Call to Action: Weigh in on Proposed Federal Changes to Head Start
On August 7, 2026, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Children and Families (ACF) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), titled “Reducing Federal Burden for Head Start Programs”, to revise the Head Start Program Performance Standards (Performance Standards). The rule is described by the Administration as an effort to reduce Federal burden on Head Start programs; defer to State policies where possible; return substantial local control to Head Start agencies delivering the services; increase parental choice; reduce duplication of Head Start regulations with Federal statute and other regulations; and add requirements regarding the role of health, nutrition and physical exercise for young children. The agency notes the proposal is projected to preserve or expand up to 236,000 Head Start slots nationwide and save $2.2 billion.
In reality, however, the rule would dramatically scale back the Performance Standards – often the measure of quality that other early care programs are held to. While the NPRM highlights that several provisions remain unchanged including eligibility, civil rights protections, disability services and parental engagement, this rule overarchingly will weaken the quality of Head Start and leave children enrolled in Head Start to receive unequal and less beneficial services depending on the State in which their program is located. Critics of the rule have pushed back against several provisions of concern including:
Call to Action
The proposed rule is currently open for public comment through October 6, 2026. GIA encourages members of the arts and cultural community, particularly those working with children, families, early childhood programs, and Head Start organizations, to review the proposed changes and consider submitting comments regarding potential impact on the communities they serve.
The Administration will review these comments before finalizing the rule, which could be before the end of this calendar year. GIA will continue to monitor the rulemaking process and keep the field informed of developments and opportunities to engage.
The removal of family self-attestation and the option to adjust families' income for housing costs for the purposes of eligibility determination;
The removal of limitations on suspensions and the prohibition on expulsion;
The slimming of professional development requirements and staff qualifications;
The removal of Federally-mandated classroom size caps and staff-child ratios;
The removal of Federal regulation of home-based program design, instructional activities for home visits, curriculum, staff support, curriculum adaptation and group socialization structures;
The removal of Federal requirements for transportation practices including the requirement to have at least one bus monitor present while transporting children;
The required implementation of English-only instruction (with the exception of American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start programs) and the elimination of Federal requirements that staff, consultants or contractors demonstrate familiarity with the ethnic backgrounds and heritages of families served and require at least one classroom staff member or home visitor to speak the non-English language spoken by a majority of children in a class or program;
The capping of administrative costs from 15 percent to 5 percent;
The rollback of child mental health services, pre-and postpartum support, preventative health screenings and oral hygiene standards;
The removal of Federal program length requirements; and
The expansion of allowable flexibility permitting programs to request a waiver for almost any requirement in program standards (besides eligibility and nutrition and physical activity).
Foundational Elements of Head Start
Launched in 1965, the Head Start program was established to provide low-income children and families with child care, early learning, health and developmental screenings, social-emotion learning, nutrition and other services under comprehensive Federal performance measures. With strict eligibility standards, programs must ensure that at least 90 percent of enrolled children come from families that are 100 percent below the poverty line or categorically eligible, including families with children in foster care, experiencing homelessness, or receiving public assistance. Additionally, programs must ensure that a minimum of 10 percent of enrollment slots is occupied by children eligible for services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Currently, Head Start annually provides services to over 750,000 infants and children nationwide, and the program has served more than 40 million children and families since its inception. In 2024, of those served, 38 percent were Hispanic or Latino, 29 percent were Black or African American, 22 percent were White, 5 percent were multi-racial, 3 percent were American Indian or Alaska Native, 2 percent were Asian, 1 percent were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and 35 percent were dual language learners with 63 percent in families that primarily spoke Spanish at home.
Across the country there are over 250,000 Head Start staff and 17,000 Head Start centers. These centers are particularly important in serving rural communities as approximately 46 percent of all Head Start slots sit in rural congressional districts and in some states, one in three rural child care centers are operated by Head Start.
Recent Instability Amongst the Head Start Program
Under the second Trump Administration, the Head Start program has faced increasing instability. In 2025, the Federal government withheld nearly $1 billion in funding for local Head Start programs, leading to nationwide program closures and staff layoffs. Around the same time, HHS closed and laid off all staff in five regional Head Start offices, subsequently consolidating all programs under the remaining five regional offices.
Additionally, an earlier NPRM proposed in May 2026, titled “Restoring Flexibility to Support Head Start Program Access”, aimed to eliminate requirements established in 2024 under the Biden Administration that would increase wages and benefits for Head Start staff. As of this writing, this rule is still moving through the rulemaking process.
Ongoing litigation in a Federal district court is also temporarily blocking the enforcement of HHS’s policy directive that would classify Head Start a “Federal public benefit” under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act which would require proof of citizenship or qualified immigrant status for families and children to enroll in a Head Start program.
