RFK Jr. unveils overhaul to rules for Head Start
By: Zachary Schermele
USA Today
WASHINGTON - The Trump administration is overhauling Head Start, the preschool and child care program relied on by hundreds of thousands of low-income families.
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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the changes August 6 [2026] saying his agency is pursuing a drastic write of he regulations governing the nation's roughly 1,6000 Head Start providers.
..... The effort, he argued, will cut red tape and make kids healthier.
..... "We are removing unnecessary bureaucracy, strengthening nutrition and physical health, trusting parents and local communities, and opening Head Start to hundreds of thousand more children," he said in a statement.
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But the proposal, which may be challenged in court, has alarmed many of Head Start's staunchest advocates.
..... It lifts certain mandates on student-to-staff ratios, which could lead th heftier workloads. It scraps certain transportation requirements, including of school bus monitors, prompting fear of barriers for parents to officially get their godchildren to preschool. It requires that provides each primarily in English.
..... There will be fresh dietary guidelines, plus a new mandate for 30 minutes of physical activity per every 3.5 hours of classroom instruction.
..... In critics' eyes, throwing out longstanding federal rules - about class sizes, special education, staff background checks and more - could risk leaving children in unsafe environments.
..... Joan Ryan, executive director of the Washington State Association of Head Start, said he shift, which is still in this early states, will "erode the quality" of programs across the country.
..... "It'll make classrooms bigger. Kids will have less one-on-one support, especially kids that have significant issues," he said. "I really see this as an effort to dismantle the program."
..... Alex Adams, a Kennedy deputy who runs HHS' Administration for Children and families division, said on a call with reporters that the new proposal will simply "allow local providers to make local decisions."
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"Flexibility is permission. It's not a mandate," he said.
..... He added that Head Start providers will still be subject to state and local regulations.
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The proposal marks a new, more involved phase in the Trump administration's handling of a historically bipartisan and widely popular program.
..... Unexpected grant freezes began within weeks of the start of President Donald Trump's second term. then the federal government abruptly shuttered five field officers and laid off scores of staffers in the Office of Head Start. In April 2025, USA Today exclusivity reported that the Trump administration was aiming to fully zero out funding for the program. Officials later walked back that idea.
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Now, HHS is taking a different approach, Kennedy repeatedly cites the fact that his uncle, Sargent Shriver, helped found Head Start. he touted this week [08/05/2026] that he protected the program from "draconian cuts: in 2025.
..... "The program works," he told reporters during a virtual briefing. "It's really important that we protect it."
.... HHS will publish its full proposed rule August 7. [2026] there will be a 60-day public comment period.