By Adanech Makey, Policy and Community Engagement Specialist
“We tell our families that they should continue speaking their native language with their children—the children will pick up English in the classroom. We need to celebrate the cultures our children and families come from because we want them to be proud of their heritage”.
As an immigrant who came to the United States in the early 2000s, this comment made by a Head Start Director felt refreshing and affirming. I felt great pride that in my community, there was a program actively welcoming, celebrating, and partnering with families to give their children a strong foundation.
This has been the Head Start approach for the last six decades—providing comprehensive early childhood and wraparound services to all age- and income-eligible children and their families, regardless of immigration status. It is a model built on the principles of inclusion, equity, and trust.
A recent policy change poses a threat to Head Start’s foundational principles.
On July 10, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a notice reclassifying Head Start, among other federal programs, as a “federal public benefit” subject to immigration restrictions. This change reverses a 1998 reinterpretation of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), which had explicitly excluded Head Start and Early Head Start from such restrictions. For decades, this exemption has allowed eligible families—regardless of immigration status—to access the program.
Under the new classification, only “qualified” immigrants would be considered eligible. This includes, among other categories, lawful permanent residents, refugees, asylees, and individuals paroled for at least 1 year. However, it newly excludes many other immigrant families, including those with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status, or those who are undocumented.
While it remains unclear how programs will be expected to implement this new rule, there is no question this policy change will have a chilling effect that will keep many families from accessing Head Start. Even families who may remain eligible for Head Start may be hesitant to participate in the program should they be required to provide proof of immigration status.
Further, such a requirement could prevent many non-immigrant families from being able to enroll due to lack of documentation. And children who would otherwise benefit from Head Start’s proven outcomes, including higher graduation rates and long-term health and academic success, will lose out on these benefits.
We must act now.
What you can do to protect Head Start
On July 14, this proposed rule was published in the Federal Register, and the public has until August 13 to submit comments. You can help Schuyler Center advocate for Head Start to remain an inclusive program by submitting a comment. Public comments can help influence federal policy. It can also slow implementation, requiring the government to reconsider its plan. We urge you to submit a comment and share why Head Start must remain accessible to all eligible families, regardless of immigration status, and we’re sharing tools to help you do so.
With guidance from our national partners, we’ve created a template tailored for New York to assist you in drafting your comment. If you need assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact our team. Comments are due on August 13, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET and should be submitted HERE.
For 60 years, Head Start has embraced the richness of our communities and celebrated the cultures of participating families. As a young immigrant child, I would have loved to experience a program like Head Start—one that partners with families and honors who they are and where they come from. Head Start is not just about school readiness. It’s about belonging and building a strong foundation for our youngest children, centered on care and equity.
The policy decision to limit access to Head Start doesn’t just impact individual children and their families—it undermines the very promise of equity that Head Start was founded on.
Let’s join together to protect that promise for all our children. Let’s protect Head Start.
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