Statement from National Head Start Association Executive Director Yasmina Vinci on HHS Decision To Change Head Start Enrollment Criteria

ALEXANDRIA, VA — The National Head Start Association (NHSA) is alarmed by today’s announcement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) that will require Head Start programs to check the citizenship or immigration status of children prior to their enrollment. This decision undermines the fundamental commitment that the country has made to children and disregards decades of evidence that Head Start is essential to our collective future. Head Start programs strive to make every child feel welcome, safe, and supported, and reject the characterization of any child as “illegal.” 

The Head Start Act has never required documentation of immigration status as a condition for enrollment over the last 60 years. Attempts to impose such a requirement threaten to create fear and confusion among all families who are focused on raising healthy children, ready to succeed in school and life. 

Over its six decades of service to children and families, Head Start has been a launch pad to success in life for more than 40 million children. An investment in Head Start means healthier children, safer neighborhoods, more parents working and contributing, and fewer families needing public assistance. Given all that Head Start does for the country’s youngest learners and their futures, there is no good reason to make it harder for children to access this life-changing opportunity.