Head Start Updates
10/06 Head Start NPRM Public Comment is Now CLOSED
Thank you for submitting comments and raising your voice at a time when Head Start is in jeopardy. Over 40,000 public comments were sent to the federal government on the Proposed Rulemaking: Reducing Federal Burden for Head Start Programs.
Read the Proposed Head Start Rule
Read Submitted Public Comments
Read TFC's Public Comment
Need a proposed federal rule comment guide for the future? See TFC's Head Start NPRM Comment Guide and Template
09/16 National Head Start Association Releases Initial Draft of Public Comment on Proposed Changes to Head Start Performance Standards
08/07 Head Start NPRM Released: What Programs and Advocates Need to Know
The highly anticipated Head Start NPRM was released Thursday, August 6th. In brief, the NPRM removes all of the existing Head Start Program Performance Standards and replaces them with a few short, politically motivated standards.
Instead of evidence-based best practices, the new standards would:
- Require all classroom instruction be in English only
- Eliminate evidence-based teacher-child ratio and group size requirements that support classroom quality, safety, and individualized learning.
- Remove key requirements related to serving children with disabilities, raising concerns about equitable access to the services and supports that help children fully participate and thrive alongside their peers.
- Impose new administrative cost caps on local programs that, when combined with years of funding challenges, could force many programs to reduce staffing or services.
