The Trump administration is preparing a major overhaul of Head Start that would sharply weaken its federal regulations, two people familiar with the deliberations told The Associated Press. The plan would replace the program's current 100-plus pages of rules on child-to-teacher ratios, health screenings and family engagement with roughly a dozen pages, leaving most specifics to state and local law. The Department of Health and Human Services said a rule is expected to be published this week and described the effort as preserving federal investment while expanding local flexibility and reducing administrative burden, spokesperson Emily Hilliard said. Draft provisions reported to AP would increase documentation requirements for parents who are homeless or unemployed, and an earlier version sought to bar enrollment by parents in the United States illegally, though it is unclear whether that language will remain. Head Start serves more than half a million low-income babies, toddlers and preschoolers and provides free preschool, developmental screenings and family supports. Former Office of Head Start director Khari Garvin said the changes could leave only "the carcass of Head Start," warning a program called Head Start might no longer resemble the current model. The proposed rollback would advance goals long favored by conservatives who have sought to shrink or eliminate federal involvement in early education and could shift enforcement and standards to states nationwide.
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