Protect Head Start (UPDATED 7/24)

Updates

July 24, 2025: The Government Accountability Office has found that the Trump administration has illegally blocked disbursement of congressionally-approved grant funding for Head Start programs, not only violating the law but also endangering the provision of essential services to young children and their families. Congress must demand the immediate release of these essential funds.

High quality early childhood education supports young children’s healthy development and yields long-term benefits from reduced teen pregnancy rates to higher wages. Head Start, a free childcare program serving nearly 800,000 low-income children, is an essential early childhood education and social safety net program that fosters healthy child development and provides other services from food assistance to developmental screenings. Despite the clear benefits to child health, the Trump administration issued (and then walked back) budget guidance proposing the complete elimination of federal funding for Head Start. It is now up to Congress to reauthorize Head Start programming and appropriate Head Start funding for fiscal year 2026.

The elimination of Head Start, an explicit goal of Project 2025 would devastate the children, families, and communities who rely on this program for both high-quality education and childcare. Federal funding freezes have already forced many Head Start programs to close and lay off staff.

Urge your members of Congress to decisively protect Head Start programming by supporting Head Start’s reauthorization and demanding robust Head Start funding in their appropriations bill.