home after the incident.

Watkins also said she checked in with parents on how they were feeling and what she or Grow Early Learning could do to support them.

鈥淚 love my job so much because I can help,鈥� Watkins said, 鈥淲hen you take the time out, and you give back to others, it鈥檒l come back to you. It always does.鈥�

This first appeared on and is republished here under a .

If you鈥檝e been following the Trump administration鈥檚 immigration crackdown, you鈥檝e likely heard of Democrats鈥� calls for greater officer accountability, including banning face masks and mandating body cameras and publicly displayed IDs. For my latest story, I dig into a lesser-known demand: barring federal immigration agents from Head Start, child care and pre-K classrooms.

That was once standard practice but since President Donald Trump rescinded a rule last year shielding so-called sensitive locations from enforcement actions, those who provide education and care to the youngest learners report harrowing encounters with immigration officers. I鈥檓 a staff reporter covering for Mark this week and I spoke to several of those folks in Illinois, which was hit with the administration鈥檚 Operation Midway Blitz last fall.

In the news

The latest in ongoing FBI investigation into L.A. schools鈥� failed AI chatbot deal: A January 2023 meeting invite obtained by 社区黑料 suggests senior staff were consulting with AllHere principals at district headquarters five months before the contract was approved. It also calls into question statements by schools chief Alberto Carvalho that he had no involvement in selecting the company represented by his close friend. | 

• Carvalho issued his first statement after an FBI raid on his home and office. The high-profile school leader, who鈥檚 been placed on paid leave, denied any wrongdoing. | 
  
• Sources say grand jury subpoenas have been issued seeking records from the Miami-Dade County Public Schools鈥檚 inspector general and a fundraising foundation overseen by Carvalho while he was the Miami superintendent. | 

Kids鈥� internet safety bill moves to House vote. Despite Democrats鈥� complaints of a 鈥済iant loophole鈥� for Big Tech, a bill requiring online platforms to implement safeguards for minors has advanced to a full House vote. It would provide 鈥渆asy-to-use parental tools鈥� and limit addictive design features.聽|聽

A former Lakewood, Colorado, school security supervisor will serve 18 years to life in prison for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old student on and off school grounds over the course of two years. 鈥淗is job was to ensure the safety of students,鈥� said a deputy district attorney. 鈥淚nstead 鈥� [he] manipulated a sixteen-year-old into sexual acts.鈥� | 

As federal civil rights complaints languish, parents of disabled students look to states. Colorado lawmakers unanimously approved a bill that would expand the state education department’s ability to hear complaints tied to students鈥� disability accommodations. They鈥檙e part of a growing number of legislators nationwide who want their states to step in amid federal staffing cuts and mounting unresolved civil rights cases. | 

• Go deeper: For Decades, the Feds Were the Last, Best Hope for Special Ed Kids. What Happens Now?聽|聽

Virginia has passed a bill barring schools from teaching Jan. 6 as a 鈥減eaceful protest.鈥� Instead, it would be presented as 鈥渁n unprecedented, violent attack on U.S. democratic institutions, infrastructure, and representatives for the purpose of overturning the results of the 2020 presidential election.鈥�  | 

Private school choice but not for everyone. Texas has excluded about two dozen Islamic schools from its new $1 billion voucher program for allegedly being linked to terrorist groups, a decision that has led to a lawsuit and claims of anti-Muslim discrimination.| 

A $7 million tech effort meant to make Hawai驶i schools safer by equipping teachers and principals with panic buttons and mobile apps never got off the ground. Two years after launching, only one school in the state has panic buttons 鈥� and it鈥檚 not using them.| 

ICYMI @The74

Emotional Support

Jebby, my handsome cockapoo, is very excited to hang up his jacket 鈥� and his booties 鈥� and sniff the spring air. 

That afternoon, agents appeared in front of at least two nearby elementary schools, reportedly waiting for parents to pick up their children, 鈥渁nd at one point they were looking into kindergarten classroom windows and just scaring the living daylights out of the children,鈥� said the director, who asked not to be identified to protect the children she serves. 鈥淭hey have guns, they have rifles. They look scary.鈥�

Helicopters also flew overhead at a circling as kids paraded through the streets in their costumes, according to stories collected from Illinois Head Start families on how the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in their state last fall affected them.

Earlier on the 31st, the Illinois director said she had gotten word through phone calls and Signal channels that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers had flooded the area, she told 社区黑料. A family on their way to enroll their young daughter in an early learning center that shares space with her Head Start program was stopped a block or so away at a major intersection. The father was detained in front of his wife and child, she said.

A dozen Head Start associations representing more than 100,000 children across the country, including the one in Illinois, sent a letter to Congress Tuesday demanding that immigration agents be barred from entering Head Start, child care and pre-K classrooms and premises, including parking lots. 

For nearly three decades, that was a largely accepted practice: Immigration enforcement was prohibited in and around schools, hospitals, places of worship and other so-called sensitive locations. 

One of the first things President Donald Trump did at the start of his second term in January 2025 was . Reinstating those constraints is now one of at least meant to rein in ICE enforcement that congressional Democrats say they need in order to support long-term Department of Homeland Security funding and end the partial government shutdown that is

Their conditions were outlined in a signed by the House and Senate Democratic minority leaders, U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Sen. Chuck Schumer, and include more widely publicized rules, such as prohibiting agents from covering their faces with masks and mandating visible displays of identification. 

This week鈥檚 entreaty from the Head Start associations echoes those congressional demands. The early learning groups also urged federal lawmakers to ban DHS agents from interfering with school drop-off or pickup at their programs, including at bus stops, citing another incident in Chicago where a father was his two young kids to school. They were left in the back of the car alone.

鈥淎cross the country, children are being harmed by immigration enforcement actions,鈥� the letter reads. 鈥淗ead Start programs report that children are experiencing changes in behavior and exhibiting signs of fear and anxiety. Families are missing work, keeping their children home, and facing housing and food insecurity.鈥�

Last Thursday, Senate Democrats blocked a spending bill , extending the shutdown and demonstrating they remained firm in their demands.

That same day marked a major change in the department鈥檚 increasingly unpopular leadership, with Trump Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. The move followed questions about her handling of department spending as well as mounting criticism around her response to the deadly ICE shootings of two American citizens at protests in Minneapolis earlier this year. 

Trump announced his plan to nominate Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin as her replacement, though his new pick does not seem to signal any planned shift in enforcing the president鈥檚 mass deportation agenda. 

鈥楽afer but not safe鈥�

Policy limiting immigration enforcement near schools, hospitals and churches was formally introduced in the early days of the Clinton administration through a

In the decades since, similar policies have been modified, clarified or codified by presidents from both parties. In 2011, near the end of President Barack Obama鈥檚 first term, his administration formally expanded the policy, which was then further clarified under President Joe Biden in 2021.

Trump鈥檚 January directive marked a significant departure from these largely bipartisan, long-standing rules, including during his own first term, when DHS issued a saying they would continue to follow sensitive location protocol. 

According to a DHS the policy Trump put forth in his second term was instituted to prevent 鈥渃riminal aliens 鈥� including murders [sic] and rapists鈥� from being 鈥渁ble to hide in America鈥檚 schools and churches to avoid arrest.鈥� Some more stringent guardrails have since been reinstated for places of worship, but not for schools or early learning centers.

Providers in Illinois 鈥� and across the country 鈥� argue this scenario only serves to traumatize children and make their educational spaces less safe.

鈥淲e鈥檝e had kids that aren鈥檛 coming anymore because they鈥檙e too afraid to come to school,鈥� said Kelly Neidel, the executive director of a different Head Start agency in Illinois, which also provides wraparound services to families. 鈥淥ur food pantry [has] declined. So these people are making a choice 鈥� to eat or potentially get picked up.鈥�

In April 2025, a number of organizations filed a lawsuit in Oregon, challenging Trump鈥檚 new edict and in September, they were joined by , including staff and parents from a preschool.

