Proposed Guidelines Aim to Reshape Head Start Program

Why it matters locally: Changes to the federal Head Start program could significantly affect early childhood education and support services for low-income families with young children across West Virginia, including the funding and operation of local Head Start centers.

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The Trump administration has put forth new guidelines that could redefine how the Head Start program operates across the United States. President Lyndon B. Johnson initiated Head Start in 1965 as a component of his War on Poverty initiatives. The program provides services to approximately 700,000 children between the ages of three and five. Additionally, its Early Head Start component serves around 160,000 infants and toddlers. Amna Nawaz conducted an interview with Coral Davenport, a reporter for The New York Times, regarding the details of these proposed changes.