April 28, 2025 8:27 pm
SEATTLE, Wash.– Today, a coalition of parents and Head Start providers filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s coordinated and unlawful efforts to dismantle the Head Start program, which would be catastrophic for the millions of people who rely on it. By slashing staff, delaying funding, and imposing bans that block programs from fulfilling their mission to support young children from low-income families, the administration is defying Congress’s mandate to continue Head Start services nationwide. This multi-pronged attack puts at risk the quality and safe early educational, health, nutritional, and social services that Head Start programs across the country provide to 800,000+ young children and their families every year.
“Since taking office, the Trump administration has tried to destabilize, paralyze, and sow chaos in Head Start. They have frozen funding, conducted mass layoffs at the federal HHS regional offices, slow walked grants—which led to 400 families scrambling to find childcare—and now are proposing to eliminate Head Start completely,” said Joel Ryan, executive director, Washington State Head Start & Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program. “If we want to preserve Head Start for the children currently being served and uphold its commitment to ensuring that all children are ready for school—regardless of their background, income, race, ethnicity, or zip code—we must stand up to the unlawful actions this administration has taken to kneecap Head Start.”
Launched in 1965, Head Start was an outgrowth of the Civil Rights Movement and its promise of racial and economic justice, particularly for Black women and children. Since then, Head Start has transformed the lives of more than 40 million children and their families by preparing children for school and supporting working parents with access to childcare. The program provides comprehensive services to low-income families, supporting children’s emotional, social, health, and educational development. Its federal-to-local model ensures services are tailored to each community’s needs, including providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services. Agencies are legally required to meet the “diverse needs” of their communities, offer inclusive services, and support children with disabilities, dual language learners, and children in foster care or experiencing homelessness.
The Trump administration has taken direct steps to halt services by closing half of all Regional Head Start offices and laying off their staff. The administration has also undermined quality and continuity by imposing vague and sweeping bans on activities related to “diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility”—and threatening severe consequences if Head Start programs fail to correctly guess what these policies prohibit. The DEIA ban allows the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to weaponize its monitoring function to enforce “compliance” with ambiguous and undefined terms.
Agencies do not understand whether they must cancel current vendor contracts, stop hiring bilingual or culturally competent staff, and abandon outreach efforts that help enroll underserved families in order to comply with the HHS’ DEIA ban. Agencies that attempt to comply then risk violating their statutory obligations to meet the diverse needs of the communities they serve and risk losing their federal designation. The ban puts agencies in an untenable position and risks compromising the quality of Head Start services that families receive.
The plaintiffs, parent groups Parent Voices Oakland and Family Forward Oregon, and the Head Start associations of Washington state, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Washington, the ACLU of Illinois, and the Impact Fund. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington against HHS, which is responsible for administering Head Start, including distributing federal funds, issuing program guidance, and ensuring grantee compliance with federal law. The complaint alleges that HHS unlawfully implemented the DOGE and anti-DEIA executive orders by gutting the program of staff and resources, delaying access to funds, and issuing vague policies that ban core Head Start programing. These actions have already caused the suspension or termination of Head Start services and will lead to more program closures.
Plaintiffs are asking the court to declare the dismantling of Head Start unlawful.
Below are statements from plaintiffs and litigators:
“The administration is brazenly attempting to dismantle Head Start piece by piece in clear violation of the Constitution and congressional directives. We will not stand by and watch HHS upend the lives of the many people that depend on their Head Start providers,” said Jennesa Calvo-Friedman, senior staff attorney at the ACLU Women’s Rights Project. “The program is a cornerstone in communities across the country, and we are fighting to preserve access to critical education programs and childcare services for all Head Start families.”
“Head Start provides crucial services to communities in every state and region across the country,” said Lori Rifkin, litigation director at the Impact Fund. “Cutting this vital program hurts both children and parents, and directly contradicts the laws passed by Congress.”
“All parents deserve the opportunity to provide a better life for their children. Head Start gives children and families, including Black, Indigenous, Pacific Islander, Latinx, and immigrant children and families, a fair opportunity to work towards a better life,” said Candice Vickers, executive director, Family Forward Oregon. “Taking this program away continues cycles of poverty and unfairly targets the children and families it was created to support.”
“These attacks on Head Start will hit children and families the hardest. With the high costs of childcare, many parents would not be able to keep their families fed and housed without Head Start,” said Clarissa Doutherd, executive director, Parent Voices Oakland. “Depriving children and families of access to early education and childcare is cruel, and anyone who cares about children should be infuriated.”
“The executive branch cannot defund by fiat a program that Congress has mandated. The reckless cuts authored by the Trump Administration and DOGE block Head Start programs from serving – and offering a better future to – low-income children and families across the state,” said Lauri Frichtl, executive director, Illinois Head Start. “Head Start is one of the most popular and effective federal programs. It has made a positive difference in the lives of thousands of young people from all backgrounds and communities in Illinois. We are committed to continuing this service for all children.”
“Head Start in Pennsylvania provides vital continuity of care for more than 30,000 children and their families across the state. Families deserve to know that the agencies they rely on—and the staff they trust with their young children—are protected,” said Kara McFalls, executive director, Pennsylvania Head Start. “Efforts to dismantle Head Start are unacceptable and undermine the strength and well-being of every community.”
“In Wisconsin and across the country, Head Start programs are deeply embedded in the fabric of local communities and their economies,” said Jennie Mauer, executive director, Wisconsin Head Start Association. “In Wisconsin alone, more than 300 Head Start centers serve over 15,000 children and families, employing more than 4,000 workers, and the majority of families served are working full time or attending school full time. Each barrier placed in the way of Head Start is a barrier placed on working families.”
You can find the complaint here.