The Trump administration proposed changes on Thursday to eliminate most federal regulations governing the Head Start program, which serves approximately 700,000 children from birth to age 5 living at or below the federal poverty level. Officials including HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Assistant Secretary Alex J. Adams stated the changes aim to reduce costs and increase local flexibility for the roughly 1,600 providers. The proposal maintains funding near $12.27 billion in the 2026 budget while removing requirements such as staff-to-student ratios and family services mandates.