Attorney General Weiser opposes Trump administration proposal to gut Head Start standards

Attorney General Weiser opposes Trump administration proposal to gut Head Start standards

Oct. 7, 2026 (DENVER) - Attorney General Phil Weiser has joined a multistate coalition in submitting a comment letter opposing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' proposal to dramatically cut regulations governing the Head Start program.

Head Start is an early childhood education program that helps children from low-income families meet their educational, health, nutritional, and developmental needs. The proposed rule would eliminate longstanding Head Start Program Performance Standards, impose an English-only mandate, and reduce the cap on allowable administrative and development costs from 15% to 5%.

"Head Start gives thousands of Colorado children the opportunity to learn, grow, and enter school ready to succeed. The Trump administration's proposal would strip away proven safeguards that protect children's health, safety, and education and make it harder for programs to serve the families who rely on them," said Attorney General Weiser. "We should be strengthening opportunities for kids, not undermining a program that has helped generations of families build a better future."

Head Start has operated with bipartisan support for more than 60 years and helps address gaps in access to affordable childcare and early childhood education. The program serves more than 10,000 children across Colorado each year, including children with disabilities, children experiencing homelessness, migrant children, children learning English, and children from low-income households.

The proposed rule would eliminate more than 1,400 regulations designed to protect enrolled children and families. Among other changes, it would eliminate requirements for early support and coordination of services for children with disabilities, maximum child-to-staff ratios, safety standards and safe transportation practices, staff credentialing and training, and timelines for health, developmental, and vision screenings. It also would remove minimum hours of service and the prohibition on expulsions.

In their place, HHS proposes to ban non-English instruction, cut allowable administrative and development costs from 15% to 5%, and require family engagement programs that "demonstrate healthy marriage as a positive good." The proposal also would give HHS broad discretion to reject program budgets, including for services that were previously required.

HHS describes the proposed rule as giving states and local programs greater flexibility. In their letter, the attorneys general argue the changes would instead create disparities in early childhood education and care, increase costs and workloads for state agencies, and reduce services for children and families. HHS itself acknowledges the rule could mean larger class sizes, fewer teachers, coaches, and home visitors, shorter program days, and reduced health, dental, and mental health services.

Joining Attorney General Weiser in the letter, which was co-led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, are the attorneys general of Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and the governor of Kentucky.

Read the comment letter (PDF).

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