Reed Rallies to Stop Trump from Cutting Services for Kids & Dismantling Head Start

WOONSOCKET, RI - First, President Trump tried to eliminate federal funding for Head Start, a federal program that provides early education and other services to 700,000 children of impoverished families nationwide. Now, the Trump Administration is pushing a proposal that would diminish services for children and families in need, and sadly sending another signal of its disinterest in addressing the nation's access and affordability of childcare for all American families.

U.S. Senator Jack Reed opposes Trump's 'Head Start Trojan Horse' rollbacks and says they would mean unwanted changes to Rhode Island's 39 Head Start preschool centers and the 1,600 Head Start providers that operate nationally on staggered, five-year federal grants, providing care, education, and support for infants, toddlers, and families nationwide.

Today, Reed visited a Head Start center in Woonsocket and joined leading Head Start providers and advocates to rally against backdoor efforts to dismantle Head Start, with the Trump Administration once again attacking a program that has a tradition of broad, bipartisan support.

Head Start is more than just a preschool program: It offers early intervention services for children, including those with special needs, while also providing health screenings and wraparound support for families, such as assisting parents with job applications and connecting them to GED or other education and job-training programs.

Under the phony guise of 'empowering parents,' the Trump Administration recently proposed several substantial changes to Head Start that would eliminate federal requirements regarding "curriculum implementation, parent committees, family engagement procedures, and service delivery structures," according to the language of the draft rule issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Trump Administration dubiously claims that its proposed moves would enable Head Start to serve over 200,000 more children with no additional cost to taxpayers.

"Head Start early childhood education is an effective, successful program. It makes kids, families, and communities stronger and more resilient. I strongly oppose the Trump Administration's attempts to degrade Head Start. The Trump Administration's math simply doesn't add up: you can't just stuff more infants and toddlers into more crowded rooms with fewer teachers and expect the same high-level outcomes. I am all for adding more kids to Head Start if it's done correctly and keeps the gold-standard ratios and well-trained teachers that make the program a success. But instead of cutting red tape, the Trump Administration is really just proposing to cut corners and diminish Head Start and the quality of education and support that vulnerable children are eligible to receive. I will continue opposing Trump's attempt to rollback evidence-based federal standards that could take away developmental screenings, teacher qualifications, and mental health services. I urge all Rhode Islanders to make their voices heard on this issue," said Senator Reed.

"Head Start is not simply a set of regulations-it is a comprehensive program designed to address the whole child and support the whole family. Its federal standards establish a level of consistency and equity so that a child's access to high-quality services is not dependent on where that child happens to live. I have also watched state funding for Head Start become vulnerable when budgets are tight or other priorities take precedence. That experience is another one of the reasons why I believe strong federal standards matter. I worry that moving essential Head Start standards away from a strong federal framework without providing the resources necessary to meet them could ultimately leave the most vulnerable children with fewer services, not more," said Mary Varr, Executive Director of Woonsocket Head Start Child Development Association. "We absolutely should be looking for ways to expand access to Head Start. But we cannot do that by lowering the standards that make the program successful. If we want to serve more children, we need to invest in the program-not cut corners."

Jessica Laliberte, a parent whose two sons are benefitting from the Head Start program, stated: "My youngest is now entering his second year here at Karen Bouchard, and watching his growth has been amazing. After seeing what Head Start did for my oldest, I feel confident knowing he will be given that same foundation. But Head Start has done something for me, too. It gave me a voice. Parent workshops offered here helped me become more confident in my parenting and gave me guidance when I needed it. And I think families and children need that support now more than ever."

The Trump Administration is seeking to eliminate Head Start's teacher-to-student ratios, which are currently mandated to be: 1-to-4 for classrooms with children under the age of three; 1-to-8 for three-year-olds; and 1-to-10 for four-year-olds. Those ratios are based on expert consensus that "pre-K quality is higher, and children are safer, and develop more when there are reasonable limits to the number of young children per staffer in the classroom," according to the National Institute for Early Education Research.

Senator Reed says the public has until October 6, 2026 to comment. After that, HHS will use the public feedback to determine how, or if, they're going to change Head Start regulations.

To submit a public comment to the Federal Register's website, visit: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/07/2026-16134/reducing-federal-burden-for-head-start-programs

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Tweet