More Than Cost Savings: Why Proposed Head Start Changes Put Our Children and Families at Risk
For 60 years, Educational Opportunities for Children and Families (EOCF) has opened classroom doors across Southwest Washington to give every child a strong, dignified start in life. In that time, we have served an estimated 40,000 children along with countless family members who rely on our multigenerational support model.
Today, that mission is facing an unprecedented challenge.
In a recent report by Will Denner for The Columbian, ‘We love our kids, and it terrifies us’: Local providers, families fear proposed Head Start changes will have devastating consequences, local educators, parents, and advocates spoke out about newly proposed federal rulemaking changes to Head Start. Under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the proposal seeks to eliminate approximately 1,400 federal regulations, shifting standards largely to state and local licensing.
While federal press releases frame these rollbacks around projected cost savings and administrative relief, those working on the ground know the reality: cutting these standards threatens the very foundation of quality care.
“It’s framed under this whole thing of cost savings: ‘We’re going to save this money by reducing these things,’” says Dr. Rekah Strong, Chief Executive Officer of EOCF. “But really what it does is it puts our families’ level of service at risk, and most importantly, it puts our children at risk of harm if we are not continuing with programming in the way that we have. At the end of the day, we just want to serve kids. We want to have kids educated. We want to have safe places for families to leave their children.”
What Is Really at Stake?
Head Start is not just daycare. It is an intentional, comprehensive system of care designed to lift children and families out of poverty. Rolling back federal requirements jeopardizes several pillars that make this program work:
1. Safe Staff-to-Child Ratios
In Washington, classrooms maintain strict educator ratios: one teacher for every four infants and one for every eight toddlers. EOCF often staffs well above those baselines with support and ancillary aides. Eliminating these mandates would stretch educators thin and diminish one-on-one attention.
As Dr. Strong warned, without these protective ratios: “The last thing that we want to do is throw our kids in there with one or two [teachers]. It becomes more crisis triage than it does actual education, support, and nurturing.”
In Washington state alone, an estimated 774 teaching positions could be lost. That figure does not even account for critical roles like family advocates, nutritionists, and health specialists.
2. Individualized, Wraparound Care
Early learning requires meeting basic human needs first. Our health and nutrition teams ensure babies and toddlers hit developmental milestones, receive dental and medical screenings, and eat balanced meals. Last year, out of nearly 1,000 children served, EOCF managed 271 unique nutrition plans to accommodate everything from severe allergies to feeding tubes. For many children, these are the most consistent and nutritious meals they receive each day.
3. Dedicated Inclusion for Children with Disabilities
Approximately 10 percent of EOCF slots are reserved for children on Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). Many community preschools lack the resources or staffing to welcome children with significant speech delays, mobility challenges, or developmental needs. Head Start ensures no child is turned away simply because their needs require extra care.
4. Multigenerational Ladders Out of Poverty
Head Start invests in parents just as much as children. Roughly 30% of EOCF’s current workforce are former Head Start families themselves, and parents frequently find career pathways within the organization. When families receive support with stable employment, housing assistance, and parent advocacy councils, the whole community gains strength.
The Danger of Unequal Standards
Advocates also warn that discarding federal oversight will create deep geographic inequities. As Maura Baker, an EOCF Parent Policy Council member, pointed out to The Columbian, removing national standards means quality could vary drastically from one zip code to the next: She points out that while some programs remain committed to smaller class sizes and welcoming children who receive specialized support, “you could have a program in the next county or city over that doesn’t do that.”
Take Action: Public Comments Close October 6
Decisions about early childhood education should not be made in a vacuum. Federal regulators need to hear directly from the teachers, parents, and community members who understand what high-quality early childhood education actually takes.
- Deadline: Sunday, October 6
- Where to comment: Visit Regulations.gov and search for the Head Start Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, or visit https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/ACF-2026-0595-0002
- What to share: Tell your story. Whether you are an alumnus, a parent whose child found their voice in Head Start, or a community supporter, your perspective makes a measurable difference.
Our children deserve safe, enriching environments instead of compromised classrooms. Let us make sure their voices are protected.
Dr. Rekah T. Strong, MSW, PhD
Chief Executive Officer
