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Proposed changes to the Head Start program are worrying local families and the organizations that offer it, prompting concerns about class sizes, dual-language instruction, and funding.
Head Start has served qualifying families for more than 60 years. The program provides preschool and childcare, along with meals and support services.
For Yazmin Campos Martinez, whose son Deion is part of the program, it means more than a place to leave her child during the workday.
WATCH | Proposed Head Start rule changes worry KC families
"So it's not just childcare; it's more than that," Campos Martinez said. "Head Start has given me the opportunity to help make sure that they're developmentally on track."
In August, the Administration for Children and Families published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking it calls "Reducing Federal Burden for Head Start Programs" — a 75-page document explaining the proposed changes.
The proposal would remove more than 1,400 detailed rules that programs currently have to follow, and "replace them with a consolidated and streamlined framework."
In a press release, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said the agency is "removing unnecessary bureaucracy, strengthening nutrition and physical health, trusting parents and local communities, and opening Head Start to hundreds of thousands more children."
But parents and local organizations don't see it that way.
One of the proposed changes would remove federal limits on class sizes and the number of children each adult can supervise.
"Children that are this age need more one-on-one attention," Campos Martinez said.
"It makes the classrooms a little bit less safe," said Maryely Cadena-Zarate, assistant director at El Centro.
The proposal would also require Head Start programs to teach children in English — a change that leaders at El Centro say strikes at the heart of their mission.
"If a child's native language is not English, and the child does not speak English, a program must prioritize teaching English to the child," says the proposal.
At El Centro, leaders say the dual-language component is part of who they are.
"It would greatly affect our programs," said Erica Andrade, president and CEO of El Centro.
"That's just so core to what we do," Andrade said.
Among other changes, the proposal would also reduce how much money Head Start programs can spend on administrative costs — from 15% of their total budget to just 5%.
"It's been a very difficult time period," said John Fierro, president and CEO at Mattie Rhodes.
"We would have to sit down and determine what level of funds we have available to continue, what could we offer in terms of supportive services, how many children could we adequately serve, and the number of staff that we could maintain," Fierro said. "There's just a lot of variables that we would have to take into consideration if all of these changes occurred."
"If we reduce Head Start, which is a free program, that just forces families to have to go out and find alternative options for care of their children, which is going to be at a cost," Fierro said.
"It would just make access to education, early childhood education, a lot more difficult for families," Cadena-Zarate said.
The public comment period for the proposed rule closed on October 6, 2026. The Administration for Children and Families says it received thousands of comments on the proposed rule and is currently reviewing each one. The administration must consider public comments before deciding whether to finalize or revise the rule.
For Andrade, there is still reason for optimism.
"Hope is one of the last things that will ever leave us in our community," Andrade said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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