In February, the country’s two largest teachers unions filed an , citing an incident in Oregon in which agents smashed in the car window of a father dropping his child off at a day care, as well as students and teachers at Minneapolis鈥檚 Roosevelt High School being assaulted with tear gas in the aftermath of the fatal shooting of Renee Good.

While advocates and providers are hopeful that a forthcoming DHS bill will include a reinstatement of sensitive location protections, some argue it wouldn鈥檛 go far enough. 

The Illinois Head Start director, who went out patrolling on Halloween to protect families and kids, said now that she鈥檚 seen what federal immigration agents are capable of, it would make her feel 鈥渟afer but not safe.鈥�

鈥淚t might deter them from coming, but would it deter all of them?鈥� she asked. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know. I honestly cannot answer that question. I cannot answer confidently that they would not enter even if that order was in place.鈥�

Wendy Cervantes, a director at The Center for Law and Social Policy, is helping to lead the charge on federal legislation, which would codify sensitive location policies into law, significantly strengthening their power.

, introduced in the House in February 2025, would prohibit immigration enforcement actions within 1,000 feet of such places, except in certain extreme circumstances. If an officer violated these rules, any resulting information wouldn鈥檛 be admissible in court and the targeted person could move to terminate any resulting removal proceedings. 

Since early January, the bill has gained 33 co-sponsors in the House and four in the Senate, meaning over two-thirds of the Democratic caucus is officially in support. It has also been endorsed by over across the country. No Republicans have signed on.聽

Some states, including Illinois, have passed their own bills over the past year, but because they have to align with federal policy, they鈥檙e largely aimed at providing guidance and setting protocols for how local entities should address ICE. 

鈥淚t would make a huge difference to have this done at the federal level,鈥� Cervantes said.

鈥楢 horrendous day鈥�

The Illinois director of programs, who funds centers across a metropolitan area in the state, said that from day one of the second Trump administration she felt a significant shift in the federal approach to early childhood learning. In addition to increased ICE enforcement, her Head Start classrooms 鈥� along with thousands of others across the nation 鈥� experienced delays in funding that threatened to shutter them. 

Once their grant came through, she and her colleagues had to wade through the realities of operating under the administration鈥檚 diversity, equity and inclusion ban, which threatened the core of their work, she said.

Things escalated in September after a father of two, was shot and killed during a highly publicized ICE traffic stop in nearby Franklin Park, Illinois. He had just dropped off one of his children at a Head Start classroom.

鈥淲e knew they would eventually be coming our way,鈥� she said, and early learning centers across the region began to prepare. 

That reality hit the morning of Oct. 31 鈥� 鈥渁 horrendous day鈥� she said, which filled her with fear and made her cry tears of anger. 

And the fear has not subsided, she said, for the families she serves, the staff she employs or for herself. As the child of immigrants and a woman of color, she鈥檚 started carrying her passport.

Mirroring steps taken by other early childhood providers in Illinois, images of fake and real warrants have now been posted at the front doors of her centers so staff can differentiate, along with a script of what to say should an ICE agent approach. Head Start Parent Council meetings have moved to Zoom so parents who fear leaving their homes can still remain involved, and centers have organized food drop-offs. 

Programs have installed incident commanders and some have hired security details. Others have their own staff standing guard, but directors fear for their safety too, since many are immigrants themselves.

In November, ICE agents chased one day care worker into the center where she worked in Chicago鈥檚 North Side neighborhood. She was in front of children, and subsequently arrested. She was a week later after a federal judge ruled her arrest was illegal because she wasn’t given a preliminary bond hearing.

Volunteer rapid response teams have formed across Illinois to alert providers of nearby ICE activity. In one incident, they were called to stand guard during a field trip to a children鈥檚 museum where ICE was 鈥渉ot and heavy,鈥� according to Lauri Morrison-Frichtl, the executive director of the Illinois Head Start Association, which advocates for all state providers.

鈥淟ast fall was terrible,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 cried every day.鈥� 

鈥淥ur ask is keep ICE out of Head Start [and] early Head Start classrooms, facilities, our playgrounds, our parking lots and not interfere in our work or our day-to-day,鈥� she added. 鈥淔amilies need safe spaces to send children 鈥� making our facilities safe when ICE is surrounding them is really hard.鈥�

The U.S. Senate has until Friday night to approve a package of funding measures or else risk another government shutdown. That package includes funding for child care subsidies, Head Start, and other services for young kids.

Senate Democrats have said they oppose the spending measure because it also includes funding the Department of Homeland Security. They want new restrictions on immigration enforcement, and to split it off from the other funding bills in the package in the  by federal officers.

In addition to Head Start and child care, the bills in the six-part package include funding for infant and early childhood mental health, maternal health, and home-heating assistance,

鈥淭here is no reason that funding for children, for babies, for meeting their very basic needs should be contingent on whether or not ICE gets funding,鈥� said Melissa Boteach, the chief policy officer at Zero to Three, an advocacy organization for babies and young kids. 鈥淸Young kids] are in the most rapid stage of brain development. They have immediate needs that need to be met.鈥�

Head Start disruption: What could happen?

The last government shutdown in the fall lasted 43 days, and several Head Start programs in California . Boteach said there may be a few centers that are immediately affected, and others later on if a shutdown drags on, depending on when the center鈥檚 grant cycles starts.

Those most at risk are programs that have a Feb. 1 start date, said Melanee Cottrill, executive director of Head Start California, of which she estimated there are around 6-10.

Head Start is a federally-funded program that provides early education and other services to children in low-income families. 鈥溾�奆or many of these children, these are also the most nutritious meals that they get every day [at Head Start],鈥� Cottrill said.

鈥淚t’s not guaranteed that they’ll close their doors if there is a government shutdown. It really depends on whether they have other funding sources,鈥� she added.

Federal funding for childcare subsidies for low-income children (which is administered through the state) is also part of the funding package. Earlier this month, President Trump said he would freeze that funding to California, though  has been tied up in court.

鈥淭here’s already been a good deal of instability in these programs and for families who rely on them and are just hopeful that the Congress can finish this off and, uh, be able to move forward,鈥� said Donna Sneeringer, president of the Child Care Resource Center, which runs Head Starts and child care subsidy programs in the Los Angeles area.

鈥淸Parents] feel very insecure 鈥� these temporary pauses鈥� the family’s lives don’t pause,鈥� said Mary Ignatius, who heads Parent Voices. 鈥溾�奟eal harm happens to the child care providers, the families, and the children who cannot afford any delays.”

This article was originally published by .

In late November, the leader of a Native American Head Start program on a reservation in Western Washington State opened an email from the federal government to see that her annual application for funding had been denied.聽

The government shutdown had already delayed the much-needed funds by weeks, threatening a closure of her center, which serves toddlers and preschoolers in a tribe of less than 1,000. And now, a week after the government had re-opened, her application had been 鈥渇lagged for containing language that is not allowable under current federal guidance.鈥�

The culprit? Two trainings for teachers 鈥� one focused on inclusionary practices for kids with autism and the other on tools to support young children as they process trauma. Integral to both 鈥� and also part of the rejection 鈥� an acknowledgment that Native American children would receive priority enrollment in her Head Start classrooms and programming, as federal policy stipulates. 

鈥淏ut we鈥檙e supposed to do those things,鈥� the education director, who asked not to be identified because she fears retribution from the Trump administration, told 社区黑料. 鈥淪o for them to pull them? I鈥檓 just 鈥� I鈥檓 not understanding.鈥�

Ultimately, although she deeply believed the training sessions and prioritizing indigenous children were inherent to her center鈥檚 success and part of its stated mission, she wiped the offending language. Her updated grant was almost immediately approved.

