For nearly 60 years, Head Start has been a cornerstone of the early childhood landscape, supporting children and families through comprehensive services that promote learning, health, development, and family well-being.
The Administration’s changes to Head Start have raised significant questions across the early childhood field about the future of the program’s quality standards, comprehensive services, and ability to meet the needs of children and families. On May 11, 2026, the Administration issued the first Head Start Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which included changes to wage and benefit requirements for Head Start staff.
While the details and implications of proposed changes continue to be assessed, early childhood funders have an important role to play in understanding what is at stake, supporting community partners, and ensuring that the voices and experiences of families, educators, providers, and local leaders remain central to conversations about the future of early childhood systems.
The Early Childhood Funders Collaborative (ECFC) recently convened a virtual Funder Briefing: Head Start Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) with national experts Katie Hamm and Yvette Sanchez Fuentes from Start Early, both of whom have overseen the administration of the federal Head Start program, to discuss the proposed changes, what they could mean for children, families, and programs, and how philanthropy can support communities during this period of change.
Why Head Start Matters Across the Early Childhood Ecosystem
Head Start serves hundreds of thousands of children and families each year. The program has helped shape early childhood systems by advancing a comprehensive approach to supporting children’s development and family well-being.
At the center of Head Start are the Head Start Program Performance Standards, which outline expectations related to teaching and learning, health and developmental screenings, mental health supports, nutrition, family engagement, services for children with disabilities, and connections to broader family supports.
These standards help define the comprehensive nature of Head Start and provide a framework for how programs serve children and families.
Head Start is not simply a child care program or a preschool program. It is a comprehensive child development and family economic development initiative designed to address the many factors that influence children’s well-being, including children’s learning, health, family engagement, and access to needed resources.
Because of this broad role, changes to Head Start have implications across the early childhood ecosystem, including child care, state pre-K systems, developmental services, and community-based organizations.
Understanding the Proposed Changes
The public comment period for the Head Start NPRM closed on June 11, 2026. Organizations across the early childhood field are now reviewing the proposed changes and considering their potential implications for programs, families, and communities.
During ECFC’s briefing, speakers highlighted several areas that have generated questions and concerns around how proposed changes to Head Start could affect staffing, program operations, and classroom environments and ratios. Additional concerns surfaced around family access to Head Start and eligibility requirements, and potential implications for families who speak languages other than English and how changes could affect programs’ ability to provide services that meet families’ needs.
As the proposed rule moves forward, communities will continue to assess how potential changes may affect children, families, and the broader early childhood system.
How the Field Is Responding
Organizations across the early childhood field have been working to ensure that Head Start programs, families, and partners have the information and resources needed to understand the proposed changes and navigate what comes next.
Through Together for Head Start, Start Early is partnering with state and regional Head Start associations to provide information sharing, resources, and support to the field. National, state, and community organizations are also continuing efforts to elevate program perspectives, analyze potential impacts, and ensure that policymakers and the public understand the role Head Start plays in communities.
This moment has also highlighted the importance of broader partnerships. Head Start intersects with many areas of child and family well-being, including disability services, health, mental health, family economic security, and community supports.
How Funders Can Support Head Start Communities
For philanthropy, this moment presents an opportunity to support the organizations and communities closest to the work. As Jessica Bialecki, an ECFC member and former director of the Division of Policy and Planning at the Office of Head Start, reflected:
“Philanthropy has long played an important role in strengthening Head Start’s ability to serve children and families, reflecting a core tenet of the program: that communities invest in its success through volunteer hours, donations, and other non-federal share. In this changing policy context, it is more important than ever for funders to be actively tracking and sharing federal policy developments, while also championing their local Head Start programs and directly supporting their ability to remain responsive to families.”
Funders do not need to take on every role, but there are ways to provide support:
Listen to community partners and understand their needs
Funders can begin by connecting with Head Start programs, community organizations, and other partners to understand what support would be most useful.
For some organizations, that may mean additional capacity to communicate with families and communities. For others, it may mean support navigating operational challenges or adapting to changing circumstances.
Offer capacity and expertise
Many funders have resources and expertise that can help partners during times of uncertainty.
This could include offering communications support, connecting organizations with legal or policy expertise, or identifying other ways to provide practical assistance. Even small gestures of support and partnership can help organizations feel connected and valued during challenging moments.
Help elevate understanding of what Head Start is
A critical part of this moment is ensuring that conversations about Head Start reflect the full scope of the program.
Head Start is not simply child care or preschool program. It is a comprehensive child development and family support program that connects children and families to services and resources that contribute to long-term well-being.
Funders can help ensure that the complexity and importance of this work are understood by broader audiences.
Use relationships and networks
Many funders have longstanding relationships with community organizations, civic leaders, and policymakers. Those relationships can help ensure that decision-makers understand how proposed changes may affect children, families, and communities.
Continue investing in early childhood systems
The current conversation around Head Start is part of a larger effort to ensure that children and families have access to the supports they need.
Funders can continue investing in the organizations, partnerships, and infrastructure that strengthen early childhood systems and support communities over time.
Supporting Children and Families Through Change
The future of Head Start will continue to be an important conversation for the early childhood field. As communities navigate this period of change, funders have an opportunity to support the organizations doing this work every day, listen to community needs, and help sustain the partnerships that make strong early childhood systems possible.
At ECFC, we believe philanthropy is most effective when it works alongside communities, supports field-led solutions, and helps ensure that those closest to the work have the resources and capacity they need.
ECFC will continue sharing updates and resources as this process unfolds and as opportunities emerge for philanthropic engagement.