Understanding the Proposed Changes to Head Start Performance Standards

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has proposed major changes to the Head Start Program Performance Standards in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) titled “Reducing Federal Burden for Head Start Programs,” published August 7, 2026. The proposed rule would remove or revise many existing requirements.

Whether these changes would strengthen Head Start, create new challenges, or have different effects in different communities is an important part of the public conversation. Head Start staff, families, leaders, and community partners have valuable firsthand knowledge about what works, what creates unnecessary burden, and what protections are important to preserve.

The public comment period is open through October 6, 2026. This is an opportunity to share your experience, identify potential benefits or concerns, and provide specific feedback on how the proposed changes could affect children, families, staff, and programs.

Submit Your Comments Here

NPRM Resources

• Legislative Leave Behind by FHSA
• NPRM Crosswalk by FHSA
• Frequently Asked Questions: 2026 Head Start NPRM by The First Five Years Fund
• STATE DATA: Child Care Ratios by First Five Years Fund
• Head Start: 2026 State Fact Sheet: Florida by First Five Years Fund
• Comment on the Proposed Head Start Rule:  A Guide and Template for People Who Work with Families Experiencing Homelessness by SchoolHouse Connection
• Submitting Public Comments for the Head Start NPRM: Protecting Children with Disabilities by Start Early
• Reducing Federal Burden for Head Start Programs: A Florida Snapshot by FLHSCO
• Talking Points: A Public Comment Guide by FLHSCO
• Head Start Program Performance Standards Child Care Development Fund Department of Children and Families Licensing and Regulations Alignment by FLHSCO

• Protecting Head Start's Future Linktree by Together For Head Start

• Tips for Submitting Effective Comments by Regulations.gov

Research

• Head Start’s Impact on  the Child Care Gap, Child Care Trust, June 2026
• Proposed Head Start Rule Eliminates Critical Protections for Children Experiencing Homelessness,  SchoolHouse Connection, August 2026
• Preserving Access & Opportunity in Head Start for Dual Language Learners,  Arizona State University, The Children's Equity Project, August 2026
• What the Changes in Scope Data Shows:  Head Start enrollment reduction followed mounting workforce pressures amid flat federal funding, NHSA, August 2026
• Lowering the Bar: An Analysis of How Replacing Head Start Standards with State Child Care Licensing Weakens Early Learning Across the United States,  Arizona State University, The Children's Equity Project, September 2026
• Harsh Punishment and Exclusionary Discipline in the Early Years, Arizona State University, The Children's Equity Project, September 2026

• A Data Profile of Young Dual Language Learners in Florida and Implications for Early Childhood Programs,  Migration Policy Institute, August 2025

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/U.S. Department of Education, Policy Statement on Expulsion and Suspension Policies in Early Childhood Settings