Until last week such existential calculations were being forced on Head Start programs across the country by the Trump’s administration 2025 executive order banning practices involving diversity, equity and inclusion. On Tuesday, a federal judge issued temporarily halting the administration’s anti-DEI edict. 

鈥淭his is a huge victory for kids!鈥� Joel Ryan, executive director of the Washington State Head Start & Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program, said in a statement. 鈥淲hen a Head Start program has their funding withheld because of their efforts to provide effective education to children with autism, serve tribal members on a reservation, or treat all families with respect, it is an attack on the fundamental promise of the Head Start program.鈥�

The federal early education and support program for low-income families turned 60 last year, a milestone that coincided with perhaps its most challenging and chaotic year. In 2025, the Trump administration  froze 鈥� then quickly unfroze, then delayed 鈥� grant funding, shuttered five regional offices and fired scores of employees. And during the government shutdown, roughly 10,000 kids across 22 programs lost access to services.

The administration also took aim at Head Start’s of better preparing young children in poverty for school by forbidding providers from overtly addressing issues of race, gender or disability, experts said. The banned word list for grant applications included “disabilities,” 鈥渦nderprivileged鈥� and 鈥淣ative American.鈥�

The Washington State Native American Head Start director said on reservations 鈥渏ust about every one of our children have been touched by trauma鈥� that relates to their race and the painful history of indigenous people in the U.S. 

鈥淚f we don鈥檛 know how to work with kids where things are being triggered,鈥� she added, 鈥渢hen how are we going to move forward and have the best education for these kids so they are not shutting down all the time?鈥�

Thrilled but cautious

The Jan. 6 injunction was part of a lawsuit filed in April 2025 against Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other officials, alleging that the administration was attempting to illegally dismantle Head Start, which serves roughly 700,000 children and families a year.

Roughly 80% of Head Start鈥檚 funding comes from HHS and it has long been a stated goal of the right wing to eliminate the program.

The ruling means that for the duration of the ongoing case, the administration can鈥檛 enforce the DEI ban nor can it punish Head Start providers for including DEI-related language in their applications or practices in their programs. The judge also ruled the administration cannot fire any more employees at the Office of Head Start, though the sweeping layoffs that have already occurred stand. 

Back in September, the same judge granted a temporary injunction halting the administration from banning undocumented preschoolers and other groups of immigrant children from enrolling in Head Start programs.

In a mandated announcement Friday afternoon, the federal Office of Head Start acknowledged the court鈥檚 ruling, saying, certain actions against “DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility) … may not be implemented or enforced鈥� for the time being, though they didn鈥檛 provide any guidance for providers who were forced to remove training and programming in past applications.

The Office of Head Start and HHS did not immediately reply to a request for comment on whether further guidance was forthcoming. 

The Washington grantee expressed cautious optimism in response to the ruling, paired with significant anxiety about what comes next. Her approved application is a binding contract, she said, and since it does not include the trauma and autism trainings or prioritization of native kids, she fears she鈥檒l be deemed out of compliance and forced to pay back the money if she proceeds in that direction anyway. 

She said she could try to re-submit an updated application that includes the previously banned words, but 鈥渢hat would be calling more attention to us, and I really am afraid of the retaliation,鈥� especially given the non-permanent nature of  the injunction.

鈥淲henever you put 鈥榯emporary鈥� on something, I鈥檓 always cautious,鈥� she added. 鈥淵es, if more things come out I feel like there will be support and it鈥檒l take care of this, but you can鈥檛 be certain of that in this political climate.鈥� 

It鈥檚 possible the Trump administration could appeal the injunction and it鈥檚 not clear how long it will take the underlying case to work its way through the courts.

In the meantime, Ryan, executive director of Washington’s Head Start Association, emphasized that the Trump administration 鈥渃an鈥檛 enforce a contract that is going against the law.鈥� But, he acknowledged, 鈥渨hat that means on the ground is different, because there鈥檚 so much fear of retaliation.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 getting a sense that people will move with a lot of caution at first here to see what happens,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don’t know if they’re going to want to make wholesale changes right out of the gate.鈥�

Linda Morris, senior staff attorney at the ACLU鈥檚 Women鈥檚 Rights Project and one of the attorneys who filed the suit,  said that while this ruling 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 undo those harms that the administration already inflicted,鈥� it鈥檚 still 鈥渁 huge win for families and it鈥檚 a huge win for Head Start providers.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檙e thrilled with the decision,鈥� said Morris.

The initial DEI ban, she said, had put Head Start providers in 鈥渁n impossible bind,鈥� since they were being required to remove programming and words from their grant applications that were required by the statutory text of the Head Start Act. 

They were 鈥渋n constant fear of being forced to comply with an unlawful directive and potentially be out of step with their mission and their obligations under the Head Start Act or,鈥� she said, 鈥渢hey risk being punished and losing their funding and even being forced to close.鈥�

鈥業f it weren鈥檛 real life, it would be hilarious鈥�

Morris and her ACLU colleagues first filed the lawsuit last spring on behalf of a number of state Head Start Associations as well as parent organizations. Initially, the complaint challenged the mass layoffs and restructuring of the federal Office of Head Start as well as the DEI ban, alleging all were causing irreparable harm.

In July, they updated the complaint following the Trump administration’s unprecedented move to exclude families from Head Start based on immigration status.

The complaint was again updated after the executive director of a Head Start agency in Wisconsin had her Jan. 1 grant application returned with instructions to remove 19 words and phrases, including 鈥渋nstitutional,鈥� 鈥渉istorically,鈥� 鈥渆quity,鈥� 鈥渂elong鈥� and 鈥減regnant people.鈥� Later that morning, the Office of Head Start followed up with a 鈥渃omplete least of [nearly 200] words鈥� banned from Head Start applications.

In response, senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) issued a Dec. 18 to RFK Jr. expressing 鈥渙utrage.鈥�

鈥淭he chaos you are creating is already jeopardizing services for nearly 700,000 young children across this country,鈥� they wrote, adding that 鈥渢he ambiguous policy was not accompanied by clarification on what the Administration considers 鈥楧EI,鈥� and Head Start programs were left with no meaningful guidance on compliance.鈥�

Ultimately, the Wisconsin provider updated her application to fit this new criteria, but, she wrote in a court record, 鈥渃ompliance is challenging because many of the words on the list are integral to Head Start programming requirements.鈥� The grant application itself, she noted, 鈥渁lready includes some of these prohibited words in pre-populated text 鈥� and application questions specifically request responses that include these words.鈥�

鈥淭his has put me in an impossible situation,鈥� she continued.

Jennie Mauer, the executive director of the Wisconsin Head Start Association, said this grantee was one of three in her state serving roughly 860 young children to have their applications returned this month because of the DEI ban. Another was accused of non-compliance for writing that they would make an effort to 鈥渦tilize small businesses, minority businesses, and women-owned businesses.鈥�

鈥淚f it weren鈥檛 real life, it would be hilarious,鈥� said Mauer. 鈥淭here are things that are in the form like, 鈥楾ell us how you鈥檙e going to serve children with disabilities,鈥� but then you can’t say the word 鈥榙isability.鈥� How do you wrap your head around that? It鈥檚 infuriating. I鈥檓 just wringing my hands over here.鈥�

The latest ruling, she said, 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 necessarily mean that everything is better, but it means that these worst-case scenarios aren’t going to come to fruition,鈥� at least not immediately.

And while she鈥檚 hopeful the government will comply with the judge鈥檚 order, damage has  been done to Head Start communities, she said, leaving program leaders, providers and families worried.

鈥淵ou feel like we’re in this sort of Cold War environment where people are afraid,” she said. 鈥淵ou shouldn鈥檛 be afraid of your government.鈥�

Note: 社区黑料 replaced two of the photos that ran in an earlier version of this story.

