Posted on September 22, 2026
Senior Policy Analyst for Early Childhood Education
More Than 60 Years of Opportunity
For more than 60 years, Head Start has made a powerful promise: children from low-income families will receive not only high-quality early education, but also the health, developmental, nutritional, and family supports they need to thrive.
The federal government is proposing sweeping changes that could fundamentally weaken that promise. The proposal would rescind most of the current Head Start Program Performance Standards and give programs and states greater flexibility. Reducing unnecessary administrative burdens is a worthwhile goal, but flexibility cannot come at the expense of children’s safety, program quality, or essential services.
The effects would reach far beyond Head Start classrooms. Head Start not only enables parents to work, attend school, and volunteer, but also builds children’s lifelong skills, employs thousands of New Jersey residents, purchases goods and services from local businesses, and connects families with critical resources.
Head Start is too important, and too deeply connected to New Jersey’s well-being, to fail.
From a Summer Program to a National System
Created in 1965 as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty, Head Start began as an eight-week summer program and grew into a comprehensive, year-round system serving children and families in urban, suburban, rural, and Tribal communities. Head Start primarily serves children ages 3 to 5, while Early Head Start supports pregnant women, infants, and toddlers. Eligibility is generally based on household income, although children experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, and families receiving certain forms of public assistance may also qualify. Programs may enroll a limited number of children whose family incomes exceed the federal guidelines, particularly when community needs or a child’s circumstances warrant additional support. Learn more about Head Start eligibility.
Head Start Reflects and Responds to New Jersey’s Diverse Communities
Head Start and Early Head Start provide comprehensive early education, health and developmental screenings, dental care, nutrition, family support, and connections to essential community resources. In New Jersey, the programs offer 12,388 funded seats across 191 centers, serving families from a wide range of racial, cultural, linguistic, and economic backgrounds. Approximately 7,790 children—63% of the state’s Head Start enrollment—are dual-language learners.
Head Start also prioritizes children and families who frequently encounter the greatest barriers to high-quality early learning, including children with disabilities, children experiencing homelessness, and children in foster care. Its community-based approach allows programs to respond to families’ languages, cultures, strengths, and individual circumstances. In areas without state-funded public preschool, Head Start may be one of the only affordable, comprehensive early childhood options available.
Head Start Helps Parents Work and Strengthens the Economy
Reliable early care and education is essential to parents’ ability to enter and remain in the workforce. More than 8,100 New Jersey parents whose children participate in Head Start work, attend school, or complete job training.
When parents know their children are safe and supported, they can report to work consistently, pursue education, and develop skills that help them advance in their careers. Employers benefit from a more reliable workforce, while families gain greater financial stability.
If Head Start services become less comprehensive, accessible, or responsive to families’ needs, parents may be forced to reduce their hours, leave school or training, turn down employment, or leave the workforce completely. Lost wages affect family budgets and reduce spending in local communities.
Head Start programs are also economic engines themselves. They purchase food, diapers, books, classroom materials, technology, furniture, cleaning supplies, insurance, and professional services. They contract with transportation companies, trainers, consultants, health professionals, mental health consultants, building-maintenance providers, and other local businesses.
When programs reduce services or staff, those decisions ripple through the economy. Purchasing fewer meals affects food vendors. Cutting professional development affects trainers and consultants. Reducing transportation affects drivers and transportation companies. Postponing facility improvements affects contractors and suppliers.
Money invested in Head Start circulates through employee wages, household spending, vendor contracts, and purchases from businesses across New Jersey.
For more than six decades, Head Start has grown into a vital part of the communities it serves, supporting children and families while contributing to the state’s workforce and economy. Currently, the program faces proposed changes, and examining the potential implications of those changes is essential to understanding what's at stake for New Jersey and its families.
Head Start Is Too Important to Weaken: What the Proposed Changes Could Cost New Jersey
