Vermont Head Start Association condemns Trump administration’s proposed changes

August 11,  2026  |  By Christy Swenson

The Vermont Head Start Association condemns Friday’s proposal from the Trump administration to overhaul the Head Start Program Performance Standards, warning that it would weaken one of America’s most successful investments in young children and families and make it harder for local programs to provide the high-quality services children deserve. 

Head Start is much more than child care. For more than 60 years, it has combined early learning with health care, developmental screenings, nutrition, family support, disability services, and parent engagement. Decades of research show this comprehensive approach improves school readiness, health, educational attainment, and long-term outcomes for children and families.

The administration's proposal would dismantle many of the standards that have made those results possible.

Head Start standards are not optional best practices; they are the minimum protections that ensure children receive high-quality education, developmental screenings, qualified teachers, and comprehensive support regardless of where they live. Removing that floor creates uncertainty for families and weakens accountability for taxpayers.

Rather than providing meaningful flexibility, the proposal removes safeguards that protect children while offering no new funding to address rising costs for staffing, food, insurance, and facilities. It leaves programs with fewer resources and fewer protections to maintain high-quality services.

If finalized, the proposal would:

• Eliminate the science-based requirements for educational quality, child safety, health, mental health, dental services, and developmental screenings, putting children at greater risk. 

• Eliminate the evidence-based teacher-child ratios and group sizes that keep classrooms safe and allow teachers to give children the individualized attention they need. 

• Eliminate standards ensuring pregnant women and infants receive essential screenings and services at medically necessary times, jeopardizing the health of vulnerable babies and families.

• Eliminate key requirements for serving children with disabilities, threatening their access to the services that allow them to participate and thrive alongside their peers. 

• Eliminate parent governance and engagement requirements, silencing the voices of the parents who know their children and communities best. 

• Impose new administrative cost caps on local programs, on top of years of inadequate funding, that would force programs to cut staff, cut services, or serve fewer children. 

• Widen gaps in access and quality for rural communities, where Head Start is often one of the only sources of high-quality early learning and family support. 

“This proposal doesn't modernize Head Start—it guts it,” said Paul Dragon, executive director of the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity. “These aren't technical tweaks; they are the protections that keep Head Start safe, effective, and accountable to families. Larger classrooms, fewer screenings, weaker parent engagement, and reduced services would change what families can expect from Head Start. We should be building on this successful program, not dismantling the standards that make it work.”

In Vermont, Head Start programs provide services to 1,049 enrolled children and provide financial and training support for services to an additional 658 children not enrolled in Head Start. For many families, especially in rural and underserved communities, Head Start is one of the only places to access high-quality early learning. Throughout the state, it is the only service providing high-quality early learning alongside health services, developmental screenings, nutrition, and family support at this level of intensity. 

Weakening Head Start would affect children, families, schools, employers, and communities that rely on the program.

As chair of the Vermont Head Start Association, I know firsthand that Head Start works because it is comprehensive. Children don't thrive because they receive one service, they thrive because Head Start meets families where they are and supports every aspect of a child's development. Stripping away those standards puts that promise at risk.

This proposal is not yet in effect. Current Head Start standards remain in place while the federal Department of Health and Human Services accepts public comments before deciding whether to issue a final rule. Families deserve the assurance that Head Start means the same thing in every community, and national standards make that promise possible.

The Vermont Head Start Association is calling on parents, educators, community leaders, and everyone who believes every child deserves a strong start to submit comments rejecting this proposal and demanding HHS withdraw it and preserve the standards that have made Head Start successful for generations.

The Vermont Head Start Association is part of Together for Head Start, a nationwide coalition working to protect and strengthen Head Start, that has developed resources, including a customizable public comment template, to help individuals and organizations participate in the rulemaking process. The public comment period is open through Oct. 6. Visit Take Action: Protect Head Start to learn more, submit a comment, and help protect the future of Head Start.

“Head Start is more than child care—it is a cornerstone of our community,” said Katie Lamell, the parent of a child participating in Head Start. “Families rely on Head Start for early learning, health services, and support that helps children thrive. We should be strengthening a program that has delivered results for generations, not weakening the standards that make it work.”

Christy Swenson chairs the Vermont Head Start Association and also is Head Start Director for Capstone Community Action in Barre.