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Updates and expands Head Start and Early Head Start programs by setting new program standards, funding, staff pay and benefits, mental‑health and disability supports, and operational expectations. It requires agencies to plan for year‑round center‑based service models (1,380 hours/year), raises a federal base salary floor for Head Start staff to $60,000 in FY2026 with CPI adjustments later, creates multiple competitive grant pilots (campus‑based programs, extended hours, child care partnerships, community eligibility), strengthens technical assistance and regional office capacity, and mandates new research, reporting, and discipline‑practice evaluations. The bill also modernizes terminology (e.g., replaces “limited English proficient” with “developing English proficiency,” and “Indian” with “Native American”), expands supports for Native American and Native Hawaiian programs, directs substantial new and immediately appropriated funding for FY2026 and following years, and adds requirements on staffing, training (including universal design for learning), and mental health for children, families, and staff.
The bill dramatically expands funding, staffing standards, inclusive services, and oversight to improve Head Start quality, access, and equity—particularly for children with disabilities and underserved communities—but does so at substantial fiscal cost and with new administrative and compliance demands that may strain smaller local programs and produce uneven implementation.
Millions of low-income children and families gain substantially expanded Head Start funding and dedicated program dollars (including a large baseline appropriation, facility, transportation, and targeted grant funds), increasing capacity, services, and infrastructure nationwide.
Head Start and Early Head Start educators will receive stronger pay and benefits (a $60,000 minimum base in FY2026, CPI‑U adjustments thereafter, paid leave and health/behavioral health access, and recruitment/retention grants), improving staff retention and classroom stability.
Children with disabilities and infants/toddlers will get better coordinated, evidence-based supports (IDEA/504 coordination, required screenings, behavioral interventions, reduced seclusion/restraint, assistive technology, and professional training), improving early identification, inclusion, and safety.
The bill entails very large mandatory federal spending and automatic increases, which will raise federal budgetary commitments and could increase the deficit or crowd out other priorities unless offsets are provided.
Providers and local agencies face substantial new administrative, reporting, and compliance burdens (detailed data collections, new definitions, monitoring, regional performance standards, and additional program requirements), which could divert staff time from direct services and raise operating costs.
Smaller, rural, or under-resourced Head Start providers (including some Tribal or migrant/seasonal programs) may be unable to meet new salary/benefit, full‑year, or program requirements, risking program reductions, consolidation, or loss of local slots.
Introduced February 20, 2026 by Rashida Tlaib · Last progress February 20, 2026