Attorney General Raoul Opposes Trump Administration’s Attempt To Gut Head Start Standards
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CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 23 attorneys general, submitted a comment letter opposing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) proposal to dramatically cut regulations governing the Head Start program.
Raoul and the coalition explain in their letter that the proposed rule would gut long-standing and evidence-backed Head Start Program Performance Standards and impose an English-only mandate on Head Start programs. The rule would also lower the cap on allowable administrative and development costs from 15% to 5%, while adding other burdensome requirements that would undermine programs’ ability to prepare children to learn and succeed in school.
“There is no reason children in Illinois and across the country should lose the opportunity offered by quality early childhood education,” Raoul said. “The Trump administration’s attempt to cut the Head Start program’s standards ultimately punish innocent children who face challenges beyond their control. I will continue to advocate alongside my colleagues to ensure all children have access to early childhood education programs.”
“The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) goes against years of research on high-quality programs and will have a long-lasting negative/detrimental impact for generations to come, with additional burden on families, providers and educators,” said Secretary Teresa Ramos of the Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC). “The NPRM has created an overwhelming sense of fear and disappointment. Families, providers and young children across the country deserve better and I’m proud to be an Illinoian and stand with the many states pushing back against these proposed rules.”
The IDEC also submitted a letter opposing the proposed rule to cut Head Start program regulations.
Head Start is an early childhood education program designed to help break the cycle of poverty by providing young children from low-income backgrounds with a comprehensive program to meet their emotional, social, health, nutritional and educational needs. It has operated with bipartisan support for over 60 years and helps address the national childcare gap, which is approximately 28% of children with a potential need who cannot access care within a reasonable distance.
In Illinois, over 27,400 children and over 700 pregnant women were served by the state’s Head Start, Early Head Start and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start programs during the 2024 to 2025 school year. In their letter, Raoul and the attorneys general state that Head Start is critical for children who are frequently turned away from or otherwise cannot access quality early childhood education programs, such as children with disabilities, children experiencing homelessness, migrant children, children learning English and children from low-income households.
The proposed rule would eliminate over 1,400 regulations designed to protect enrolled children, pregnant individuals, and families — threatening to upend a nationwide system of care. Specifically, the proposed rule would eliminate requirements for early support and coordination of services for children with disabilities, maximum child-to-staff ratios, safety standards and safe transportation practices, parent committees, staff credentialing and training requirements, and research-based timelines for health, developmental, and vision screenings. It would also remove minimum hours of service, the prohibition on expulsions, limits on suspensions, and end the ability of families to self-attest in eligibility determinations. As HHS acknowledges, the rule would also mean larger class sizes, fewer teachers, coaches, and home visitors, shorter program days, and reduced health, dental, and mental health services.
Raoul and the coalition claim this will lead to poorer educational outcomes for children and further strain states’ public health and welfare systems. They assert that the proposed cap on administrative costs could make it harder for programs to apply for, become, and remain Head Start providers, which further limits services for Illinois children. Several provisions also vest undefined discretion in HHS, leaving Illinois Head Start programs exposed to political targeting by this federal administration.
Joining Raoul in sending today’s letter are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin, as well as the Governor of Kentucky.
Budzinski Leads Democratic Caucus in Fighting Against Trump HHS Effort to Dismantle Head Start
SPRINGFIELD – This week, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY-08), Early Childhood and Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee Ranking Member Bonamici (D-OR-01), led 186 Members of Congress in a letter demanding that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) withdraw its proposal to remove more than 90 percent of Head Start’s standards that ensure children receive a high-quality early education. Under the proposed rule, nearly one in ten children currently enrolled in Head Start could become ineligible overnight.
The Members are concerned that the proposed rule would illegally modify and weaken the services required by the Head Start Act. Specifically, the rule would eliminate federal quality standards for Head Start classrooms, including safety standards, staff-to-child ratios, staff qualifications, and standards for teaching. Additionally, the rule would erode critical services Head Start provides children and families, including health services. It would also shorten Head Start operating hours, eliminate enrollment protections for children with disabilities, and undermine services for dual language learners.
“This proposed rule is a brazen attempt to dismantle Head Start without regard for the hundreds of thousands of young children and working-class families who depend on these programs and services every year. Under your proposal, Head Start children could be subject to corporal punishment; left unsupervised; have larger class sizes; have less qualified teachers; and no longer receive preventative and continuous health services, including oral health and mental health services,” wrote the Members. “We strongly urge you to withdraw the proposed rule, obey the law, and protect the legacy of Head Start.”
Since the beginning of the second Trump Administration, HHS has repeatedly attempted to undermine and disrupt Head Start programs with an aggressive deregulation agenda, illegally withholding funding, firing federal staff, and threats to eliminate the program entirely.
To read the full letter, click here.
