The Dismantling of Head Start
Reprinted from The Union Democrat
171st year, Issue No. 14
Letter to the Editor
To the Editor:
The Head Start program was started 60 years ago as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty. Federal funds established preschools that provided early childhood education, childcare, and healthy meals to children of low-income working families. Head Start also offers support, parenting strategies, and encouragement to families to be involved in their children’s learning experiences. Since its inception, Head Start has provided these vital services to 40 million children and their families! On the website https://headstart.gov/, it is stated, ‘Children who enroll in Head Start programs are more likely to graduate from high school and attend college, have improved social, emotional, and behavioral development, and are better prepared to be parents themselves than similar children who did not attend the program…”
In April, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., under the direction of the Trump Administration, shut down five out of the 10 Head Start regional offices across the U.S., causing many highly skilled employees (whose jobs included obtaining grants, monitoring safety and training classes, and providing technical support) to lose their jobs. Teachers and administrators of Head Start programs took on larger workloads and more responsibilities, and are presently struggling to keep their pre-schools running smoothly.
Adding to the already alarming degradation of our country’s educational systems, the administration has now announced that children of immigrant parents will no longer be allowed to enroll in Head Start programs. These families, by and large, are hardworking people trying to provide for their families. They aren’t criminals. It’s not the job of any Head Start employee to check the immigration status of their students. I don’t think I’m alone in recognizing this and other moves by the president as blatant racism and an attempt to dismantle Head Start.
Take Action
- Volunteer at your local Head Start center: read to children, help with classroom activities, or assist with family events.
- Donate supplies like books, art materials, diapers, or healthy snacks.
- Partner through civic groups, churches, or local organizations to provide extra resources.
- Call or email your U.S. Senators and Representative. Tell them why Head Start matters in our community and urge them to protect funding.
- Join advocacy groups such as the National Head Start Association to stay informed and amplify your voice.
- Share personal stories about Head Start’s impact in letters to the editor or on social media.