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In August, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a proposal to fundamentally change Head Start, a program that has served low-income families for more than 60 years.
The department proposes cutting 90% of the rules and regulations that govern Head Start, arguing that programs would gain flexibility and save money that could be reinvested into serving more children and in raising each state’s allowable teacher-to-child ratios.
Collectively, we have worked inside and outside of government to support education and the educator workforce for nearly half a century, and we have never seen anything like this. Reducing some of the administrative burden on Head Start grantees would save time and money, but removing nearly all of the standards that make this program so successful is likely to lead to unsafe conditions for the children we have promised a strong start.
Here’s an NNS story about the Head Start changes.
The teacher-to-child ratio isn’t “red tape.” It is backed by evidence about how much support children of each age need to be safe and supported. Caring for young children is skilled, demanding work with little margin for error, and safe supervision depends on having enough adults in the room.
Idaho offers a preview of the direction Health and Human Services is heading. In 2025, lawmakers there began with a bill to eliminate state-set ratios entirely, asking each program to set their own ratios. Wisconsin’s children deserve better than experiments. After public outcry in Idaho, the bill was amended, because you don’t have to be an expert to know that babies deserve the most support – they are our future.
In 1965, as part of the War on Poverty, policymakers decided that a child’s circumstances at birth shouldn’t determine her future. Head Start and Early Head Start promised access to high-quality early learning and a strong support system, helping families facing the greatest financial challenges to thrive.
Head Start changes
For more than 60 years, Head Start has served as a critical link in our economic infrastructure. It has evolved to meet the needs of working parents with longer days, even as funding has not kept pace with rising costs.
The Department of Health and Human Services’ proposed rule, “Reducing Federal Burden for Head Start Programs,” would allow larger classes, shorter program days, lower staff pay and fewer teaching jobs. It would eliminate key requirements for serving children with disabilities and multilingual learners, threatening their access to the services and supports that help them fully participate and succeed. It would also drastically reduce the federal funding that can be spent on the everyday operational costs of delivering services to families.
Head Start’s success is built on a commitment to proven practices that support children’s learning, health and development.
Weakening those standards risks eroding both program quality and public confidence in the results Head Start delivers for children, families and communities. In all our years of experience, through the ups and downs of funding, politics and legislation, we have never been more concerned than we are right now. A hugely popular program, justified by decades of bipartisan federal investment, risks ruin at the hands of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
For the 12,000 children enrolled in Head Start in Wisconsin, their families, educators and communities, the consequences would be felt close to home. This proposal would limit access to care, especially in rural Wisconsin, where Head Start is often the only option available to families.
We urge everyone who cares about the future of our country’s children to submit a public comment by Oct. 6. Every voice matters — and this is the moment to make yours heard.
Ruth Schmidt is the executive director of the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association. Jennie Mauer is the executive director of the Wisconsin Head Start Association.
Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.
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