Not ‘just a daycare’ Indiana leaders fear fallout from Head Start Proposal BY ANNA CECIL A federal proposal could roll back most performance standards for Head Start, a program for low-income children under age 5. Officials warn the changes could jeopardize the health, safety and education of vulnerable young Hoosiers. Rhett Cecil, executive director of the Indiana Head Start Association, said federal policy sets performance standards and guidelines for how each branch of the service operates. Indiana’s Early Head Start, which serves infants and their mothers, and Head Start, which

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 6, 2026 Indiana Head Start Association Opposes Federal Proposal That Would Dismantle Head Start Program Standards Indianapolis, IN — Following today’s release of a federal proposal to eliminate most of the Head Start Program Performance Standards, the Indiana Head Start Association is speaking out against a rule that would strip away the protections that have made Head Start one of the nation’s most successful investments in young children and families. For more than 60 years, Head Start has paired early learning with health, developmental, and family

ABC News The government shutdown is triggering a wave of closures of Head Start centers, leaving working parents scrambling for child care and shutting some of the nation’s neediest children out of preschool. Dozens of centers are missing out on federal grant payments that were due to arrive Nov. 1. Some say they’ll close indefinitely, while others are staying afloat with emergency funding from local governments and school districts. The closures mean Head Start students — who come from low-income households, are homeless or are in foster care — are

Indianapolis, IN — On Friday, April 11, USA Today reported that President Trump’s upcoming budget will propose the full-scale elimination of the nearly 60-year-old, highly effective Head Start program.  Though the budget has not yet been released, the potential proposed elimination of Head Start would be catastrophic for working families, vulnerable young children, Head Start employees, and the Indiana economy. Head Start is Indiana’s 78th largest employer with close to 4,000 employees. For nearly six decades, Head Start has enjoyed bipartisan support as a cornerstone of early childhood education, providing