Head Start

MONTEREY PARK, CA - August 21, 2026: Transitional kindergarten students engage in a clay activity at a dual language Head Start program at Hillcrest Elementary School in Monterey Park on Friday, August 21, 2026.
Transitional kindergarten students engage in a clay activity at a dual-language Head Start program at Hillcrest Elementary School in Monterey Park, Calif., on Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. A new poll sheds light on early childhood educators' stance toward industry regulations.
Christina House / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Early Childhood Deregulate Early Childhood Education? Here's What Educators Think
A new report from a national early education organization breaks down workforce concerns.
Elizabeth Heubeck, September 16, 2026
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4 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Federal Opinion What’s Behind the Trump Administration's Push to Reform Head Start?
Assistant Secretary Alex Adams explains the Trump administration’s approach to the early-ed program.
Rick Hess, September 1, 2026
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7 min read
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An activity table inside the Pocono Services for Families and Children's new sensory bus on Aug. 20, 2026, in East Stroudsburg, Pa. The bus is set to hit the road this spring to help teach young students how to regulate their emotions through play.
Hannah Beier for Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement How a School Bus Will Serve as a Sensory Reprieve for Little Learners
A rural Head Start program will deploy the bus to give young kids tools to manage their emotions.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, August 20, 2026
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4 min read
A student participates in a reading and writing lesson at the Head Start program at Easterseals South Florida, an organization gets about a third of its funding from the federal government, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Miami.
A student participates in a reading and writing lesson at the Head Start program at Easterseals South Florida, an organization gets about a third of its funding from the federal government in Miami on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. As it seeks to scale back regulations governing Head Start, the Trump administration has stalled competitions for programs awaiting renewed funding.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo
Early Childhood Head Start Providers Struggle as Trump Admin. Holds Up Funding Competitions
At least 85 Head Start providers serving more than 39,000 children across 38 states are in limbo.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens & Mark Lieberman, August 18, 2026
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9 min read
Long Beach, CA - March 20 : Teacher Monica Alvarado, left, leads activities with staff in the infant class at Educare Los Angeles at Long Beach , a very high-quality child care center in Long Beach on Wednesday, March 20, 2024 in Long Beach, CA.
Teacher Monica Alvarado, left, leads activities with staff in the infant class at Educare Los Angeles at Long Beach, a very high-quality child care center in Long Beach on Wednesday, March 20, 2024 in Long Beach, Calif. Head Start programs for early childhood education will no longer promote bilingualism under a proposed rule change.
Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via TNS
Federal Q&A What Head Start's English-Only Rule Could Mean for English Learners
Research shows it's not necessary to lose a home language to learn English.
Ileana Najarro, August 17, 2026
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3 min read
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Lylah Bobowski, 3, plays in the outdoor playground of the Head Start Center in Athens, Pa., on August 13, 2026.
Md. Zobayer Hossain Joati for Education Week
Early Childhood What This Rural Head Start Program Stands to Lose With Federal Changes
The federal government just announced plans to de-regulate Head Start. Here's what this might mean.
Elizabeth Heubeck, August 14, 2026
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10 min read
Karen Locken plays with children in an Early Head Start program in Pasadena, California on Friday, April 18, 2025 .
Karen Locken plays with children in an Early Head Start program in Pasadena, California on Friday, April 18, 2025 .
Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS
Early Childhood Trump Admin. Moves to Dismantle Head Start Quality Standards
The Trump administration announced plans to dismantle the federal regulations that have defined Head Start for decades.
Elizabeth Heubeck, August 6, 2026
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5 min read
A Pre-K 4 SA student walks a beam on the playground, Oct. 9, 2025, in San Antonio.
<br/>A Pre-K 4 SA student walks a beam on the playground, Oct. 9, 2025, in San Antonio.
Eric Gay/AP
Early Childhood Quick Answers to Common Questions About Early Childhood Education
Education Week answers some of the most common questions about early childhood education.
Maya Riser-Kositsky, March 25, 2026
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1 min read
Alliance for Community Empowerment, Director of Early Learning Tanya Lloyd, right, interacts with a child in the Head Start program on Sept. 28, 2023, in Bridgeport, Conn. Head Start programs serving more than 10,000 disadvantaged children would immediately lose federal funding if there is a federal shutdown, although they might be able to stave off immediate closure if it doesn't last long.
