EdSource
Head Start, the federal program providing free early education for low-income children, has benefited from strong bipartisan support since its 1965 inception, withstanding funding cuts and political turbulence across 11 presidencies.
But more recent threats from the second Trump administration have thrust Head Start into the spotlight. Last year, its programs faced disruptions and threats of closure following funding freezes, a federal shutdown, staff layoffs across the agencies that oversee Head Start and attempts to exclude immigrant children. Now, the federal government could attempt to deregulate standards that Head Start programs are required to maintain, according to a program official.
At each turn, supporters — alumni, teachers, families, child development experts, community members — have rallied behind the program. Lawsuits were filed and preliminary injunctions halted some of the federal actions. A proposal to block immigrant children from social benefit programs drew half a million comments.
“On the positive front, Head Start is still funded. Head Start is still here,” said Melanee Cottrill, executive director of Head Start California. “I think Head Start is one of those terms that people often know and have positive associations with without necessarily really understanding the depth of it.”
The program provides a wide range of services to the more than 70,000 children enrolled in California. These include health and behavioral screenings, dental services, parent engagement opportunities, meals, transportation and more.
While these services are still in place, Head Start staff say it remains challenging to keep up with costs. A recent $85 million increase, to be shared nationwide, won’t cover rising expenses amid high inflation, supporters say.
Here’s what we know about the state of Head Start in California and at the federal level.
The origins of Head Start
Head Start is often referred to as a single program, but there are a few branches under the Head Start umbrella that serve vulnerable populations.
When the program was first established in 1965, it was designed by a panel of child development experts as an eight-week project to help disrupt generational poverty. The programs were created to be comprehensive, meaning they would aim to meet children’s emotional, educational, social and health needs while also engaging the child’s family. Congress soon made Head Start permanent, and it was developed into a full-day program.
Head Start is administered by the Administration for Children and Families, which is in the Department of Health and Human Services.
But it also includes other programs such as: American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start, Migrant and Seasonal Head Start and Early Head Start.
Each Head Start program enrolls children ages 3 to 5. The exception is Early Head Start, which enrolls pregnant women and children from birth through age 3. Some of these programs are available in early learning centers. while others are home based.
Head Start programs are for families living below the federal poverty line. Eligibility can be met by verifying income or enrollment in other benefit programs, such as Cal-Fresh, CalWORKS or Supplemental Security Income. Children experiencing homelessness or in the foster system are also eligible.
How are recent disruptions affecting families?
As long as funding remains relatively stable, children enrolled in Head Start will continue to receive services, said Cottrill.
“The experience for a family enrolled in Head Start will be the same as it always has been,” she said. “They’re still going to get all of the comprehensive services. They’re still going to have qualified teachers. Their kids are going to come out of that program way better prepared to succeed in school and beyond.”
If there are cuts, the question is how many children will be able to stay enrolled. Cuts have happened before, and have had an effect, Cottrill said. Cuts proposed in recent years, including $750,000 in 2023, would have led to about 80,000 fewer Head Start spaces available for children nationwide.
“This is already a lean program. There’s not a lot to cut,” Cottrill said. “So, ultimately, what we often see is it means we have to close classrooms and serve fewer kids.”
If Head Start classrooms begin to enroll fewer children, California does have other early-learning options for low-income families. But the state’s options will not cover Head Start cuts, say experts.
“If Head Start funding is cut or eliminated, those families essentially enter the waiting list for our state systems, which are already oversubscribed and under-resourced,” said Laura Pryor, research director at the California Budget & Policy Center, a Sacramento-based nonpartisan think tank. “It really just exacerbates the existing challenges we have with state investment in childcare.”
Sometimes, a family with a 4-year-old might find it easier to enroll in transitional kindergarten, also known as TK, because it requires less paperwork and there are no strict income eligibility requirements.
But certain aspects of Head Start — including the medical screenings and strong emphasis on parental engagement — are not available to the same degree in the public school system.
“TK doesn’t do all of the wonderful wraparound services that Head Start provides,” Pryor said.
How would federal proposals impact quality?
Built into Head Start are requirements for parent engagement, developmental screenings and nutritional guidelines. This level of support was deemed critical in the 1965 document that outlined what Head Start would eventually become. The first set of regulations was released in 1975.
In May, the federal agencies overseeing Head Start filed a proposal to remove wage and benefits requirements in part to “restore needed flexibility and autonomy to local programs” while reducing paperwork. Cottrill, of Head Start California, said she and other supporters of the program are also expecting proposed changes to the regulations.
Alex Adams, who leads the federal Administration for Children and Families that controls billions in childcare and preschool funding, has allegedly stated he wants federal childcare regulations to “fit on an index card,” according to the New York Times.
Why is Head Start vulnerable to instability?
Head Start’s funding structure is unique in the early childhood field.
Funding for these programs flows directly from the federal government to the programs administering Head Start. Other programs that offer childcare and basic necessities tend to be structured differently: federal dollars will typically be sent to the state or county, which will then distribute the money to local programs.
The direct line of funding allows programs to be more responsive to the needs of the families they serve, but also makes them vulnerable to instability within the federal government.
It’s part of what happened late last year, during the nation’s longest shutdown. The longer the shutdown went on, the longer Head Start programs went unfunded. Some programs were forced to temporarily shut down because furloughed federal staff were not able to process grants.
