Early childhood leaders in Wisconsin said a proposed federal rule would deregulate Head Start, a program serving low-income families across the state.
The policy from the Department of Health and Human Services was published Aug. 7 in the Federal Register.
Jennie Mauer, executive director of the Wisconsin Head Start Association, said it would roll back requirements for classroom staffing ratios, teacher qualifications and family support services. Mauer believes the changes would undermine both program quality and the case for adequate funding, adding they would devastate rural Wisconsin, where nearly 70% of kids are already living in childcare deserts.
"In many cases, Head Start is either the only licensed childcare provider or one of a handful. And I think about how this rule could be a big step on the progression to losing Head Start in rural communities and how tragic that would be," Mauer contended.
In Wisconsin, more than 12,000 families with children from ages 3 to 5 depend on the program.
The Department of Health and Human Services said the changes aim to simplify federal requirements, reduce costs and administrative burdens, and maintain protections and accountability. Mauer is pushing for community members to participate in the public comment period, which is open for the next 60 days.
The proposed regulation would also require Head Start to conduct all education in English. For children who have other native languages, programs would be tasked with prioritizing teaching them English, with the exception of the Indian Head Start agency.
Mauer noted it could be impractical for rural communities in Western Wisconsin, where classrooms are often made up of young kids who predominantly speak Spanish.
"If you've dealt with a classroom of three-year-olds, you need to be able to speak the language and furthermore, you need to be able to speak their language to help them to learn English," Mauer emphasized. "It just seems highly unreasonable to create a rigid structure that doesn't allow a program to be responsive to the needs of the kids in their classroom."
Critics of Head Start argued the federal program suffers from high costs, bureaucratic red tape and inconsistent long-term academic results. The Government Accountability Office published a report on Head Start, including issues they said posed significant risks to children and funds.
Mauer acknowledged there is always room to improve the program but underscored the proposed rule would cause more harm than good.
"Are there places for Head Start to improve? Like anything else, for sure. And I think Head Start folks would be the first to have ideas on how the program could be improved. But this will rank up there as one of the largest efforts to dismantle what makes Head Start great," Mauer emphasized.
It is just one of many hurdles Head Start has faced in the past two years, including federal funding delays and mass layoffs and regional closures. Mauer argued the federal government has repeatedly demonstrated a lack of understanding of what it takes to run a quality childcare program. Mauer fears if Head Start administrators are forced to implement all of the changes, it will lead to the end of the program entirely.
