The national youth advocacy organization warns that scaling back the 61-year-old program will harm low-income children and families nationwide.
Media Contact: John Henry, jhenry@childrensdefense.org, Media Relations Manager, 708-646-7679
WASHINGTON, DC–The national youth advocacy organization, Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), urges federal leaders to preserve and protect the landmark early learning and health services program, Head Start.
On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration introduced a proposal that would have devastating impacts to the Head Start Program. In a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published in the federal register, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services proposes stripping away most of the quality standards that define what children and families actually receive, including the requirements that ensure children are safe and supported, that hold programs accountable to the families they serve, and that guarantee the comprehensive services children need to arrive at kindergarten ready to learn.
Read Here: The Trump administration’s proposed changes to Head Start
Since 1965, Head Start has supported over 40 million children and families across the United States. The federally funded program prepares children from low-income households, from infancy through age 5, for school by providing comprehensive services that support early learning, health, and family well-being.
Read Here: Our joint letter on how Head Start proposal could harm America’s youth
CDF and its partners, EdTrust, Legal Defense Fund, NAACP, National Center for Learning Disabilities, National Urban League, The Arc, and UnidosUS detailed in a joint letter the impact scaling back Head Start could have on low-income households across the country.
Following the proposal’s announcement, CDF President & CEO Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson released the following statement regarding the threat this proposal poses to the well-being of America’s children:
“At Children’s Defense Fund, we believe every young person deserves the opportunity to grow up with dignity, hope, and joy. For more than six decades, Head Start has made that promise real for millions of children across our nation. That’s why we are greatly disappointed that the President and his administration are seeking to overhaul this effective program and undermine an approach that has worked for children for generations.
“CDF and its founder and president emerita, Marian Wright Edelman, have been deeply invested in the program’s success since its start in 1965. Ms. Edelman even fought to ensure its services would be implemented on the ground in Mississippi after that state initially resisted it more than sixty years ago.
“In the face of repeated attacks by the Trump administration, CDF has worked to preserve and protect Head Start because it upholds the same ideals we value as an organization — that children learn best when their physical health, emotional well-being, family stability, and education are supported together.
“It must be noted that Head Start has made an impact in America not only as an education program, but as an anti-poverty strategy that strengthens children and communities at the same time. If we can reduce the early barriers created by poverty, discrimination, and unequal access, addressing these disparities before children ever enter a school building, young people and our country, as a whole, will benefit.
“We urge the President and his administration to reverse course on this proposal and work to strengthen Head Start, rather than weaken it, for the sake of all Americans.”
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About Children’s Defense Fund
Founded in 1973, Children’s Defense Fund envisions a nation where marginalized children flourish, leaders prioritize their well-being, and communities wield the power to ensure they thrive. The only national, multi-issue advocacy organization working at the intersection of child well-being and racial justice, CDF advances the well-being of America’s most diverse generation, the 74 million children and youth under the age of 18 and 30 million young adults under the age of 25. CDF’s grassroots movements in marginalized communities build power for child-centered public policy, informed by racial equity and the lived experience of children and youth. Its renowned CDF Freedom Schools® program is conducted in nearly 100 cities across 30 states and territories. Learn more at www.childrensdefense.org.