Washington state parents and lawmakers joined a coalition of early childhood education advocates Tuesday in Washington, D.C., rejecting the Trump administration’s proposed changes to Head Start.
Head Start, the federally funded early childhood education program that serves about 14,400 kids in Washington state, is facing sweeping federal changes that would toss out most of the program’s regulations and reduce numerous services.
Childcare advocates and experts say the proposed rule changes would have seismic effects on the growth and development of the roughly 700,000 children enrolled in Head Start nationwide, the vast majority of whom come from low-income families.
“Trump wants to turn Head Start into a dead end,” said Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) during the Tuesday morning rally on Capitol Hill.
Among the changes: Staffers would only be allowed to teach in English, reducing support for multilingual households and erasing bilingual development; standards for low staff-student ratios and research-backed curricula would be removed; health screenings for vision, teeth and more would be cut; disability services would be reduced; requirements mandating staff meet and engage with parents would be eliminated.
Murray said the Trump administration’s proposals “will rip the heart out of our Head Start program by shredding over 130 pages of rules that help our kids stay safe and make sure they do get a quality education.”
Officials from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees Head Start, argue the changes reinforce the program’s “core mission” by cutting unnecessary red tape and reducing spending.
But Head Start advocates note the program's regulations and wraparound services are critical to ensuring young children can thrive while receiving high-quality early childhood education in a healthy, safe environment.
They also note the federal program — which enrolls thousands of children who are homeless, in foster care or are disabled — is already underfunded and understaffed, with many eligible families unable to enroll.
Under the proposed changes, Head Start operators, which include nonprofits, school districts and local college systems, would use state and local childcare licensing requirements for guidance. But those regulations usually focus more on safety measures, rather than dictating what should be taught or how parents should be involved, and can vary dramatically from state to state.
Alex J. Adams, an assistant secretary at Health and Human Services, said loosening regulations and cutting staff could save Head Start $2.2 billion, and later be reinvested back into the program to create 236,000 new slots.
Head Start advocates argue an expansion is unlikely under the proposed changes.
“(Trump's) rule will ultimately shut down Head Start centers as it whittles down threadbare budgets even more and burns out our caregivers who are already overworked and underpaid,” Murray said.
For parents like Jaqulyn Smith, a Spokane resident whose 1-year-old, 2-year-old and 3-year-old are enrolled in Head Start, the proposed changes are deeply worrying.
Head Start has been transformative for Smith and her family, she said. A family services coordinator at her children’s program helped connect Smith with resources to leave a domestic violence situation, including securing a place to stay at an emergency hotel, a shelter and eventually low-income housing.
“I would’ve never found any of that without them,” said Smith, a Washington state Head Start advocate who traveled to the nation's capital to join the rally defending the federal program.
If the Trump administration’s rule change had been implemented at the time, Smith said she believes Head Start staff would not have directed her to such services.
Smith also noted the benefits of Head Start’s health services, which are sometimes the first time a child has their hearing, vision or teeth checked.
During a physical therapy screening, Smith said her youngest was diagnosed with torticollis, a condition where her baby’s neck muscles caused his head to tilt to one side.
They were able to get treatment “right away,” without Smith having to take extra time off work to go to follow-up appointments. Those screenings would be cut under the Trump administration’s proposal.
“I’m always recommending (other moms) to Head Start, and now the conversation has gotten a little sad — like it’s so good, but it’s up in the air,” Smith said. “I don’t want to lead them astray.
Experts note these proposed changes would result in increased childcare costs for families, as reduced hours force parents to find alternative options, and new income verification requirements could entirely cut off homeless families who cannot secure necessary documents.
In Washington, parents in Head Start would have to pay on average of $860 more every year for each child under the proposed changes, according to an analysis by Together for Head Start, a nationwide coalition of organizations advocating to protect the federal program.
The state would see $3.44 million in slashed healthcare services, the coalition estimated, and 774 Head Start staff members would lose their jobs.
Meanwhile, public funding for the state's Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program, which is modeled on Head Start, remains precarious amid statewide budget cuts. The state has instead looked to philanthropic dollars to add additional slots to the program.
The proposed rules, which are expected to be finalized next month, are currently available for public comment through Oct. 6.
Material from The Seattle Times archives was used in this report.
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