Trump Administration Proposes Removing Head Start Wage Rules

The Administration for Children and Families proposed removing specific wage and benefit mandates from the Head Start Program Performance Standards on May 12, 2026.

Head Start programs, which deliver early education, health, and nutrition services to roughly 800,000 low-income children and their families each year, would gain restored operational flexibility under the proposal. The agency estimates the rescissions would produce over $2 billion in future cost savings for grantees if finalized.

The notice of proposed rulemaking would eliminate requirements introduced in the Office of Head Start’s 2024 final rule, Supporting the Head Start Workforce and Consistent Quality Programming. Those provisions set minimum compensation floors and benefit standards the current proposal deems inconsistent with the plain language of the Head Start Act and overly prescriptive.

Public comments on the new notice will be accepted through the date specified in the Federal Register document. The changes would take effect only after a final rule is issued following the comment period.

Downstream, Head Start grantees would no longer face the costliest compliance obligations from the 2024 rule and could redirect resources toward expanding enrollment or enhancing direct services. State and local program operators must review the proposed revisions and submit comments by the deadline to shape the final standards.

The Administration for Children and Families will then analyze the record before issuing a final regulation, which would update the Performance Standards codified at 45 CFR Part 1300 et seq. Congress retains oversight authority through the appropriations process for the roughly $11 billion annual Head Start budget.

This notice reverses elements of the 2024 rule finalized under the prior administration. The proposal carries regulation ID 0970-AD21 and appears in the Federal Register dated May 12, 2026.