Staff Reports
ALBUQUERQUE — New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez is leading a coalition of 25 state attorneys general in opposing the Trump Administration’s latest efforts to undermine the federal Head Start program, warning that proposed regulatory changes would jeopardize critical early childhood education and health services for the most vulnerable children and families across the country.
The coalition urges the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to withdraw its proposed regulatory changes, which would eliminate or weaken longstanding Head Start performance standards, impose an English-only requirement for instruction, and slash the allowable administrative cost cap from 15% to 5%.
The proposed changes will dismantle one of the most successful and popular federal programs and remove most requirements related to teaching, learning, program standards, health and counseling services, dental care, developmental and disability screenings, and family support.
While the Trump Administration says the proposed rule will increase flexibility and reduce burdens, experts in child development and wellbeing uniformly agree that the changes will increase administrative burdens while leading to fewer services and lower quality.
The coalition argues that the rule violates the Head Start Act and the Administrative Procedure Act and would impose significant costs on states that have built their early childhood systems around existing Head Start standards.
“Head Start has been a cornerstone of opportunity for generations of children, and this administration’s proposal would pull away the very services that help children arrive at kindergarten healthy, prepared, and ready to learn,” Torrez said in an Oct. 7 press release. “New Mexico is leading this effort because we know firsthand how important Head Start is to our families and communities. We cannot allow Washington to dismantle a program that children, parents and states depend on.”
New Mexico is among the states identified as particularly vulnerable to the loss or reduction of Head Start services. The coalition’s comments note that New Mexico is one of 19 states where a substantial reduction in Head Start would increase childcare gaps by 20% or more. Rural communities would be disproportionately affected.
The coalition also raises concerns about the proposal’s impact on children who are already among the most vulnerable. Changes to eligibility and enrollment could make it harder for children experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, children in rural communities and children from migrant or seasonal agricultural families to access Head Start.
The proposed English-only requirement would also eliminate longstanding policies supporting bilingualism and dual-language learners. The coalition argues that the mandate conflicts with federal law and disregards research supporting bilingual instruction.
The states further warn that reducing the administrative cost cap from 15% to 5% could force programs to cut staff and services or close altogether, particularly in rural communities and smaller programs.
The coalition’s comments conclude that the proposed rule would reduce the quality, scope and types of services required under the existing Head Start standards and urge HHS to withdraw the proposal.
Joining New Mexico in the comments are the Attorneys General of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin, as well as the Governor of Kentucky.
