The Wisconsin Early Childhood Association is voicing strong opposition to a newly released federal proposal that it says would eliminate most Head Start program performance standards.
Ruth Schmidt, executive director of WECA, said the changes planned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services would undo safeguards that have helped make Head Start one of the nation’s most effective public investments in young children and families.
Head Start is a 60-year-old federal program that is designed to help economically disadvantaged children enter school ready to learn. More than 20,000 Wisconsin kids are served through Head Start and companion programs Early Head Start, Migrant and Seasonal Head Start and Tribal Head Start programs.
The Trump administration touts the new rules as an attempt to modernize Head Start by significantly reducing regulatory burdens to serve more children and families.
But WECA said the proposal would eliminate Head Start-specific classroom ratios and group size requirements, negatively affecting the individualized attention children need.
The organization said the proposed rules would also eliminate key requirements for serving children with disabilities and multilingual learners.
“As an Early Head Start grantee, WECA knows firsthand what these standards make possible,” Schmidt said. “In Milwaukee, we work alongside incredible childcare providers who deliver high-quality care, early learning, and family support every day.
“Weakening Head Start standards would undermine that work and put children and families at risk.”
Parents, educators and community members can comment on the proposed changes during a public comment process.
The process is a legal requirement established under the Administrative Procedure Act, requiring federal agencies to notify the public and accept feedback before changing or creating regulations.
Federal agencies, including HHS, must review the comments before finalizing a new rule.
The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding the new performance standards will be open for public comment Friday in the Federal Register.
The Federal Register website will be open to receive comments for 60 days.
All comments without change will be posted to Regulations.gov and will be used to shape decisions on a final rule.