Tanya Lloyd, director of early learning at the Alliance for Community Empowerment, interacts with a child in the Head Start program on Sept. 28, 2023, in Bridgeport, Conn. More than 100 Head Start programs that are due to receive their annual federal funding allocations on Nov. 1 could go without that funding if the federal government is still shut down.
Jessica Hill/AP
Early Childhood 100-Plus Head Start Programs Will Go Without Federal Funds If Shutdown Drags On
The programs were due to receive their federal funding allocations Nov. 1.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, October 23, 2025
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4 min read
River Yang, 3, looks out the window of a school bus as it prepares to depart the Meadow Lakes CCS Early Learning, a Head Start center, on May 6, 2024, in Wasilla, Alaska.
River Yang, 3, looks out the window of a school bus on May 6, 2024, as it prepares to depart the Meadow Lakes CCS Early Learning, a Head Start center in Wasilla, Alaska. Head Start providers nationwide are contending with intermittent funding delays and policy changes that have upended the program for much of its 60th anniversary year.
Lindsey Wasson/AP
Early Childhood Head Start Confronts More Funding Disruptions and Policy Whiplash
Program operators have struggled to draw down routine funding, and puzzled over how to comply with confusing policy directives.
Mark Lieberman, August 11, 2025
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11 min read
Students help put away supplies at the end of a reading and writing lesson at the Head Start program run by Easterseals, an organization that gets about a third of its funding from the federal government on Jan. 29, 2025, in Miami.
Students put away supplies at the end of a lesson at the Head Start program run by Easterseals on Jan. 29, 2025, in Miami. The Trump administration reclassified Head Start as a "federal public benefit" similar to welfare so it can bar undocumented students from the early childhood program, but the policy is now on hold in 20 states and the District of Columbia.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Law & Courts Trump Admin. Pauses Ban on Undocumented Kids in Head Start in These States
The administration said July 10 that undocumented immigrants were newly ineligible for a range of federally funded services.
Brooke Schultz, July 28, 2025
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2 min read
Teachers Deimy Labrador, top, and Emily Ledesma read with children in an Early Head Start class supporting kids with developmental delays at Easterseals South Florida, an organization that gets about a third of its funding from the federal government Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Miami.
Teachers Deimy Labrador, top, and Emily Ledesma read with children in an Early Head Start class supporting kids with developmental delays at Easterseals South Florida, an organization that gets about a third of its funding from the federal government Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Miami. Head Start grantees in Florida and across the country now have questions over how these programs will work moving forward under new restrictions barring undocumented students from enrollment.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Federal Head Start Grantees Scramble for Clarity on Undocumented Students Rule Change
While Head Start programs across the country operate as business usual for now, a lack of guidance over a policy change raises questions.
Ileana Najarro, July 23, 2025
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5 min read
Students ride tricycles during aftercare at a Head Start program run by Easterseals, an organization that gets about a third of its funding from the federal government, Jan. 29, 2025, in Miami.
Students ride tricycles at a Head Start program run by Easterseals, an organization that gets about a third of its funding from the federal government, on Jan. 29, 2025, in Miami. The Trump administration has reclassified Head Start as a "federal public benefit" similar to welfare so it can bar undocumented students from the early childhood program. Twenty-one attorneys general are now suing over that policy change.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Law & Courts States Sue Over Trump's Ban on Undocumented Youth in Head Start, Early College
The cost of compliance is so high, the lawsuit argues, some Head Start programs could be forced to close.
Matthew Stone, July 21, 2025
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4 min read
Children play during aftercare for the Head Start program at Easterseals South Florida, an organization that gets about a third of its funding from the federal government, on Jan. 29, 2025, in Miami.
Children play during aftercare for the Head Start program at Easterseals South Florida, an organization that gets about a third of its funding from the federal government, on Jan. 29, 2025, in Miami. The Trump administration said Thursday that undocumented children are ineligible for Head Start and a number of other federally funded programs that the administration is classifying as similar to welfare benefits.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Federal Trump Admin. Says Undocumented Students Can't Attend Head Start, Early College
The administration issued notices saying undocumented immigrants don't qualify for Head Start and some Education Department programs.
Brooke Schultz, July 10, 2025
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7 min read