The Real-World Costs of Eliminating Head Start

Families can’t afford to lose child care. Providers can’t afford to lose jobs. And the economy can’t afford to have less stability for children.

By Stephanie Schmit
Director of Child Care and Early Education at the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)

All of us want our kids to get a fair start in life. And for millions of American families, that start has come from the federal Head Start program.

But unfortunately, President Trump has frozen Head Start funds, laid off many federal Head Start employees, and closed numerous regional Head Start offices across the country. Now a leaked draft of the president’s budget proposes eliminating Head Start altogether.

This would be a catastrophic decision for children, families, Head Start workers, and the entire economy. Since its founding 60 years ago, Head Start has provided early education and comprehensive services for whole families and employed millions of teachers and staff.

The program was founded as part of the War on Poverty and has made life better for countless children and expecting parents from low-income families suffering from poverty and discrimination.

Head Start “was a cornerstone for my education, especially since I didn’t speak English when I started school,” one former participant told us. “My bilingual teachers highlighted the significance of education. Their examples left a lasting impact, motivating me to continue my studies.”

Without Head Start, the nearly 800,000 children and pregnant people enrolled in the program would lose access to stable, high-quality child care and early education. Another 250,000 educators and providers would lose their jobs and ability to provide for their families.

These numbers are even more significant in light of the country’s child care crisis, with families of every socioeconomic status struggling to find and afford reliable, accessible care. Eliminating Head Start will only worsen the crisis, especially among communities of color, families with low incomes, rural communities, and other struggling populations.

But Head Start does more than provide child care and early education. Without this program, families will also lose access to valuable services like prenatal education, help finding affordable housing and paying rent, job training, and more.

Without Head Start, “I would not have been able to attend college due to the high cost of child care,” one single mother said. “Head Start enabled me to further my education and career opportunities while my children were benefiting from the structure and socialization that the program provides.”

Eliminating Head Start will have effects far beyond the families it serves.

For many Head Start families, losing these services may mean having to leave school or the workforce, creating economic instability for their entire community. With the U.S. already reeling from nationwide federal layoffs and tariff threats, the aftershocks of laying off Head Start workers and forcing parents to leave the workforce will only lead to greater economic destabilization.

Head Start is essential to this country and the well-being of children and families. We must act now to prevent this vital program from going away.

My organization, CLASP, and many others are fighting back every day. For example, the ACLU, parent advocates, and Head Start provider groups filed a complaint just recently to stop the Trump administration from dismantling Head Start.

Families can’t afford to lose access to care for their children. Providers can’t afford to lose their valuable jobs. And the economy can’t afford to have less stability and care for children.

Let’s protect Head Start.

This op-ed was distributed by OtherWords.org (CC BY-ND 3.0).