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Head Start—the federally funded program that provides early childhood education, meals, health screenings, and family support services for children from zero to five from low-income families—is in the news again. Last week, the Administration announced plans to reduce the program's 133 pages of federal performance standards to roughly a dozen pages. United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) frames the changes as cutting red tape and returning decision-making authority to local communities; some critics have called the changes a "massive gutting" of science-backed standards.
Since its founding in 1965, Head Start has historically enjoyed wide bipartisan support. What do you need to know about Head Start, what has happened recently, and what worries us? Below is a quick primer.
Head Start is a federally funded program established in 1965 as a two-generation approach to promote school readiness for children from birth to age 5 from low-income families. Services include early childhood education, nutritious meals, health screenings, and family support services. The federal program focuses on the mental, social, and physical development of children from birth to age five, as well as pregnant women, delivering aid through local agencies.
You qualify if your household income is at or below the federal poverty line, or if you receive public assistance like TANF, SSI, or SNAP. Children in foster care or experiencing homelessness are also automatically eligible.
The Administration for Children and Families, a division of HHS, has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that would remove more than 1,400 Head Start regulatory provisions, eliminating maximums on group size and staff-to-child ratios, and limiting the amount of money Head Start centers can spend on administrative overhead from 15 percent to 5 percent, striking credential requirements for directors and staff, and cutting requirements for comprehensive health, mental health, and dental services.
The proposal would also require that nearly all instruction be conducted in English, with exceptions for certain Tribal programs, and would add strategies to promote physical activity among children and healthy marriage among parents.1
»If you want to read the Administration’s stated rationale for the proposed changes, you can find that here.
»If you want to read an article about the changes, we suggest ‘Head Start could soon be overhauled. Here’s exactly what would change’ from The 19th.
When other programs, including medical research at universities, have faced administrative cost cuts, they have been left with too few personnel to do valuable work. Early care and education providers already receive precious little federal funding. The proposed changes come with no additional Head Start dollars, and most of the cost savings the Administration projects would come from increased class sizes, reduced hours of operation, and reduced wraparound services.
Furthermore, we question whether stripping back credentialing requirements and forcing a single language requirement is in the best interest of every child and family seeking support from Head Start, and in turn the communities that rely on those households.
Elliot Haspel, a childcare expert and Chamber of Mothers Board Director pointed out that our government spends around $1 trillion on K-12 education each year. But we spend less than $37 billion annually on care and education before age five.
We’d love to see more investment in programs like Head Start and childcare solutions that are flexible and fit the broad needs of American families.
We encourage you to learn about the proposed changes and form your own opinion, and we also want to make sure you’re aware of actions being organized by groups who are opposing the proposed rule and pushing for it to be either withdrawn or significantly changed:
»Our friends at MomsRising Action are organizing a “call-in day” today for individuals to share their concerns with members of Congress. If you’re interested in participating, you can use MomsRising’s Call-In Line (or text HEADSTART to 855-714-1332).
»The advocacy group Start Early has put together a guide for submitting public comment to the Administration (which must be read and responded to) here.
We know, of course, that there are a variety of opinions in the Chamber of Mothers community, and that diversity of viewpoints is one of our great strengths. What do you think about this proposal and its impact on your family, your loved ones, and our greater community? Tell us in the comments.
Please save the date for our next Town Hall: October 27, 12 p.m. ET. Register here!
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