Michigan Head Start officials and education advocates met Wednesday to discuss proposed changes to the federal Head Start program they say will harm families that rely on them.
Head Start provides social and educational services for low-income families and children with disabilities. The program served over 730,000 families as of 2024.
The Trump administration is proposing changes that would cut regulations for Head Start programs. They include removing federal standards on things like teacher-student ratios, transportation practices, educational requirements and background checks and place them in the hands of state education officials.
Another major change would cap administrative costs for programs at 5%, down from 15%. Other proposals include requiring all programs to be conducted in English and cutting rules that are duplicative.
The U.S Department of Health and Human Services says the changes will save $2.2 billion dollars, which will be reinvested into the program. They also said it would “preserve or expand as many as 236,000 Head Start slots.”
In a statement from earlier this month, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr said the effort was focused on “removing unnecessary bureaucracy, strengthening nutrition and physical health, trusting parents and local communities.”
At a virtual roundtable, advocates and state Head Start officials said the changes would cause job and programming cuts.
U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet, D-Bay City, says removing the size cap would make education less efficient.
“Think about what it would be like to be the only adult in charge of a room of 12 toddlers. What about 15, 18? Could you handle it? Probably not,” she said.
McDonald Rivet warned the changes would “take us back to a time when there was nothing for kids, especially really young kids who had special needs.”
She was backed up by Melanie Cheney with the Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency. Cheney said the cost cap reduction would “absolutely devastate” many Head Start programs and cause budget cuts.
“I cannot imagine what our program would look like running at an administration cost cap of 5%.” Cheney said. “And the services that mean my family, my children, my communities will be missing out because we aren't able to provide those anymore due to cost caps.”
The changes must undergo a public comment period, which is currently underway, among other administrative hurdles. McDonald Rivet called for Congress to “stand up,” to the changes.