For some programs, the promise of incoming funding will be enough to restart operations. But many won鈥檛 be able to open their doors until they receive their federal dollars, which could take up to two weeks, said Tommy Sheridan, deputy director at the NHSA. 

Sheridan said the Trump administration understands the urgency and is 鈥渕oving as fast as they possibly can.鈥�

That said, this interruption had an opportunity cost, and it’s led to instability for families and providers, he said, adding that the shutdown caused staff to focus on issues they “should not be worried about,鈥� such as fundraising and contingency planning.

Some providers fear greater delays since the Trump administration shuttered half of the Head Start regional offices earlier this year. 

鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to be working as hard as they can, but they鈥檙e going to be doing it with half the capacity,鈥� said Katie Hamm, former deputy assistant secretary for early childhood development under President Joe Biden.

And even once the funding comes through, closed centers will need to go through a series of logistical hurdles, including reaching out to families who may have found alternative child care arrangements and calling back furloughed staff, some of whom have found employment elsewhere. 

鈥淗ead Start is not a light switch,鈥� Hamm said. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 just turn it back on.鈥�

This interruption has also further eroded trust between grantees and the federal government that was already shaky, she added.

The Administration for Children and Families did not respond to a request for comment on when programs can anticipate communication from the office or their funding.

Since Nov. 1, approximately 65,000 kids and their families 鈥� close to 10% of all of those served by Head Start 鈥� have been at risk of losing their seats because their programs had not received their awarded funding during the longest government shutdown in history. The early care and education program delivers a range of resources to low-income families including medical screenings, parenting courses and connections to community resources for job, food and housing assistance. 

At the peak of the Head Start closures, roughly 10,000 kids across 22 programs lost access to services, according to Sheridan. A number of the remaining programs were able to stay open through private donations, loans, alternative funding streams and staff鈥檚 willingness to go without pay.

Valerie Williams, who runs a Head Start program with two facilities in Appalachian Ohio, was excited to tell parents that classrooms would be reopening soon. Her centers have been closed since Nov. 3, impacting 177 kids and 45 staff, many of whom already live paycheck to paycheck, she said.

A number of families were doubly impacted, losing access to Head Start鈥檚 resources as well as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, simultaneously. In the days leading up to the closure, Williams and her staff prepared families as best they could, sharing information about resources for food, assistance for utilities and heating and guidance on child care options. 

On Thursday, Williams wrote to parents via an online portal that she hopes to restart the normal school schedule sometime next week. The post was quickly flooded with comments. 

鈥淭his is super exciting!!鈥� wrote one parent. 鈥淏est news in a long time. Carter has been asking every day. Hope to see u guys very soon.鈥�

鈥淵ayyy,鈥� wrote another. 鈥淭he kids miss you guys so much!”

Still, Williams knows reopening won鈥檛 be seamless. Along with program leaders across the country, she鈥檒l need to call back furloughed staff, place food orders and handle a number of other operational challenges.

And despite the excitement, the transition back may also prove tricky for some kids.

鈥淚 do think that it will feel like starting school again for a lot of our classrooms,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e been out for two weeks 鈥� You鈥檙e going to work on separation anxiety issues, you鈥檙e going to have to get into that routine again and the structure of a classroom environment. So I think that will be a big issue for a lot of our teachers.鈥� 

As of Friday afternoon, Williams was still awaiting communication from the federal Office of Head Start with information about the anticipated timeline for next steps. 

鈥淎s soon as we get that notice of award, [I want to] start our staff and kids back immediately,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he very next day.鈥�

Now that the shutdown has ended, what’s next for Head Start?

Funding for Head Start is complex. Some 80% comes from federal grants that are released to local providers on a staggered schedule throughout the year. This year, grant recipients with funding deadlines on the first of October and November were left scrambling, as the federal shutdown dragged on.

The government began to resume operations late Wednesday night after President Donald Trump signed a bill, funding through Jan. 30 and allowing programs that didn鈥檛 receive their funding on time, including Head Start, to use forthcoming dollars to backpay expenses incurred over the past month and a half.

Here鈥檚 what Hamm predicts will happen next: The Office of Head Start will recall all staff to resume, including those who were furloughed during the shutdown. The employees will review grant applications, a process which requires them to flag any language that might be reflective of diversity, equity and inclusion practices. Next, money will be sent along to the remaining regional offices, and eventually dispersed to individual grantees. The NHSA is hopeful that this process will be completed by Thanksgiving for all grantees.

There are two things the federal government can do to help centers open faster, according to Hamm. First, they could waive a typical protocol that leads to a period of seven days between when a member of Congress is notified that their state will be receiving funding and when the funding actually goes out, Hamm explained. 

Officials could also notify grantees, in writing, about how much money they鈥檒l get and when it鈥檚 expected to come through, so they can begin planning. 

Unlike SNAP, which received guaranteed funding through the budget year, money for Head Start remains uncertain beyond Jan. 30. While the fear of another shutdown has caused 鈥渜uite a bit of worry鈥� among the Head Start community, Sheridan said it would likely lead to fewer program disruptions, since it wouldn鈥檛 fall at the start of the fiscal year.

To prevent similar chaos moving forward, Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin introduced in the final days of the shutdown that would guarantee uninterrupted service for fiscal year 2026. 

鈥淭he 750,000 children and their families who use Head Start shouldn鈥檛 pay the price for Washington dysfunction,鈥� Baldwin, the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, wrote in a statement to 社区黑料.

Multiple funding threats and deep staffing cuts by the Trump administration over the past year have plunged programs across the country into uncertainty. In the wake of that recent upheaval, a leadership change is also underway. The acting director of the Office of Head Start, Tala Hooban, accepted a new role within the Office of Administration for Children and Families and will be replaced by political appointee Laurie Todd-Smith, according to an email statement from ACF. Todd-Smith currently leads the Office of Early Childhood Development, which oversees the Office of Head Start. 

Sheridan described this move as anticipated and not particularly concerning, though others were less sure. Joel Ryan, the executive director of the Washington State Association of Head Start, noted that Hooban was a longtime civil servant and strong supporter of the Head Start program. Without her, he fears 鈥渢here鈥檚 nobody internally with any kind of power that will push back,鈥� on future threats to the program.

Another worry plaguing providers: current funding for Head Start has remained stagnant since the end of 2024, meaning that through at least Jan. 30, programs will be operating under the same budget amid rising costs across the board.

In previous years, the program鈥檚 grant recipients typically got a cost-of-living adjustment, such as the bump ($275 million) for fiscal year 2024. In May, a group of almost 200 members of Congress signed to a House Appropriations subcommittee, requesting an adjustment of 3.2% for 2026. A recent statement from NHSA suggested that instead, the proposed Senate bill for next year includes a jump of just , or $77 million.

鈥淚f we don’t see a funding increase in line with inflation, that means that Head Start will be facing a cut of that degree,鈥� said Sheridan. 鈥淚t’s just kind of a quiet cut, or a silent cut.鈥�

鈥淚 think what will end up happening,鈥� said Ryan, 鈥渋s you鈥檒l end up seeing a massive reduction in the number of kids being served.鈥�

After the federal government failed to renew a $1.5 million federal grant by Saturday, officials at the Gogebic-Ontonagon Community Action Agency say they had little choice: They closed a free preschool program that has served two counties in Michigan鈥檚 Upper Peninsula since 1965.

The program was among that missed expected weekend payments because of the ongoing federal government shutdown. Unlike others, the UP program could not secure alternative resources in time to continue operations.

That means 85 students 鈥� along with 30 other families with children in Early Head Start 鈥� won鈥檛 be getting the education, meals and other services they rely on until funding is restored. And employees are currently out of work, program director Renee Pertile told Bridge Michigan.

鈥淲e’re kind of one big family, and now it seems like a piece is missing,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t’s awfully quiet here today.鈥�

Funded primarily by the federal government to serve low-income preschoolers and their families, Head Start programs in Michigan and around the country are among the latest to feel direct impacts from the government shutdown that鈥檚 dragged on for more than a month.

