5 Offices Closed. 318,000 Children Disrupted.
Five of Head Start’s 10 regional offices closed on April 1, 2025. Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle served 41% of all Head Start grantees and 44% of funded slots. That is 318,000 children across 22 states who lost their primary federal oversight and support. Approximately 100 central office staff were terminated.
318,000 children disrupted. 5 of 10 regional offices closed. $12.3 billion budget level-funded for a third year, a cut when adjusted for inflation. Every $1 spent returns $7-$12.
Grant renewals have been delayed. Payment processing has slowed. Programs in multiple states have taken out loans, cut transportation, reduced hours, or eliminated staff to stay open.
The Evidence Is Not Ambiguous
The Perry Preschool study found a benefit-cost ratio of 6.6, with $7-$12 returned per dollar invested. Updated analysis by economist James Heckman puts the annual rate of return at 13% when health benefits are included.
The benefits are intergenerational. Children who attended Head Start are more likely to graduate high school, attend college, and earn higher wages. Their own children show improved outcomes.
Head Start is not daycare. It combines education, two meals a day, health screening, dental care, and family support services. No state program replicates this combination at scale.
Level Funding Is a Cut
The FY2026 budget provides $12.357 billion for Head Start, an $85 million increase over FY2025. That sounds like growth. Adjusted for inflation, it is the third consecutive year of flat or declining purchasing power. Programs cannot maintain the same number of slots at the same quality when costs rise and funding does not.
Massachusetts allocated $20 million in supplemental grants. Pennsylvania introduced legislation to extend Pre-K Counts grants. New Mexico, Connecticut, and New Jersey are building dedicated state funding streams. These are patches, not substitutes.
What you can do now
- Call both senators and demand they increase Head Start funding above the inflation-adjusted baseline. The current $12.357 billion is the third consecutive year of flat purchasing power. Programs are taking out loans, cutting transportation, and reducing hours. Every $1 invested in Head Start returns $7-$12. Use Resist Bot to send your message.
- Contact your House representative and ask them to block further regional office closures. Five of 10 offices closed in April 2025, disrupting 318,000 children across 22 states. Grant renewals are delayed and payment processing has slowed because the remaining offices absorbed 41% of all grantees overnight.
- Call your state legislators and ask whether your state has supplemental Head Start funding. Massachusetts allocated $20 million. Pennsylvania introduced legislation to extend Pre-K Counts grants. If your state has no backup funding, 318,000 children in the affected regions have no safety net. Find your delegation at your state page.
- Contact your governor’s office and urge them to join Connecticut, New Mexico, and New Jersey in building dedicated state funding streams for early childhood education. Head Start combines education, meals, health screening, dental care, and family support. No state program replicates this combination at scale without federal partnership.