Madison, Wis. – Wisconsin Early Childhood Association (WECA) is voicing strong opposition to a newly released federal proposal that would eliminate most Head Start Program Performance Standards, undoing the safeguards that have helped make Head Start one of the nation’s most effective public investments in young children and families. 

For more than six decades, Head Start has combined early learning with health, developmental, and family support services that help children enter school ready to learn while strengthening the families who support them. WECA is deeply concerned that the proposal put forth by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would remove nearly all standards that define and protect that comprehensive model. 
 

Among other changes, the proposal would: 

·       Eliminate Head Start-specific classroom ratios and group size requirements, removing safeguards that keep classrooms safe and give children the individualized attention they need to learn and thrive; 

·       Eliminate key requirements for serving children with disabilities and multilingual learners, threatening their ability to access the services and support that help them fully participate and succeed; 

·       Eliminate parent governance and engagement requirements, cutting families out of decisions about the programs their own children depend on; 

·       Reduce the ability of Head Start programs to use federal funding for the everyday operational costs of delivering services to families, forcing local programs to cut staff, reduce services, or serve fewer children; 

·       Eliminate standards for educational quality, child development, child safety, and family services such as infant and maternal health, weakening protections for some of the country’s youngest and most vulnerable children; and 

·       Put access to Head Start at risk for families in rural and underserved communities, where Head Start is often one of the only sources of high-quality early learning and family support services available. 
 

WECA is also concerned that by stripping away evidence-based standards, the proposed rule would weaken the very framework that has long justified sustained federal investment in Head Start. The organization looks forward to working with members of Congress and partners across the country to defend program quality and continued investment. 
 

“As an Early Head Start grantee, WECA knows firsthand what these standards make possible. In Milwaukee, we work alongside incredible child care providers who deliver high-quality care, early learning, and family support every day. Weakening Head Start standards would undermine that work and put children and families at risk,” said Ruth Schmidt, WECA Executive Director. 
 

Across Wisconsin, these programs reach more than 20,000 children through Head Start, Early Head Start, Migrant and Seasonal Head Start, and Tribal Head Start programs. In cities like Lake Delton, Wilmot, Bruel, and Independence, these programs are among the only places where children can receive high-quality early learning together with health, developmental, and family support services. Decades of research show that Head Start improves school readiness, strengthens families, and delivers lasting benefits for children and communities. 
 

“This proposal doesn’t modernize Head Start, it guts it. Larger class sizes with fewer teachers. Fewer screenings to catch health and developmental problems early. Parents pushed out of decisions about their own children’s programs. Administrative caps that will force local programs to cut staff and turn families away. These aren’t technical tweaks — they are the protections that keep Head Start safe, effective, and accountable to families. For generations, Head Start has opened doors for children and families. We should be building on that success, not dismantling the standards that make it possible,” said Jennie Mauer, Executive Director, Wisconsin Head Start Association. 
 

WECA urges parents, educators, community members, and all Head Start supporters to speak out against the proposed changes through the federal public comment process. The comment period gives families, educators, community leaders, and advocates a critical opportunity to explain how the proposal would harm children and families who rely on Head Start, and to call on HHS to withdraw or substantially revise the rule before it is finalized. 
 

“Our Head Start families depend on us to provide more than child care, they depend on us to provide safe, nurturing, high-quality early learning during the most important years in a child’s development,” said Abbi Kruse, Early Head Start Director, The Playing Field. “Head Start standards exist because children deserve safe, high-quality care. If we’re considering rolling back these standards, we should first ask a simple question: How will this make life better for children? If we can’t answer that honestly, we should think twice before changing what has served families so well. 

Wisconsin Early Childhood Association (WECA) is a leading statewide non-profit organization, founded in 1971, that advances comprehensive and transformational support of the early childhood workforce in Wisconsin. Its work is in service to the vision of a just Wisconsin where early care and education is viewed and invested in as a public good, so all early educators, young children, families, and communities thrive.