“I am a single mom, and without Head Start I wouldn’t be able to find anyone or afford to pay anyone to watch my son. I wouldn't be able to work and provide like I currently do.”
— Brittany, Tennessee MomsRising member

Head Start Under Threat: What Proposed Changes Mean for Families

Secretary RFK Jr. is attacking Head Start, proposing to eliminate most of the program's standards and roll back regulatory rules in a move that will further exacerbate our nation’s worsening child care crisis while spelling disaster for the hundreds and thousands of children and families who rely on Head Start for care and so much more.

Your help is needed! Click here to write a super quick and very easy letter to the editor for your local newspaper calling on Congress to protect Head Start from these attacks! Don’t stress — we’ll make it easy by giving you a draft letter and all the talking points you need!

The importance of supporting the Head Start program (and teachers and families) cannot be overstated. Head Start is the most important social and educational program for children, families, and communities the United States has ever undertaken, operating in all 50 states and providing child care access and comprehensive services to nearly 40 million children over the past few decades. [1] Head Start enables parents to work, provides high-quality early education and care to our littlest learners, and allows child care workers to stay and advance in their profession.

Take action NOW by writing a super easy letter supporting Head Start against RFK Jr.’s disastrous proposed rollback and deregulation!

The Impact of Deregulation on Early Education

Programs like Head Start are more critical than ever. The child care system has been unaffordable and unattainable for families across the nation for decades. Yet instead of working to address this ongoing crisis, Secretary Kennedy and the current administration are undermining Head Start.

These changes will harmfully:

• Reduce access to quality early learning, health care, family engagement and leadership, and comprehensive support services to children and families.
• Worsen child care ratios by increasing classroom numbers.
• Reduce qualification and credential standards for teachers.
• Remove guidelines around supporting children with disabilities, who make up the required 10% Head Start enrollment for disabled populations.
• Heavily impact rural communities, where Head Start is often the only reliable early learning and child care program available to families.

Raise your voice to protect Head Start by submitting a super easy letter to the editor to your local newspaper. (It’s easier than you may think! We’ll give you a draft letter and all the talking points you need!)

How Local Voices Influence Congressional Action

A letter to the editor published in a local publication is an impactful way to remind members of Congress that regardless of political affiliation, our nation needs to support critical programs like Head Start so parents can go to work, kids can thrive, child care workers can stay in their profession, and businesses can prosper. Members of Congress also tend to pay close attention to their local papers — especially if you mention their name!

The pre-drafted letter (which you can edit and add your own thoughts and story when you click through to the link!) simply says:

Since his time in office, US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy has repeatedly undermined the well-being of our nation’s children, families and moms — the very population his department is tasked with serving and supporting. Now, he is attacking Head Start, the nation’s most important social and educational program for children, families, and communities by proposing to eliminate most of the program's standards and rolling back critical regulatory rules. If enacted, these changes significantly weaken the very foundation of Head Start by diminishing its ability to provide the quality early learning, health care services, family engagement services and parent leadership opportunities that have boosted families for decades. These proposed changes threaten to increase classroom sizes, reduce teacher standards and gut requirements supporting children with disabilities. Over the past 60 years, Head Start has delivered child care and comprehensive services to nearly 40 million children and counting, providing high-quality early education for our nation’s littlest learners so parents can work to support their families, while also facilitating important career opportunities for millions of child care workers. As a concerned member of our community and passionate advocate for children and families, I urge members of Congress to protect this Head Start by immediately calling on HHS to rescind RFK Jr.’s rules attacking this vital program. Moving to dismantle Head Start during our worsening national child care crisis is unconscionable and will only harm hundreds and thousands of children and families.

Raising your voice in your local newspapers is the next highly impactful way to continue amplifying your actions in support of our nation’s kids and families. We make it super easy for you by providing a sample letter, talking points, and even an automatic way to submit it. Click here to get started. (You can even edit the letter to add in your own personal story).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Head Start, and who does it serve?

Head Start is a federally funded program that provides comprehensive early childhood education, health care, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and their families. Since its inception, it has served nearly 40 million children across all 50 states.

How do proposed regulatory rollbacks impact Head Start programs?

The proposed rollbacks aim to eliminate key federal standards, which could lead to larger classroom sizes, lowered teacher credential requirements, reduced quality of comprehensive services, and weakened protections for children with disabilities.

How does writing a letter to the editor help influence policy?

Local media outlets are heavily monitored by congressional staffers to gauge community priorities. Publishing a letter to the editor brings public awareness to critical issues like child care and directly alerts elected officials to public concern.

References

1. 5 Things To Know About Head Start — Center for American Progress

This post highlights community efforts to defend Head Start regulations and maintain access to high-quality early childhood education and health care services.