Attorney General Jeff Jackson Opposes Unlawful Changes to Head Start

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, October 12, 2026
Contact: comms@ncdoj.gov
919-538-2809

RALEIGH — Attorney General Jeff Jackson and a coalition of 24 other states opposed proposed harmful and unlawful changes to the Head Start program that could gut early childhood education in North Carolina.

Head Start is a federally funded preschool program that helps address the childcare gap for children aged 3 to 5. It provides early education, healthcare, and family services for more than 750,000 children in the United States and currently serves more than 17,000 North Carolina children. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has proposed changes that would lower the program’s standards and limit the allowable operating costs, which would make it increasingly difficult for these programs to operate – especially in rural areas.

“Head Start supports thousands of children in North Carolina,” said Attorney General Jeff Jackson. “These unlawful changes don’t meet what Congress intended to accomplish with the program, and it would harm the children and families who rely on the program for access to early childhood education. They deserve better, which is why we’re urging the federal administration to rethink these proposals.”

High-quality early education leads to a higher competency in language and math in children. Research has also shown that public investment in preschool creates a more productive population, lowers special education placement rates, reduces grade repetition, decreases welfare dependency, and creates fewer costs for the criminal justice system.

Currently, the national gap between the number of legally-operating childcare spaces available and the potential need for care is 28.2%. Without Head Start, that gap would increase to 32.7%, with rural areas being disproportionately affected. Additionally, Head Start supports roughly a quarter of a million jobs nationwide, and the loss of Head Start would result in roughly $32.8-$49.9 billion in national economic losses over the next 10 years.

The coalition argued that the changes are unlawful and would overhaul how the states administer Head Start programs, lead to larger classes and fewer teachers and staff, increase children’s safety risk, shorten program days, and reduce services Head Start provides. This would lead to worse education outcomes for children.

Attorney General Jackson and the coalition are pushing the department to withdraw the proposed changes. Specifically, the coalition argues that:

Head Start provides critical benefits.
The proposed rule exceeds the authority of HHS. First, it violates multiple sections of the Head Start Act, including the act’s prohibition of any reduction in “quality, scope, or type” of services required by the Head Start performance standards below those implemented by the George W. Bush Administration. The proposed rule eliminates or reduces the quality, scope, or type of virtually every required service.
The proposed rule is arbitrary and capricious. HHS has not sufficiently considered the harmful impacts on the states and their residents, has relied on flawed economic assumptions, has not given a reasonable explanation for the changes, and because the proposed rule contradicts evidence.
Many proposed changes to the Head Start performance standards are problematic. HHS proposes eliminating more than 1,400 standards that states and Head Start programs have relied on when developing services. Those changes will harm children, families, and communities and will lead to closures and reduced enrollment opportunities. The proposed changes that the attorneys general oppose include cutting the allowable administrative costs, changing Head Start eligibility determinations and attendance rules, gutting guidelines for medical, vision, dental and developmental screenings, removing existing regulations regarding children with disabilities, eliminating child-staff ratio standards and group size, and more.

Attorney General Jackson is joined in sending the letter by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and the governor of Kentucky.

A copy of the letter is available here.

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