Coupled with the recent impacting 1.4 million Michigan residents, advocates warn the ongoing turmoil surrounding federal funding is putting vulnerable kids at risk.

While local schools and community groups can in some cases step in to help keep Head Start programs going, those resources are 鈥渘ot going to be universal, and it’s not going to be a one-to-one replacement,鈥� said Bob McCann, executive director of the K-12 Alliance of Michigan.

鈥淭he longer this goes on, the more damage it’s going to do,鈥� McCann continued. 鈥淭his is a crisis of choice by (politicians), and it’s kids that are paying the price for it.鈥� 

As of Tuesday, the Gogebic-Ontonagon program was the only confirmed closure in Michigan since Nov. 1, , which has so far reported 25 closures nationwide. 

Education advocates warned other programs around the state that have missed grant payments are at imminent risk of running out of money, too. 

Statewide, Michigan has 48 Head Start and Early Head Start programs that serve nearly 30,000 children, bringing in $423 million in federal funds annually, said Robin J. Bozek, executive director of the Michigan Head Start Association. 

Nine of those programs serving 2,944 children, many of them in the Upper Peninsula and northern lower Michigan, saw their funding grants expire Nov. 1, Bozek said. 

Though some of those programs have been able to piece together enough funds from local schools or community groups to temporarily keep them afloat, the lack of new federal funding means money is tight and the future is uncertain, Bozek said. 

鈥淎nytime there’s a pause or a stop鈥t totally disrupts the system for this type of grant,鈥� she said. 

For the Gogebic-Ontonagon Community Action Agency, there was no money to fall back on. When the grant didn鈥檛 come through, the Head Start program had to wind down. 

鈥淲e started looking at this in mid-October, thinking, we鈥檇 better prepare just in case this was going to happen,鈥� Pertile said. 鈥淎s it got closer to the deadline, we knew that it was highly unlikely we would get our grant.鈥�

In the short term, program employees are able to collect unemployment, and a local daycare offered to open up temporary slots to help care for kids who鈥檇 previously been attending the Head Start program, Pertile said. 

The agency is also looking at the possibility of setting up a mobile food drive for local families in need, and Pertile is planning to provide weekly updates to staff and parents as they learn more.

Even if the shutdown ends tomorrow, it will still take some time to get operations back up and running, she added, noting that many Head Start participants in their rural community don鈥檛 have other options readily available for early learning programs, health checks and meals. 

鈥淭he longer this goes on, the more concerned we get,鈥� Pertile said. 鈥淏ecause we’re such a rural program, there are limited resources鈥hey might be able to do it for a couple weeks, but then they might have to look for something more permanent.鈥�

Looking ahead to next month, grants for another four Michigan Head Start programs will come up for renewal Dec. 1, Bozek said, meaning the financial pressures felt by Gogebic-Ontonagon and eight other programs could soon extend to others across Michigan. 

Losing Head Start options would be 鈥渁 huge hardship鈥� to families whose parents need a safe place for their young children while at work, Bozek said. 

But beyond that, she said, it would put early educators out of work and cut needy families off from a connector for additional resources, including food assistance, health care, and even warm coats for kids as the cold weather creeps in. 

鈥淲hen a Head Start program closes, it impacts the entire community,鈥� Bozek said.

This first appeared on and is republished here under a .

Some Head Start providers in Louisiana have taken out loans to keep operating if the government shutdown stretches into its second month.

At least two organizations 鈥� in the Lafayette area and in New Orleans 鈥� are supposed to receive funding through the federal early-learning program for low-income families on Nov. 1. That money won鈥檛 be distributed if the government remains closed.

Local programs are funded annually, but grants are renewed on different timelines, so the shutdown won鈥檛 be felt equally across the state and country.

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Nationally, 134 centers serving more than 65,000 kids will run out of federal funds at the end of the month, according to the National Head Start Association.

More than 18,000 kids participate in Head Start programs in Louisiana, though only about 1,300 would be impacted on Nov. 1.

In Alabama, fewer than 1,000 children would be affected, and none in Mississippi. The states hardest hit next month include Florida, Georgia, Missouri, and Ohio.

Prime Time serves approximately 635 kids across four locations in the Lafayette area. Clover, formerly Kingsley House, enrolls about 700 children ages 6 weeks to 5 years in New Orleans.

approved a $650,000 loan to Prime Time, its subsidiary, earlier this month, to maintain services through November. LEH is 鈥減lanning ahead for Dec. 1, the next critical date if the shutdown continues,鈥� the head of both organizations, Miranda Restovic, said in a .

Clover has a line of credit to cover its expenses next month, its spokesperson, Sabrina Written, said, but couldn鈥檛 comment on funding beyond that.

Yolanda Motley, Clover鈥檚 head of early learning, said this is the first time the organization has had to take out a line of credit in its more than 100-year history.

鈥淭his is a very different time for all of us,鈥� Motley said. 鈥淲e are in a dire situation.鈥�

They have enough money to operate through November with 鈥渏ust the basics,鈥� she said. That means no field trips, festivities, staff travel or professional development.

If the shutdown lasts, Motley said she doesn鈥檛 know if Clover can keep providing services into December.

鈥淲e need the shutdown to end,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here are children who won鈥檛 have access to learning. They get three meals a day鈥� our families won鈥檛 be able to go to work. It鈥檚 gonna be a ripple effect.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Louisiana Illuminator maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Greg LaRose for questions: info@lailluminator.com.

This story was originally published by . for their newsletters.

One California Head Start program has closed and three others face imminent closure due to the federal government shutdown, affecting about 1,000 very-low-income children and 270 teachers.聽

The closures would leave families scrambling for child care and teachers without income. The longer the shutdown drags on, the more programs are at risk of shuttering.聽

鈥淟osing a Head Start program has detrimental effects not just on children and families, but also has immense ripple effects on the community,鈥� said Melanee Cottrill, executive director of Head Start California. 鈥淗ead Start is far more than a safe place for children to learn and grow 鈥� it鈥檚 a community hub 鈥� The negative effect on regional employment and the local economy would be felt many times over.鈥澛�

A Head Start program in Santa Cruz County has already closed, upending child care arrangements for hundreds of families.

Encompass Community Services, a Santa Cruz nonprofit, was forced to close all 11 of its Head Start centers on Thursday because no one at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services was available to process the group鈥檚 Nov. 1 grant renewal or send money.

鈥淗ead Start is part of the fabric of this community,鈥� said Elaine Johnson, chair of the Encompass board. 鈥淭his is about babies, children, and families not having access to basic needs.鈥�

The centers, mostly clustered in the farmlands around Watsonville, serve some of the lowest-income families in the region. About 300 children are enrolled in its program.

3,000 children at risk聽

Three more Head Start programs in California 鈥� in Los Angeles, the Central Valley and the far northern part of the state 鈥� also have Nov. 1 grant deadlines and face imminent closure. Another four programs with Dec. 1 deadlines would be the next to shutter if the government shutdown continues.聽

In all, more than 3,000 children and hundreds of teachers at those eight centers would be affected within the next month if Congress fails to adopt a budget.

Nationwide, about 134 programs serving 65,000 children face closure this week due to the shutdown 鈥� with Florida, Georgia, Ohio and Missouri having the of children affected, according to the National Head Start Association. Even if Congress agrees to fund the federal government this week, re-opening would not happen immediately: It could take up to six weeks for the money to reach individual Head Start centers.

Popular and effective

Founded in the mid-1960s, Head Start is a free child care program providing meals and a play-based academic curriculum for children from birth through age 5. Families can get prenatal visits, referrals for medical and dental care, housing and job assistance and other services.聽

To qualify, families must earn below the federal poverty level 鈥� $26,650 a year for a family of three. In California, that bar is very difficult to meet due to the . Last year, the state鈥檚 Head Start centers enrolled about 83,000 children at 1,835 centers.

