Hands Off Head Start

Hands Off Head Start: Oppose HHS Deregulation to Safeguard Early Childhood Education I am writing to urge you to forcefully oppose the Trump administration’s proposed overhaul of Head Start, led by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Stripping away foundational federal standards—such as low staff-to-student ratios, mandatory family support services, and rigorous quality benchmarks—does not "reduce burden"; it guts the essential anti-poverty backbone that protects our nation's 700,000 most vulnerable children. Head Start’s decades-long success relies precisely on these comprehensive, evidence-based quality standards. They ensure that children in poverty, foster care, and experiencing homelessness receive holistic education, healthcare, and nutritional support. Eliminating federal oversight under the guise of deregulation will erode early learning quality, compromise child safety, and worsen educational inequality. Congress must defend Head Start from administrative rollbacks. I urge you to enforce statutory quality protections, retain federal standards, and preserve the integrity of this critical anti-poverty initiative.