Help Protect Head Start from a Harmful Proposed Rule

HHS has proposed sweeping changes that could dismantle the standards and comprehensive services that make Head Start effective. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), “Reducing Federal Burden for Head Start Programs,” would remove hundreds of requirements covering curriculum, screenings, home visits, staffing, and other protections.

The proposal would allow larger classes, reduced staffing, fewer required wraparound services, and a cut in the administrative-cost cap from 15% to 5%. For nonprofit and rural operators, that cap could make it impossible to fund fiscal oversight, human resources, technology, compliance, facilities, and safety, potentially destabilizing or shuttering agencies.

This is not a routine update. It could replace Head Start’s national quality floor with a weaker, less consistent system and jeopardize school readiness, health, nutrition, developmental screenings, family supports, and access. Families, professionals, partners, and program experts are urged to speak out.

Submit Comments by October 6, 2026

Rulemaking: Reducing Federal Burden for Head Start Programs
Docket number: ACF-2026-0595
RIN: 0970-AD30

How to Submit a Comment

Online: Go to https://www.regulations.gov, search for docket ACF-2026-0595, and follow the instructions to submit a comment.

Email: Send comments to Deregulation@acf.hhs.gov. Include ACF-2026-0595 and/or 0970-AD30 in the subject line.

Every submission must include the agency name Administration for Children and Families and the docket number or RIN.

What to Include in Your Comment

State your connection to Head Start and identify the proposed change you are addressing.
Explain its likely effect on children, families, staff, quality, safety, access, administration, or finances, using examples or evidence.
Clearly state whether you support, oppose, or recommend revising it, and offer a practical alternative when possible.

Sample Comment Framework

I am submitting this comment in my personal capacity as a [concerned community member] and/or [Head Start family member].

I am commenting on “Reducing Federal Burden for Head Start Programs,” docket ACF-2026-0595/RIN 0970-AD30. Head Start is far more than preschool: its coordinated education, health, nutrition, developmental screening, and family-support services are what make it effective. Removing or weakening them would harm children and families.

In our rural communities, families see how Head Start changes lives. Yet a parent working full-time at New York’s minimum wage can exceed federal eligibility guidelines while still struggling with housing, childcare, transportation, food, and other necessities. Eligibility should reflect families’ true cost of living. If the goal is to increase enrollment, that we much first address the rules of eligibility.

I strongly oppose weaker quality standards and an administrative cap that could cripple or close local agencies. Administration supports fiscal accountability, human resources, technology, compliance, facilities, safety, and daily operations; small and rural agencies cannot simply absorb these costs elsewhere.

Our local Head Start run by Community Action of Orleans & Genesee has publicly shared that it is already managing a federally imposed $912,000 reduction that cost valued jobs and reduced available Head Start slots from 244 to 194. Further weakening the program would jeopardize vulnerable children and families. I urge ACF to preserve comprehensive services, quality protections, and realistic administrative support; reconsider harmful provisions; and modernize eligibility standards. Please strengthen Head Start rather than diminish it.

Also Contact Your Members of Congress

Formal comments must go to ACF. You may also ask your federal representatives to review the NPRM, hear from local families and providers, and share constituent concerns with HHS and ACF:

Senator Charles Schumer: (202) 224-6542 — official contact options at https://www.schumer.senate.gov/contact
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand: (202) 224-4451 — official contact options at gillibrand.senate.gov/contact
Representative Claudia Tenney: (202) 225-3665 — official contact options at Contact | Representative Claudia Tenney

Suggested message: “I am a constituent concerned about the Head Start NPRM, docket ACF-2026-0595. Please review how weaker standards and the proposed administrative cap could harm children, families, quality, safety, access, staff, and local nonprofit operators. Please hear from local Head Start families and providers and share their concerns with HHS and ACF.”

Important: Congressional outreach does not enter your views in the rulemaking record. Submit directly to ACF by October 6, 2026.

Important Public-Disclosure Notice

Comments and the submitter’s identity become part of the public record and may be posted on regulations.gov without change. Do not include information you do not want made public.

Review the proposal, share your experience, and submit your comment no later than October 6, 2026.

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Community Action changes people’s lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities, and makes America a better place to live. We care about the entire community, and we are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other.

Our Mission Statement

To provide services, with dignity and respect, that help people become self-sufficient.

We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and have served low-income and disadvantaged families for nearly 60 years. Community Action programs are designed to empower as well as provide opportunity to those who are not yet self-sufficient.

This website is supported in part by Grant Number 93.569 Community Services Block Grant from the Office of Community Services and by Grant Numbers 02CH012464 and 02HP000600 from the Office of Head Start (93.600) within the Administration for Children and Families, both divisions of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Neither the Administration for Children and Families nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse this website (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided). The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed are those of Community Action of Orleans and Genesee, Inc. and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Administration for Children and Families and the Office of Head Start.