08/07/2026
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a proposed rule that would fundamentally weaken the Head Start Program Performance Standards, the foundation of Head Start's high-quality early learning, health, family engagement and comprehensive services. These services are particularly critical for infants, toddlers and expecting families. Without Early Head Start and Head Start, even fewer families will have access to quality care when it is needed most.
Among other changes, the proposal would:
-Eliminate the research-based standards that support educational quality, child safety and children’s healthy development.
-Remove teacher-child ratio requirements that support individualized learning and safe, high-quality classroom environments.
-Weaken services for infants, children with disabilities and multilingual learners.
-Reduce parents’ role in shaping their Head Start programs.
-Widen gaps in child care access and quality for rural and frontier communities.
As our state’s prenatal-to-three coalition, Raising Illinois is opposed to any changes that would erode the quality and availability of the Early Head Start (EHS) & Head Start (HS) services on which expecting families and families with young children rely. If finalized, these proposed changes would upend the comprehensive services that have helped millions of children and families thrive for more than 60 years.
Here in Illinois, too many families already struggle to access quality, affordable infant/toddler care. In addition, EHS provides expecting families key prenatal support and postpartum support including information, education, and services including evidence-based home visiting, filling the prenatal care gap that too many Illinoisians face. We cannot leave our youngest children and their families unsupported during the most vital window of their development, the first three years.
"To me, if the Head Start Performance Standards were eliminated, it would fundamentally change what Head Start is. These standards are what distinguish Head Start, ensuring a comprehensive approach that supports not only children's education but also their health, development, and family well-being. Head Start is unique because of its ability to make a lasting difference in the lives of young children and their families. I believe that reducing or removing these performance standards could weaken the program's foundation and the qualities that make it so effective. I do not support changes that would diminish the core principles and expectations that have made Head Start so successful." -MyKela Collins, Raising Illinois Family Leader
Join us tomorrow for a live webinar with Start Early and the Together For Head Start Campaign: Protect Head Start: What the Proposed Changes to the Performance Standards Mean and How You Can Take Action
Friday, August 7
2:00–3:30 p.m. CT
During the webinar, we’ll share:
• What the proposed changes would do
• What they could mean for children, families and Head Start programs
• How you can take action during the federal public comment period
Register Now:
On August 7, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is expected to officially publish a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would make significant changes to the Head Start Program Performance Standards, which are the foundation for delivering high-quality early learning, health, fam...
