DeLauro on Trump Administration’s Head Start Changes: “A mandate to do more with less.”

August 5, 2026
Press Release

Today, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee and a longtime champion of Head Start, issued the following statement in response to reporting that the Trump administration is preparing to release a rule that guts the quality standards for Head Start programs: 

“For close to sixty years, Head Start has given children from low-income families – many of whom would otherwise start kindergarten behind – a real chance at education. It gives working parents a safe, nurturing space for their kids while they go to work. This is not speculation – I have seen it in classrooms in Connecticut and around the country. It is no mistake the program is called Head Start – it helps children keep up and get ahead in their early education.
“The Trump administration wanted to cut Head Start. In fact, early administration budget proposals suggested eliminating the program altogether. They failed. Parents, providers, and Congress said no. So now, the administration is taking a quieter path in hopes it leads to the same destination: starve Head Start quietly and hope it withers on its own.
“Their changes would strip class size and staffing protections and slash the share of funding that programs can spend on administration from 15 percent to 5 percent, all while burying providers in new paperwork. The administration claims they are ‘cutting red tape’. They are not. This is a mandate to do more with less, and America’s children with pay the price for it through larger classrooms and fewer services. 
“This will force the program to shrink its ambitions, one classroom at a time. And if this administration later points to struggling students as proof Head Start does not work, we should all understand what this is – a self-inflicted wound used to justify another round of cuts.
“In a state like Connecticut, our providers will continue to do right by these kids regardless of what the Trump administration allows. But that is the problem – not every state will make the same choice, which is why we need a floor in the first place. The quality of the program should not depend on what state you live in.
“Head Start opens doors for kids who need it most. I will fight this every step of the way.”
The Trump administration is preparing to propose a rule rescinding Head Start’s 133 page performance standards. These regulations, put in place by the George W. Bush administration, have assured program quality since the Head Start Act was last updated in 2007. 
Key changes reported include:
  • Eliminating class size and staff-to-child ratio requirements, leaving them up to individual states, some of which allow far higher ratios that Head Start currently permits
  • Cuts the administrative spending cap from 15 percent to 5 percent of grant funding, without any increase in the program’s budget
  • Removes required development screenings and detailed protections for children with disabilities
  • Eliminates guidance on suspension and expulsion, including the current ban on corporal punishment
  • Drops accommodations for homeless families and children in foster care
  • Adds new documentation and reporting burdens, requiring programs to verify immigration status, retain eligibility records, and report staff for violations
  • Makes parent advisory committees optional rather than required
  • Mandates English-only instruction, except for Native American tribes
Head Start currently serves over 700,000 children.
Issues:Education