Advocates are reportedly pressing the Trump administration to drop proposed changes to Head Start, the federal early childhood program for low-income families.
According to a Saturday report from The Hill, public comments are due Tuesday. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will then review them and decide how to proceed.
The report stated that tens of thousands of comments detail fears of reduced parent support, larger classes and fewer seats for the neediest children, including those experiencing homelessness. Head Start currently serves 700,000 children at 17,000 centers nationwide.
What the Proposal Would Change
The administration argues the overhaul would expand access. HHS says the plan could add 236,000 slots and save $2.2 billion from the program's $12 billion budget.
To achieve this, the proposal would remove or relax many federal performance standards, giving states and local programs more discretion over requirements such as staffing ratios, group sizes and some service requirements. Services such as help with Medicaid navigation and parent-teacher conferences held twice a year would also become optional.
The rule would also require English-only instruction, even though a third of enrolled children speak another language at home, The Associated Press reported.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose department oversees the program, defended the approach. He said the plan removes "unnecessary bureaucracy" and opens Head Start to "hundreds of thousands more children."
Not the First Fight Over Head Start
Critics counter that state standards vary widely.
A National Institute for Early Education Research analysis found that state licensing requirements generally allow more children per staff member than Head Start's current standards, with the differences particularly pronounced for younger children.
The dispute follows earlier clashes. The White House reportedly drafted a budget to eliminate the program and tried to block undocumented children from enrolling. Courts struck down that effort.
"We do stand in opposition to any final rule that compromises on child access, on program quality or on local autonomy," said Tommy Sheridan, the association's deputy director, according to The Hill.