Head Start, created to give low-income families a boost, has largely been successful: Alumni have higher graduation rates, higher college-going rates and are less likely to live in poverty as adults, .

It鈥檚 also very popular. When President Donald Trump threatened to cut the entire program this past spring, Head Start supporters flooded Congress with urgent pleas to save it from the budget axe. , although other government cuts have left a deep impact on the organization and its families.

Potential cuts to the federal , or SNAP, and Medicaid would have an immediate impact on Head Start families, while other recent cuts have already hampered Head Start鈥檚 day-to-day operations, Cottrill said.

The U.S. Health and Human Services Department, which oversees Head Start, closed half of its regional offices in April, leading to long delays in processing paperwork. For Head Start centers, that鈥檚 meant months-long holdups for routine purchases such as dishwashers, Cottrill said, along with delays related to minor program changes.

Back-up plans

In Santa Cruz, Encompass was able to partner with the Pajaro Valley Unified School District in Watsonville to temporarily provide child care to most of the families enrolled in Head Start, starting next week. But the past few months of budget uncertainty have been nerve-wracking, Kim Morrisson, interim executive director, said.

The organization has been in talks with a slew of state and local agencies to come up with back-up plans for funding the $9-million-a-year program.

鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to roll with the punches and just focus on serving our families,鈥� Morrison said. 鈥淗ead Start is a big, national program. We just can鈥檛 imagine a world where it doesn鈥檛 exist.鈥�

This article was and was republished under the license.

But this Monday, she won鈥檛 have a classroom to go to.

That鈥檚 because the ongoing government shutdown has forced her Highland County, Ohio, program to shutter, impacting 177 kids and 45 staffers. Across the state, at least three providers will close their doors, cutting off services to at least 1,000 young children and employment to 286 Head Start workers.

And Ohio is not alone. In all, 134 programs across 41 states and Puerto Rico serving are at risk of closing Monday morning as federal funds expire this weekend. Since the beginning of October, an additional six Head Start programs serving 6,525 children in Florida, South Carolina and Alabama have been operating without federal funding, drawing on emergency local resources to keep their doors open.聽

In total, these approximately 65,000 kids account for close to 10% of all of those served by the early learning and child care program for lower-income families.

News of their Head Start program鈥檚 closure has hit Price鈥檚 community in the Appalachia foothills particularly hard.

鈥淚 had a parent come up and grab me and hug me and she cried and I cried,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou know, a lot of parents really rely on our program. It’s pretty much invaluable in our county.鈥�

Sarah Allen’s family is among those feeling the pain. Her 3-year-old daughter Hallie attends Head Start while Allen, a former Head Start teacher herself, works on obtaining her state teaching license and substitute teaches at the local school to make extra money. Her husband is a firefighter.

Starting next week, they鈥檒l both have to work fewer hours to stay home with Hallie, creating financial hardship for the family.

鈥淚 can鈥檛 work if I don鈥檛 have a babysitter and prices keep going up for everything 鈥� and food costs are crazy,鈥� said Allen, who is also worried about the interruption to her daughter鈥檚 education.

Many Head Start families could face a double blow, losing access to the program and food assistance on the same day, with funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, set to run out Saturday as well. An infusion of contingency funding from the White House earlier this month for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, also known as WIC, is expected

About 50 miles south of Highland, right along the Ohio river, sits Scioto County, another Appalachian stretch, parts of it so rural that some communities don鈥檛 have stop lights. Come Monday morning, Head Start classrooms across 10 centers in the region 鈥� serving 400 early learners and infants 鈥� will shut down and all 100 staff members, 60% of whom are former Head Start parents, will be furloughed. 

Communities in , leaving many kids to be raised by grandparents or other family members, who are heavily reliant on Head Start programming, said Sarah Sloan, early childhood director of the county鈥檚 Community Action Organization. Other parents are in recovery themselves, she added, and lean on Head Start to provide a safe and stable place for their kids.

Their programming is where families already under stress come to get help, she said. 

Despite this, the reception to the grim news that classrooms would close 鈥� from both families and staff 鈥� 鈥漢as just been so generous,鈥� Sloan said Wednesday, her voice cracking.

鈥淚 have not heard one negative word from our parents. They have said things like, 鈥榃e are in this together. We understand. We hate it for your staff. We’re worried.鈥欌��

Some states find last-minute funding, others don鈥檛

社区黑料 spoke with over a dozen Head Start Association presidents, providers, teachers and parents in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Missouri, Ohio and Washington, the six states with the largest number of seats at risk.

Some states, such as Ohio and Washington, are bracing for imminent closures, but others, such as Missouri and most of Georgia, have been able to access other sources of funding, giving them a runway of a week or two. This means that where a young child lives will determine whether or not they have a staffed classroom in a few days and if their families can access the range of other resources Head Start offers, from health care services to parenting courses.

While each state faces it own challenges, a few universal themes emerged: an assertion that even if local Head Start organizations are able to scrape together enough funding to keep their doors open, it will only be temporary, extending access for a few days or weeks; fear that the borrowed funds to stay operational may not be reimbursed once the federal government reopens; and concern that low-income families will lose access to food assistance at the same time. 

Head Start, which turned 60 this year, provides children at least two meals a day. All of this is setting off alarm bells about the unprecedented nature of the government crisis and the devastating effect it will likely have on the country’s most vulnerable families.

They will begin feeling the blowback from D.C. this weekend, as some parents are forced to choose between caring for their kids and showing up for work.

Funding for Head Start is complex. Some 80% comes from federal grants that are released to local providers on a staggered schedule throughout the year. Grant recipients with funding deadlines on the first of October and November are now scrambling, as the second-longest federal shutdown in history heads into its fourth week.

While there this week, Senate Republicans and Democrats have repeatedly failed to come to an agreement on a funding bill. Democrats are that have allowed millions of people to access health care since the pandemic, while Republicans say they won鈥檛 negotiate until Congress passes a bill to reopen the government. 

President Donald Trump has with cuts so far, though interruptions to Head Start funding would impact thousands of families across the political spectrum, with some of the severest programming losses falling on red states.

This has all compounded existing financial strain on local programs, many of which have struggled to hire and retain teachers, according to the National Head Start Association. It also follows multiple funding threats and deep staffing cuts by the Trump administration that have plunged Head Start programs across the country into chaos and uncertainty this year. 

鈥楾hese are actual people鈥�

No state has more seats at risk than Florida, with 9,711. While the majority of centers across the state will be able to remain open through the first two weeks of November, at least one program in West Palm Beach serving children of migrant families and seasonal workers will be forced to shutter this weekend, according to Wanda Minick, executive director of the Florida Head Start Association. The closure will impact 386 children and 283 staff across six centers, she said.

Minick wants Congress and the president to understand, 鈥淭hese are not just data points. These are actual people.鈥�

In neighboring Georgia, policymakers were preparing to potentially close centers serving 6,499 children and infants, until a last-minute, bridge loan from The Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta鈥檚 Impact Investing Fund came through The $8 million means that three major providers, serving 5,800 kids, will remain open for at least 45 days, though that leaves hundreds of others throughout the state still in a lurch. 

Juanita Yancey, executive officer of the Georgia Head Start Association, expressed her gratitude for the money while emphasizing that it鈥檚 only a stopgap measure.

鈥淭ime is running out,鈥� she said. 鈥淧rograms are doing everything possible to keep their doors open, but they cannot run a program on reserves or goodwill. Every day of inaction is another day of uncertainty for families who count on Head Start services.鈥�

鈥淭his shutdown is pushing programs to the breaking point when children and families can least afford it,鈥� she added.

