Program Cuts by DOGE Will Worsen America’s Child Care Crisis

Federal grants are the primary course of funding for America’s Head Start Program, an early education program that serves more than half a million low-income children in the US. The Trump administration announced it would freeze federal grants, putting the child care program and its funding in jeopardy. 

In February, glitches with the government website used to access grants and funding forced nearly two dozen Head Start centers to close temporarily. After the funding freeze was drawn back and the website was restored, the program still remains vulnerable. 

Many of the federal employees who help administer Head Start have been put on leave. Preschool operators report a lack of communication from the Office of Head Start and say they’re unsure who to contact with questions about grants or for approval on equipment purchases. 

Joel Ryan, executive director of the Washington State Association of Head Start, expressed concern that the administration is gradually undermining the program without officially ending it. “It doesn’t require an act of Congress,” Ryan said. “You can kneecap programs simply by cutting significant numbers of their workforce.”

At least five of the 12 regional offices for Head Start were closed Tuesday as part of layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services, according to the National Head Start Association.

““What I don’t want Head Start to be is a political football,” said executive director of the Indiana Head Start Association, “Because a Republican household, a Democratic household, a libertarian household could be a Head Start household.”

Head Start operates in all 50 states, serving families experiencing homelessness or living in poverty. It provides essential child care for parents who otherwise couldn’t afford it, allowing them to work or pursue education. Supporters say this highlights Head Start’s vital role in both the economy and the well-being of vulnerable children.