Utah Parents Concerned by Proposed Changes to Head Start Program
The plan would cut federal standards and shift more control to states and local grantees, while providers warn it could weaken services for 716,000 children.
- The Trump administration unveiled a proposal last week to substantially revise the federal Head Start program, which serves approximately 716,000 low-income children, eliminating most existing national standards.
- Officials at the Department of Health and Human Services argue that uniform federal mandates cannot adequately address diverse circumstances facing the 1,600 local organizations overseeing more than 14,000 individual Head Start programs.
- Under the proposed rules, the administration would eliminate nearly 1,400 regulations, including the ban on expelling children and federal staff-to-child ratio mandates, while requiring programs to teach exclusively in English.
- Heather Tritten, president and CEO of the Colorado Children's Campaign, opposes the changes, arguing that low ratios enable deep support; "That intense adult-to-child experience allows both the child to have more support," Tritten explained.
- The administration projects the changes could save more than 2 billion dollars and open as many as 236,000 spots nationwide, while Coloradans have less than two months to comment on the proposal.
11 Articles
11 Articles
‘It wouldn’t be Head Start anymore:’ Providers blast federal proposal to alter preschool program
The Trump administration this week unveiled a proposal to substantially revise the federal Head Start program, which serves approximately 716,000 low-income infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. The initiative would eliminate most existing national standards and grant expanded authority to state and local governments, marking a significant departure from the program’s current uniform approach established when it began in 1965. Under the proposed …
Clock ticking for Trump’s version of Head Start in Colorado
Clock ticking for Trump’s version of Head Start in Colorado mps-post Thu, 08/13/2026 - 14:25 Image (Colorado News Connection) Audio file Coloradans have less than two months to comment on the Trump administration’s plans to overhaul Head Start, which currently provides comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition and other services to low-income children and families.The administration says the changes will allow more kids to a…
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