The bulk of Head Start seats in Missouri also appear to be safe 鈥� at least for now, according to Kasey Lawson, director of the Mid-America Regional Council, which serves 2,350 kids across 17 providers. Though that still leaves about 1,500 seats unaccounted for. 

For Lawson鈥檚 17 providers, the choice to remain open is both temporary and a risk, she said, since the centers don鈥檛 have that money 鈥渏ust sitting in the bank,鈥� and they fear they won鈥檛 receive backpay once the federal government does reopen.

Lawson said they鈥檝e asked legislators, members of Congress and the federal Office of Head Start, which is under the Department of Health and Human Services, to guarantee reimbursement as they have in the past, yet 鈥渘obody’s willing to do that. And so it is the reality of where we sit right now, that it is a true risk that all of our agencies are taking.鈥�

And even though most Head Start families in Missouri will have a place to send their kids Monday morning, many may still face a significant burden as at least 1,100 rely on expiring SNAP benefits.

In North Carolina, where 4,697 seats are at risk, at least one center will be forced to close this Friday, said Terry David, president of the state鈥檚 Head Start Association. Classrooms that are based in the local school district should be able to remain open through the end of the calendar year, he said, but that only accounts for about 140 kids.

Across the country, in Washington state, at least one program in the city of Vancouver, which serves at least 175 kids, will close this weekend. Another in the same region, The Margaret Selway Early Learning Center, will remain open through Nov. 7, but each day beyond that is uncertain, according to Nancy Trevena, chief strategy officer at the Educational Opportunities for Children and Families.

Kimberly Gusey鈥檚 foster son, Ranger, is a student at Margaret Selway and is especially dependent on Head Start services. The program was able to secure a one-to-one certified nursing assistant for Ranger, who has cerebral palsy, is nonverbal and is fed through a G-tube. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing,鈥� Gusey said, her voice breaking. 鈥淚t brings me to tears how much they鈥檝e done for us.鈥�

If the program closes next week, Gusey鈥檚 husband will have to quit his job as a mechanic to care for Ranger.

鈥淲e鈥檙e talking a large amount of money not coming into our home, but we鈥檙e willing to do that because we love these children,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut in so many ways it affects us. Not [just] the pocketbook. The routines for the kids. The routines for us. Everything is affected by this.鈥�

This accounts for close to 10% of all of those served by the early learning programs for lower-income families. 

Due to the timing of federal grants, six Head Start programs serving 6,525 children in Florida, South Carolina and Alabama are already operating without federal funding, the association said. So far, they鈥檝e been able to keep their doors open by drawing on emergency local resources, but that money could soon dry up.  

By Nov. 1, an additional 134 programs across 41 states and Puerto Rico, serving 58,627 children, will face the same fate. In Florida alone, 9,711 Head Start and Early Head Start seats are threatened.

鈥淧rograms are scrambling,鈥� said Tommy Sheridan, deputy director of the National Head Start Association. 鈥淲e don’t want to see our children become the victims or [get] caught in the crosshairs of these types of political fights.鈥�

Katie Hamm, former deputy assistant secretary for early childhood development under President Joe Biden, called it a significant threat and 鈥渢he latest attack in a series of attacks on Head Start鈥� since President Donald Trump took office for a second time in January.

鈥淲hat we don’t know is who’s going to have to close immediately, but some will,鈥� Hamm told 社区黑料 Friday, noting the damaging impact closures would have on some of the nation鈥檚 most vulnerable children and their families.

Sheridan expressed similar fears: 鈥渓osing that type of routine, which is so critical for young children 鈥� especially young children who have so much going on in their lives 鈥� is really problematic for their development.鈥�

鈥淏eyond that,鈥� he said, 鈥渋t鈥檚 going to force parents into making some really tough decisions.”

Head Start parents often work multiple jobs, yet still live under the federal poverty line and so are unable to afford other sources of child care and early learning. If the shutdown continues, Sheridan said, some may have to leave the workforce to care for their kids themselves.

The government shutdown has now dragged into its third week, after Senate Republicans and Democrats have repeatedly failed to come to an agreement on a funding bill. Democrats are that have allowed millions of people to access health care since the pandemic, while Republicans say they won鈥檛 negotiate until Congress passes a bill to reopen the government. 

President Donald Trump has with cuts so far, though interruptions to Head Start funding would impact thousands of families across the political spectrum. For example, in alone, just over 3,700 children are in jeopardy of losing services as of Nov. 1.

This has all compounded existing financial strain on local programs, many of which have struggled to hire and retain teachers, according to the national association. It also follows multiple funding threats and deep staffing cuts by the Trump administration that have plunged Head Start programs across the country into chaos and uncertainty this year. 

The administration froze 鈥� then quickly unfroze, then delayed 鈥� grant funding, shuttered five regional offices and fired scores of employees. They also grant recipients that funding would be denied for any programming that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, without defining what that might include 鈥� leading to confusion and a lawsuit. 

Then, in July, the administration announced a drastic federal policy shift that would bar many immigrant families from the early education centers. In September, a Seattle judge ruled that these kids can remain in Head Start programs throughout the country, while a case challenging Trump鈥檚 order makes its way through the courts.

The Department of Health and Human Services, which houses the Office of Head Start, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Hamm emphasized that cuts to Head Start services would have a ripple effect across communities, especially rural ones for whom the program may be the only early learning program available as well as a relied-upon contributor to the local economy.

And once a program closes, it can鈥檛 always quickly re-open, as laid off staff may be forced to find employment elsewhere.

鈥淗ead Start is not a light switch,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou can’t just turn it off and then two weeks later open it back up.鈥�

Since its inception in the 1960s, Head Start programs have reached and their families, the majority of whom meet federal low-income guidelines. the $12.1 billion program served about 754,800 children from birth to age 5, as well as pregnant mothers and their families in urban, suburban and rural areas in all 50 states and six territories.

They also connect families to community and federal assistance and can help provide a career pathway for parents into early child care and education. The 1,600 local agencies are funded by the federal government, though many also tap into state and local revenue sources.

Historically during shutdowns, Head Start agencies were able to take out loans or dip into reserve funding with confidence that they鈥檇 be reimbursed once the government re-opened. While Hamm said she doesn鈥檛 have any reason to believe this administration will change that policy, 鈥渢he way that they have been targeting certain programs and federal staff is leading people to worry,鈥� including banks that have in the past acted as lenders. 

Compounding this anxiety is a concern around other programs that Head Start families often rely on, such as Medicaid; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, also known as WIC; and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP.

Despite these hurdles, Sheridan said the Head Start community has really rallied to try and protect and support kids. That being said, the coming challenges are “really disheartening, because children and families should never be put at risk because of political gridlock.鈥�

Talk of government shutdowns has become common in Washington, but Congress is usually able to avoid them by passing short-term funding bills to keep money flowing.

Not this time.

The federal government ceased operating at midnight Wednesday morning, adding more uncertainty into the nation鈥檚 education system after eight months of cancelled grants, funding freezes and the Trump administration鈥檚 moves to take back money Congress already approved.

For most schools, disruptions would be minimal in the short term. The U.S. Department of Education has released a saying that Title I funds for low-income schools and special education funding, expected on Wednesday, would be available as expected. But districts that rely on , such as those near military installations or national parks, could face cash flow problems. Nationally, nearly 1,100 districts, responsible for about eight million students, are eligible for those funds.

鈥淚n some cases, they need this funding for basic services such as keeping the buildings open, the lights on and the buses running,鈥� said Tara Thomas, government affairs manager at AASA, the School Superintendents Association. 

A shutdown that drags on for a few weeks or more could trigger additional funding problems for Head Start and school nutrition programs. 

