CT Officials Tell Trump Administration: Hands Off Head Start

by Donald Eng

HARTFORD, CT — Gov. Ned Lamont, Attorney General William Tong, and Connecticut Office of Early Childhood Commissioner Elena Trueworthy are urging the Trump administration to withdraw its proposed rule to strip the federal Head Start program of the majority of its performance standards, saying that the overhaul will negatively impact children and families who rely on the early childhood education program.

Tong and Trueworthy are submitting written responses to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on behalf of Connecticut opposing the proposed rule, state officials said. Both letters are calling on the federal agency to withdraw the proposed rule in its entirety and instead pursue targeted approaches to reduce unnecessary administrative burden while maintaining strong federal standards for quality, comprehensive, inclusive services, family engagement, parent leadership and workforce quality.

“Connecticut is making historic investments to expand access to early childhood education because every child deserves a chance at a strong start in life and this proposal from the federal government threatens to dismantle the progress that states like ours are doing to increase childhood opportunities,” Lamont said. “As a country, we should be doing more to increase affordability and make it easier for working families to raise children, and this proposal from the federal government just does the exact opposite.”

Tong said the proposed changes “eviscerate” standards for one of the nation’s most successful anti-poverty programs, effectively abdicating responsibility for educational quality for hundreds of thousands of American children.

“This is a cruel and callous insult to educators, parents and children everywhere and this proposal should be rescinded immediately,” he said.

Trueworthy called Head Start an integral partner in Connecticut’s early childhood system.

“Its strength is rooted in the combination of comprehensive federal standards, federal investment, and local implementation,” she said. “It’s critical that this program continues to serve Connecticut families and children with these vital comprehensive services.”

The proposed rule, which HHS announced in August, will decrease the federal standards and protections. The changes will reduce requirements related to teaching and learning, staffing, group size, coaching, and professional development; eliminate important suspension and expulsion protections; reduce the administrative cost cap from 15% to 5%; and shift federal responsibilities and potential costs to state and local systems, officials said.

In particular, these changes will impact children and families who rely most heavily on Head Start, including children with disabilities, children experiencing homelessness and families who face multiple barriers to accessing early childhood, health, developmental, and family support services, officials said.

Head Start delivers services to about 5,600 children up to age five in Connecticut, and their families. Head Start preschool provides services for children ages 3 to 5 years old, and Early Head Start provides services for infants and toddlers from birth to age 3, as well as for pregnant women. Services are provided in public schools, child care centers, family child care homes, and in the family’s own home through a home visiting model.