Statement on Budget Proposal That Would Eliminate Head Start

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Head Start Association (NHSA) is deeply alarmed by the proposal to eliminate Head Start contained in the Department of Health and Human Services 2026 Discretionary Budget Passback, which leaked yesterday. While labeled “pre-decisional,” the document says, very succinctly, “The Budget does not fund Head Start.”

Head Start is more than a preschool. It provides whole-child essential support–from early learning and health screenings to nutritious meals and family services–helping to level the playing field for children who might otherwise fall behind before they enter a kindergarten classroom.

According to Yasmina Vinci, executive director of NHSA: 

“This proposal does not reflect fiscal responsibility — it reflects a disinvestment in our future. Eliminating funding for Head Start would be catastrophic. It would be a direct attack on our nation’s most at-risk children, their well-being, and their families. It would end early learning, meals, vision, hearing, developmental screenings, and dental care for nearly 800,000 children. Communities nationwide would lose a vital foundation of their child and family support systems. 

Hundreds of thousands of parents wouldn’t be able to work, forcing them to choose between their livelihoods and a safe, reliable place for their children to grow and start on the pathway to success.

We urge every parent, every American, and every believer in the American Dream to contact their elected officials to express their outrage about such a proposal.

And we call on Congress and the administration to protect the integrity of a program that has lifted generations of families for decades.”