Trump’s Plans for Head Start Could Leave Kids Behind

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a press call with reporters that “this program works,” and said that Head Start had survived the “draconian cuts to many of our agency programs” during the first year of the Trump administration. Although it has long enjoyed bipartisan support, Head Start has been ***ly targeted by allies and members of the Trump administration, including budget chief Russell Vought. Trump’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 initially eliminated Head Start funding, and the Government Accountability Office last year found that the administration had illegally withheld $12 million in funds to the program. The government shutdown in November also resulted in the temporary closure of some Head Start facilities, causing chaos for participants.

Programs could theoretically continue to follow the regulations even if they are no longer mandated. But Schilder pointed to a 2009 report that she co-authored, which found that childcare programs that did not partner with Head Start and thus were not required to follow the standards did not provide the same comprehensive services as those who were in partnership. Head Start programs are currently required to connect parents with employment ***istance, for example, or offer developmental early intervention services.

“The way that Head Start is designed, there is a person who has to be designated to provide these supports to meet with the families, to give them the referrals, to connect them with community resources,” explained Schilder. “If programs are under budget constraints and they’re told they don’t have to do this, I can imagine some of them saying, ‘Okay, well, one way to balance the budget is to focus on a different set of services, for example, rather than those that are currently required.’”