The Trump administration this month proposed changes to the Head Start program; that’s the national early childhood education program for low-income families.
Essentially, the changes would give states more control over Head Start, moving many of those decisions away from the federal government.
Under the proposed changes, there’d be a cap on how much money Head Start centers could spend on administrative overhead; there would also be a reduction in the number of regulations governing the program, among other changes.
But some providers aren’t happy about these ideas. Eve Del Real is one of them; she’s president of the Arizona Head Start Association and joined The Show to talk about it.
Full conversation
MARK BRODIE: Good morning, Eve.
EVE DEL REAL: Good morning. Thank you for having me.
MARK BRODIE: Thank you for being here. So, what about these changes doesn’t sit well with you and some of the — maybe many of the providers here in Arizona?
EVE DEL REAL: Well, I think it’s important to highlight that Head Start was designed to provide services for those most vulnerable in our communities. And when we say those most vulnerable, it’s for children experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, children with disabilities. The proposal would initially rescind and replace the current Head Start performance standards that provide the safeguards to these protections that are in place to provide a high-quality experience for children. It would eliminate, for example, federal staff-to-child ratios and group size limitations, which we know are essential to providing a high-quality experience for children.
MARK BRODIE: Could the state not just put those same kinds of standards back in place?
EVE DEL REAL: No, actually. So here in the state of Arizona, there is no cap on group size. So when we make a comparison of some of the quality measures that we have in the services we’re providing, even if we followed state statutes, it would significantly reduce the quality that we’re providing, again, for children that have higher needs.
MARK BRODIE: Is that something that, in theory at least, could be changed by the Legislature?
EVE DEL REAL: It could be. I mean, it’s something that we could always help advance and support. That would be phenomenal. But currently, as the statutes lie within Arizona, there’s a significant difference in the support that we’re providing versus what the state has in place.
MARK BRODIE: Are there some decisions that you think it would be better if the state could make on its own, as opposed to having them being dictated from Washington, if not, as the Trump administration is proposing, basically everything being sent down to the states?
EVE DEL REAL: Well, I mean, I think that the NPRM is so complicated. There’s, again, some complexity with the way it’s even written. I think that removing certain things — even such as the detailed requirements for developmental screenings, for disability services, health, mental health — has a huge impact on our ability though to identify children with higher needs and refer them then on to maybe additional state-level interventions. So it’s very complex. So it just depends on on what it is. And then again, the funding that’s related to that, it’s challenging, I think, for the state to be able to compensate for some of those interventions that we’re already providing.
MARK BRODIE: Yeah, let me ask you about the money aspect here. I mean, is there a sense among Head Start operators here that if these changes were to go into effect that there would be less money for Head Start generally?
EVE DEL REAL: Yes, there would be less. Especially as we’re looking at the proposal with the administrative cost ceiling from a 15% now to a 5%, it would be extremely challenging for a Head Start program to continue providing services at the level that, again, we’re mandated to, even with this proposed reduction, because of the support that’s necessary within the classroom settings and within family services as well.
MARK BRODIE: Are there Head Start operators in Arizona that, even if things stay exactly as they are, are potentially at risk of closing because they can’t afford to continue doing it?
EVE DEL REAL: I think that the risk is always there for any Head Start program because there are other conditions that we’re currently experiencing. I mean, because we know there was the closure of the federal office last year, there are many Head Start grantees that are still experiencing delays and changes of scope and other federal actions that always jeopardize timely funding.
MARK BRODIE: ... How has enrollment been in Arizona over the last, let’s say, couple of years? I mean, is it fairly steady? Have you seen a decline, an increase?
EVE DEL REAL: You know, after the pandemic, I know that many grantees at a national level were struggling with enrollment. However, here in Arizona, we serve 17,000 children, and many grantees here in the state have an extensive waitlist. So for us, I mean, the call to provide the service is definitely there, and it would be a huge loss to the state if Head Start were ever eliminated.
MARK BRODIE: OK. So I mean, what do providers say? Let’s say that these changes from the Trump administration go into effect, what would Head Start look like in Arizona that would be different than what it looks like now?
EVE DEL REAL: It would significantly water down the service. I mean, we would be equivalent to childcare without the comprehensive service delivery model. Keeping in mind that Head Start again is not childcare. It is high-quality early education with embedded supports that include that disability services, the health, the dental, the mental health services. But then also considering that we employ a highly qualified workforce. So when you put all of that together, we’re providing these beautiful, safe environments that lead to these individualized learning experiences for children. It’s very different than a typical childcare model.
MARK BRODIE: Is there also a concern, as we’ve heard in other areas, where if you have to get rid of the education component of that, that children enter kindergarten, for example, less prepared to be there?
EVE DEL REAL: Yes, they would definitely enter less prepared. I mean, we have six decades of evidence that shows that Head Start improves school readiness, it increases high school graduation and college enrollment, it connects children to health. And, again, it produces lasting gains in adult earnings and even family stability.
MARK BRODIE: All right, we’ll have to leave it there. That is Eve Del Real, president of the Arizona Head Start Association. Eve, thank you so much. I appreciate it.
EVE DEL REAL: Thank you.
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