Federal officials on Aug. 6 proposed removing some rules for Head Start, a national child care program for children who have not yet started primary school.
If finalized, the proposal would rescind more than 1,400 regulatory provisions, such as recruitment of teachers, enrollment of students, and crafting of curriculum, and replace them with a framework that facilities would consult.
The government is also proposing to let states, rather than the federal government, set the child-to-teacher ratio, provide background-check requirements, and outline transportation practices.
“Head Start began as a bold commitment to the health, dignity, and potential of every child. My uncle, Sarge Shriver, founded the program on a simple conviction: strong families, wholesome nutrition, and healthy childhood development can change the course of a child’s life,” Kennedy said in a statement.
“Today, we are returning Head Start to those roots. We are removing unnecessary bureaucracy, strengthening nutrition and physical health, trusting parents and local communities, and opening Head Start to hundreds of thousands more children. That’s how we renew the promise of Head Start for the next generation.”
Officials estimate the changes would save $2.2 billion and either preserve or create up to 236,000 Head Start slots across the nation.
Head Start enrollment has declined in recent years, from about 833,000 in fiscal year 2022 to 715,873 in fiscal year 2024. Children in the program can be infants through 5 years of age.
Alex Adams, assistant secretary for the Administration for Children and Families, which manages Head Start, said that the proposal was aimed at reversing the decline.
New rules proposed by officials include requiring 30 minutes of physical fitness for every three-and-a-half hours that the program operates.
People can comment on the proposal for 60 days following its formal release, which is slated for Aug. 7.
Officials will then consider the feedback and mull over whether any changes are necessary.
The National Head Start Association, which represents Head Start teachers and grant recipients, said that the proposal was the most significant revision of Head Start’s regulations since Head Start began 61 years ago.
The group said it is reviewing the proposed changes with an eye toward whether they would help Head Start reach more children and achieve better results for them.
“Fewer rules cannot mean fewer results,” Yasmina Vinci, executive director of the association, said in a statement. “Head Start makes a promise to a family — that their child will be safe, healthy, and ready for school. That promise is the same in rural Montana as it is in Baltimore. We will read every page of this proposal against whether it keeps that promise or quietly lets it go.”
