The Trump administration unveiled Thursday sweeping and controversial proposed changes to the Head Start program, which provides early education and health services to hundreds of thousands of low-income children.
Administration officials contend that the proposed rule would eliminate many of the program’s federal regulations in favor of state standards, which officials say would strengthen the program by giving providers more flexibility, could create up to 236,000 more slots and could save $2.2 billion annually that would be reinvested into Head Start.
But critics caution that the effort could hurt the program in multiple ways, particularly because state standards for early childhood education and health and safety requirements are often less stringent.
Head Start has faced tumultuous times during President Donald Trump’s second term.
A draft White House budget proposed ending federal funding for the program, which has served more than 40 million children and their families since 1965. The move raised many red flags among supporters, who noted that Project 2025, a massive policy playbook compiled by the conservative Heritage Foundation, called for Head Start’s elimination.
