The Nation tells the story of the Trump Administration’s proposed changes to Head Start - the publicly-funded early education program designed to help lower-income families meet early childcare needs.
. . . the Trump administration released a proposed rule that would eliminate hundreds of regulations that set safety, quality, and other standards for Head Start, the nation’s free preschool program for low-income children, deleting the entire 133-page set of standards and replacing them with a far more slimmed-down version that eliminates numerous health and safety requirements.
One expert noted:
What would be left is “a really watered-down Head Start program that removes a lot of the health and safety requirements, quality standards, and comprehensive services,” Katie Hamm, who served as deputy assistant secretary for early childhood development at the Office for the Administration for Children & Families under President Joe Biden, told The Nation.
Among the changes? Eliminating the class size caps - meaning programs could hire less teachers and pack rooms with more kids.
Health and safety rules would need to go, too.
The goal: Making the program cost less.
The reality: Those most in need of access to basic, quality care for their kids will now not receive that - and their kids will be left further behind.