Trump administration announces changes to Head Start in overhaul

While officials say proposed revisions to Head Start program will encourage more enrollment, advocates say it will undermine the program

The Trump administration has said it plans to overhaul Head Start, tossing out many of the regulations that are the hallmark of the early education program for the nation’s neediest children.

Officials from the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the federally funded preschool program, said on Thursday the proposed changes would encourage more local decision-making, but the proposal has sparked alarm across the Head Start community, where advocates say it threatens the backbone of the antipoverty initiative.

The public will have 60 days to weigh in before it goes into effect, though it could face legal challenges that might delay implementation.

Head Start centers serve around 700,000 of the nation’s most vulnerable children, including those who are homeless, in foster care or disabled. That wouldn’t change under the overhaul, though some of the changes could make it more difficult for out-of-work or homeless parents to enroll their children.

Alex JAdams, an assistant secretary at health and human services, said the department is hoping to give Head Start centers the flexibility to change the way they operate. That means eliminating most of Head Start’s regulations, such as standards for low staff-to-student ratios or requirements to provide services to preschoolers’ families.

“Federal mandates can certainly hinder local decision-making, drive up costs and limit the program’s reach,” Adams said on a call with reporters. He highlighted a decade-long decline in Head Start enrollment. “If we get this proposed rule right, we will grow the number of Head Start slots.”

On a call previewing the proposed changes, Robert F Kennedy Jr , the US health secretary, spoke reverently about Head Start, which was started by his uncle Sargent Shriver during the administration of president Lyndon B Johnson.

“It’s a program that works for the most vulnerable of the poorest kids in our society, and it’s really important we protect it,” Kennedy said.

But the changes would undermine many of the things that make Head Start distinct from other early education programs, according to current and former Head Start leaders.

“This version of Head Start is a shell of the program,” said Khari Garvin, who oversaw Head Start under Joe Biden, the former Democratic president. “This is a deeply diluted version of the program, which, in my view, will cause child and community outcomes to wane.”

Head Start, which began in the 1960s as part of Johnson’s “war on poverty”, is currently governed by more than 100 pages of regulations. Those require centers to have low staff-to-student ratios and a research-backed curriculum, among other things, and they ensure centers are providing wraparound services that are critical to children in poverty, including medical and dental screenings and parent coaching.

The Trump administration wants to toss out nearly all of that rule book, erasing some 1,400 regulations. Instead, Head Start’s operators – which include nonprofits and school districts – would look to state and local childcare licensing requirements for guidance, including on matters of child safety and class sizes. The proposal also scraps detailed requirements on preventing lead exposure in Head Start facilities.

Other aspects of the program would be scrapped entirely. Operators would no longer be required to provide robust family support services spelled out in current regulations that help parents move toward financial independence. They would no longer have deadlines for providing regular health screenings or evaluating children for developmental delays. Gone, too, is a mandate that children brush their teeth at school.

While the proposed rules largely loosen requirements, Adams emphasized centers have the option to continue to operate as they had in the past. He estimated the new rules could generate more than $2bn in savings and potentially allow Head Start to serve more children.

Head Start advocates called the changes out of touch and unrealistic. Many Head Start preschools are under financial pressure, facing rising labor, healthcare and supply costs. And they aren’t likely to get more money: the Trump administration hasn’t called for increasing the program’s $12bn in annual funding. So without regulations for class sizes and services, advocates worry operators would be forced to make tough choices, laying off staff or forgoing traditional offerings such as developmental screenings.

Alongside the deregulation, the proposal would add some new requirements. Staffers would have to deliver all instruction in English, except in tribal communities that run immersion programs in native languages. There would be a 5% cap on administrative expenses, down from 15%. The proposal also includes a requirement for 30 minutes of physical activity – outside if the weather permits – for every three and a half hours of the program. New nutrition standards, championed by Kennedy, would require programs to provide more nutrition education for families, including warning them of “the negative health consequences of sugar-sweetened beverages and grain-based desserts”.

In a call with reporters, Kennedy said he believes Head Start is effective. He cited research showing its graduates have fewer law enforcement encounters, do better in school and have better jobs than their peers. He added that he tried to shield Head Start from many of the cuts that hit the rest of his agency.

Still, the Trump administration succeeded last year in laying off much of Head Start’s support staff and closing half of its regional offices.