Congress hasn鈥檛 completed its budget process on time since 1996, meaning that it on temporary funding measures to keep the government operating. In March, President Donald Trump signed that kept funding at 2024 levels. But that expired at midnight and lawmakers were unable to pass another continuation. The House passed a short-term funding bill that would have given members until Nov. 21 to finalize fiscal year 2026 budgets for all federal agencies. But Democrats are pushing for to offset the cuts to Medicaid in President Donald Trump鈥檚 鈥淥ne Big Beautiful Bill.鈥� They also want to extend tax cuts that lower the cost of insurance premiums under the Affordable Care Act. Leaders of the two chambers met with the president, but made no progress. 

鈥淚f it has to shut down, it’ll have to shut down,鈥� Monday.

Districts and programs serving young children and families have based their expectations of this shutdown on 鈥減ast precedent,鈥� noted Melissa Boteach, chief policy officer at Zero to Three, a nonprofit advocacy organization focusing on infants and toddlers. But this administration is determined to make the federal government smaller. Trump has already signed one rescission package and wants to for teacher quality efforts toward its civics initiative centered on  the nation鈥檚 250th birthday. 

鈥淲e are not in times that have preceded us鈥� Boteach said.

One difference is that the administration, which blames Democrats for the shutdown, could seize on the pause in operations to further its goal of downsizing the government. 

“A lot of good can come down from shutdowns,鈥� from the Oval Office Tuesday. 鈥淲e can get rid of a lot of things that we didn’t want.”

On Sept. 24, the Office of Management and Budget agencies to consider additional mass layoffs of employees. Federal employee unions have already filed a lawsuit over the plan.

鈥淥nly time will tell,鈥� if McMahon or any other agency head acts on that suggestion, said Rachel Snyderman, managing director of economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a think tank. 鈥滲ut this is certainly 鈥ew information this year.鈥�

Here are some of the ways a shutdown could impact schools and families:

Head Start

Six grantees serving roughly 6,500 children are expecting a new round of funding Wednesday, according to Tommy Sheridan, deputy director of the National Head Start Association. So far, none plan to close right away, but that could change if the shutdown lasts more than a few weeks. Beginning Nov. 1, additional grantees could be in the same position.

If programs don鈥檛 close, or if the shutdown is resolved quickly, even talk of disruption can mean children miss out on learning, Boteach added. In January, for example, the administration said Head Start was exempt from a . But over 50 programs serving more than 21,000 children were still locked out of payment systems and some had to close temporarily.

鈥淭here were still parents who were confused as to whether or not they could bring their kids and centers who were confused about whether or not they could pay employees,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here’s what technically happens, and then there’s fear, confusion and chaos.鈥� 

Many low-income families who qualify for Head Start or Early Head Start also receive nutrition assistance through the program. 

鈥淲e like to think program by program, but really it’s about the human being at the center of all of it,鈥� Boteach said.

The National Association of Counties that states may have to 鈥渞ely on their own funding streams鈥� to make sure families receive WIC benefits.

School Meals and SNAP

School nutrition programs rely on monthly reimbursements from the federal government to pay staff and purchase food and other supplies, said Diane Pratt-Heavner, spokeswoman for the School Nutrition Association, which represents district programs.

In its聽, the Department of Agriculture said it has enough funds on hand to pay schools back for September and October meals. The agency will also keep a “limited number” of staff on hand to oversee operations.聽

Families who depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, should also receive benefits as usual and should not be affected if the shutdown lasts no more than a week. 

The last shutdown, which also occurred when Trump was in office, lasted 35 days over the 2018 Christmas holidays into late January. 

Education Department

In a shutdown, the majority of federal employees stop working. While some essential staff will remain available at the Education Department, civil rights investigations would be put on hold. A shutdown also halts the department鈥檚 work on any regulations or guidance being prepared, and states and districts won鈥檛 be able to reach anyone if they have questions about grants or other programs.

Work currently in progress includes gathering feedback on of the Institute for Education Sciences. Christy Wolfe, director of K-12 policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, noted that just last week, the department awarded $500 million through its Charter School Program. 

鈥淪chools that were planning on opening with those funds on a certain timeline,鈥� she said, 鈥渕ay have to be delayed.鈥�

The decision came just a day after another U.S. district court judge in Rhode Island granted a that offered similar protections to preschoolers That ruling also means undocumented residents can still access adult and career and technical education and won’t be cut off from a range of federally funded emergency services, including for domestic violence and homelessness.

Linda Morris, an ACLU attorney representing the plaintiffs in the Washington state case, said she was elated by the decision, noting its sweeping scope. 

鈥淭his is an incredible victory, especially for Head Start providers and Head Start children and families,鈥� she said. 鈥淭oday’s ruling makes clear that every child, no matter their immigration status, deserves access to early educational support. We are extremely pleased with the court鈥檚 decision.鈥� 

In issuing the national injunction, U.S. District Court Judge Ricardo Martinez strongly rebuked the Health and Human Services Department, which oversees Head Start and funds 80% of its costs, for changing a longstanding legal interpretation and classifying it for the first time as a federal public benefit. 

Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for these supports, including food assistance and non-emergency Medicaid. The move to restrict Head Start access is part of a wider Trump administration effort to exclude the undocumented from all taxpayer-funded services and programs, including several that involve education and job training.

The ruling restores Head Start eligibility to children and families who have student visas and other temporary statuses and were also excluded by HHS鈥檚 . The move affected the eligibility of more than 500,000 kids, according to the agency鈥檚 own analysis, and impacted approximately 115,000 children currently enrolled in the program.

Andrew Nixon, the HHS communications director, said Friday his office disagrees with the injunctions and is evaluating next steps. 

Head Start associations from four states and two parent and caregiver groups sued the agency and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the Washington case. 

Joel Ryan is executive director of one of , the.

鈥淚 feel relief. I feel like people can breathe a little bit more,鈥� said Ryan, whose organization’s other legal claims against the administration are focused on confusion over its anti-diversity, equity and inclusion mandates and the mass firings of Head Start staff.

Martinez rejected the Trump administration鈥檚 assertion that Head Start is a welfare program because it provides other means of support, including meals. Public schools do the same and no one would argue they are not educational in nature, he wrote. 

鈥淧roviding services such as health care, nutrition and other social services does not make Head Start non-educational but, as the Head Start Act states, 鈥榩romotes the school readiness of low-income children by enhancing their cognitive, social and emotional development,鈥欌�� he wrote, noting, too, that Head Start funds do not provide payments of benefits to individual households or families. 

In court Tuesday, U.S. Department of Justice attorney Micheal Velchik tried to parse the degree of learning and instruction that takes place in Head Start from what鈥檚 taught at the K-12 level.聽

“It’s technically not school or education because it’s preschool. It’s what you do before school and so it’s not really education in that sense,” said Velchik, who mistakenly referred to the program as Head First several times.

Jannesa Calvo-Friedman, the plaintiffs鈥� attorney, said undocumented parents, families of mixed immigration status and others with full legal standing but who lack documentation told Head Start operators they were keeping their kids away out of fear or confusion.

鈥淭he children who are losing education at this time [in their lives] can never get it back,鈥� Calvo-Friedman said, citing studies on the critical nature of early learning. 鈥淯nless the directive is stayed or enjoined, defendants will continue to communicate the message that immigrant families need not apply.鈥�

Martinez agreed that allowing the directive to go into effect while the underlying case was being argued would impose imminent and irreparable harm.

鈥淲hile actual loss of funding from under enrollment might be down the road, families losing access to Head Start due to the Directive鈥檚 unclear guidance and chilling effects appears anything but speculative and exists even prior to enforcement,鈥� he notes.  

The judge expressed disbelief at the government’s contention that implementing the restriction immediately would discourage illegal immigration.

鈥淭he Court is floored by this argument,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淣othing on the record provides any means for this Court to infer that access to Head Start 鈥榠ncentivizes鈥� illegal immigration.鈥�

Head Start was established in 1965 to help improve kindergarten readiness for low-income children and to support their families. It has served young learners  and their families in the 60 years since.