Administration proposes sweeping rollback of Head Start regulations
The Department of Health and Human Services proposed Thursday to replace most federal regulations governing Head Start with state and local requirements, officials said, giving centers more local control and opening a 60-day public comment period.
Assistant Secretary Alex J. Adams said the changes would give programs flexibility and could generate more than $2 billion in savings and expand the program’s reach. “Federal mandates can certainly hinder local decision-making, drive up costs and limit the program’s reach,” Adams said on a call with reporters, adding the department hopes the overhaul will grow Head Start enrollment after a decade-long decline.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, whose uncle Sargent Shriver helped start Head Start, said on a preview call that the program “works for the most vulnerable of the poorest kids in our society” and that officials want to protect it. The proposal would eliminate many requirements such as low staff-to-student ratios and mandates to provide services to families, but Adams said centers could choose to keep operating under existing standards.
Policy experts warned the changes could weaken the program. Khari Garvin, who oversaw Head Start under President Joe Biden, said the model was designed “with intentionality” to help move families out of poverty. Shantel Meek of Arizona State University’s Children’s Equity Project said her analysis found major gaps between state licensing rules and Head Start standards, noting state rules generally focus on safety and allow higher child-to-adult ratios.
The proposal, posted online Thursday, would replace more than 100 pages of federal regulations and instead rely on state and local childcare licensing for many program components. It adds a 5% cap on administrative expenses, down from 15%, and new nutrition provisions championed by Kennedy. The Associated Press previously reported that Head Start serves about 700,000 vulnerable children and that the program has faced funding and staffing disruptions in recent years. The public will have 60 days to weigh in before the rule could take effect, and the final regulations may face legal challenges, officials said.
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