Arizona Division for Early Childhood

10/03/2026

This.

When families get support early, children and the people raising them have the opportunity to thrive. Head Start gives 17,000 Arizona children learning, health care, and family support in one place.

A proposed federal rule would replace Head Start's national standards with a much shorter set of rules. If it's finalized, it would:

• Eliminate research-based standards that support educational quality, child safety, and healthy development
• Remove evidence-based teacher-child ratio requirements that support individualized learning and safe learning environments
• Reduce protections and services for infants, children with disabilities, and multilingual learners
• Limit opportunities for parents to shape their local Head Start programs
• Make it more difficult for communities, especially rural communities, to sustain high-quality Head Start services

Prevention starts early, with families and children who have trusted support. These standards are part of what makes that possible.

The Arizona Head Start Association has set a goal of 6,100 public comments by Oct. 6. You don't need to be an expert. A few sentences about why early support for children and families matters to you is enough.

Comment by Oct. 6 at 11:59 PM ET: https://buff.ly/mN12jqr

10/03/2026

October is Head Start Awareness Month! 💜

For 61 years, Head Start has helped children learn, families grow stronger, and communities thrive.

But Head Start is more than an early childhood education program. It is teachers who know every child by name. Parents building new opportunities for their families. Staff connecting families with the resources they need. Alumni carrying what they learned into classrooms, careers, and communities across the country.

This month, we’re uplifting what makes Head Start work: an extraordinary program, the people who make it possible, and the millions of lives that continue to carry its impact forward.

This is Head Start. Learn more: https://nhsa.org/resource/head-start-awareness-month/

10/03/2026

Disabled people have the right to live in our own homes and communities. That right has not gone away. But the federal rules that spelled out that right in Health and Human Services programs have been struck down, with the government’s help.

Yesterday, in the Texas v. Kennedy case, a federal court approved an agreement jointly proposed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and five states to remove the parts of Section 504 regulations that specify that disabled people should receive services and supports in the community rather than being forced into institutions.

This is yet another attack by this administration on the freedom and rights of disabled people. DREDF joins a coalition of disability rights organizations to strongly condemn this action. Read more here: https://dredf.org/texas-v-kennedy-final-september-2026/

What this ruling does not do is repeal Section 504 or the Americans with Disabilities Act, or overturn the Olmstead v. Lois Curtis ruling. These laws and legal authority continue to provide a right for for people with disabilities to live, work, and learn in community settings.

And if the federal government won't enforce our rights, then we will. We will push states to write Olmstead's protections into state law. We will support strong local and state enforcement. And we will fight cases that reinforce the ADA and Section 504.

Generations of disabled people fought for and won the freedom to make decisions about our lives and be a part of our communities. Together, we continue that fight.

10/03/2026

Early childhood education experts are calling into question a Heritage Foundation report on Head Start that appears to have heavily influenced the Trump Administration’s proposed regulatory overhaul of the federal program.

NIEER’s Steve Barnett and Morgan Healy reviewed claims from the Heritage Foundation report that Head Start is ineffective, costly and unsafe in a new National Education Policy Center publication.

The authors found that the Heritage Foundation’s review of the full body of evidence is so limited and misleading that neither its conclusions about Head Start’s performance, nor its policy recommendations, should inform policy decisions.

NIEER concurs that changes are needed to improve long-term outcomes for Head Start students, including reducing burdensome paperwork and overly detailed regulations. However, the experts warn that the Heritage report claiming Head Start fails children and taxpayers is deeply flawed, overlooking a “stunning” volume of rigorous, relevant research and advancing policy recommendations without supporting evidence.

Read the NEPC Review: https://nepc.colorado.edu/publication-announcement/2026/09/head-start

10/03/2026

New Resource Alert!
Explore the latest addition to our Resource Library: Expanding Coaching Support: Targeted (Tier 2) Interventions.

This practical fact sheet offers coaches strategies, tips, and key considerations for systematically supporting early educators as they implement targeted social-emotional interventions that meet the unique needs of each child.

Download your copy today: https://www.challengingbehavior.org/document/expanding-coaching-support-targeted-tier-2-interventions/

10/03/2026

Join our team as a Family Support Specialist! ⭐ Enjoy flexible hours, great benefits, and a supportive work environment all while making a difference for Arizona's families! Visit our website for more info!

10/03/2026

10/03/2026

09/21/2026

An Update on the Revision of the EI/ECSE Standards
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2026, 4:00 PM Eastern Time - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/W5V-HCNlQxautmtc1_2YXw

Join the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) and the Council for Exceptional Children for a webinar about the revision of the DEC Initial Practice-Based Professional Preparation Standards for Early Interventionists/Early Childhood Special Educators.

Presenters will explain why the standards are being reviewed, describe the revision timeline, and share how research, expertise, family perspectives, and the early childhood landscape are informing the work.

Participants will learn about opportunities to provide feedback and help ensure the revised standards remain relevant, equitable, practical, and responsive to the needs of children, families, professionals, and preparation programs. Whether you are a faculty member, practitioner, administrator, family member, student, or partner, your perspective matters.

Attend to learn how DEC is approaching this work and how you can contribute to shaping the future of EI/ECSE preparation and practice. Facilitators/Chairs of Revision Workgroup: Dr. Jennifer Kilgo, Dr. Cynthia Vail