Head Start has been holding children back
In Focus delivers deeper coverage of the political, cultural, and ideological issues shaping America. Published daily by senior writers and experts, these in-depth pieces go beyond the headlines to give readers the full picture. You can find our full list of In Focus pieces here.

TL;DR
- The Trump administration is proposing to reduce federal regulations on the Head Start program, which is described as wasteful and ineffective.
- Proposed reforms include empowering parents, emphasizing health and nutrition, decreasing administrative costs, aligning licensing standards with states, and removing duplicative regulations.
- Opponents, including liberals and Head Start program operators, are protesting the proposed changes, fearing loss of funding and impact on their organizations.
- A significant proposed change is the requirement for Head Start programs to conduct all education in English, supporting assimilation and economic engagement.
- The article argues that current Head Start regulations supporting bilingualism are at odds with promoting English as the official language and national unity.
- Head Start has been criticized for being overregulated, expensive, and failing to deliver lasting results, with learning gains disappearing by third grade.