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Head Start & Early Head Start

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Factsheets

Head Start: Populations Served

August 6, 2026

Head Start’s mission goes beyond the classroom: it is designed to reach the children and families who need it most, which is why eligibility is intentionally built around those facing the greatest barriers to opportunity.

Factsheets

Head Start: Comprehensive Services

August 6, 2026

Head Start pairs high-quality early learning with comprehensive services that support a child’s health and development while helping families build stability and self-sufficiency from infancy through the start of kindergarten.

Press Releases & Statements

STATEMENT: FFYF Executive Director Sarah Rittling on Proposed Head Start Rule

August 6, 2026

This morning, the White House released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposing changes to regulations governing the Head Start program.  

Policy Priority

Early Head Start/Head Start

August 6, 2026

Head Start is a federal program that delivers comprehensive early learning, health, nutrition, and family support services to lowest-income families with young children who are experiencing poverty. Head Start Preschool …

In the News

State Of Play: The Head Start NPRMs (Rules and Regulation Changes)

August 6, 2026

As part of a “Child Care Reform Package” released on May 11, the Administration issued four separate policy actions: a Head Start Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Final Rule, a Temporary Assistance for Need Families (TANF) Information Memorandum, and a CCDF Dear Colleague Letter.

Data & Analysis

CAPSULE COLLECTION: Head Start

August 6, 2026

This one-stop-shop collection of the top facts, resources, and data around Head Start and Early Head Start.

Polling

Head Start Polling Highlights 2025-26

August 5, 2026

First Five Years Fund has a long track record of polling which consistently shows that Early Head Start and Head Start have strong support among Republican, Democratic, and Independent voters across the country.

Factsheets

FFYF State Fact Sheets: Child Care and Early Learning, 2026

July 21, 2026

FFYF’s 2026 State Fact Sheets on child care and early learning provide state-by-state data for all 50 states and Washington, DC.

Report Highlights

New CAP report on Early Learning and Literacy

July 6, 2026

The Center for American Progress recently released a report highlighting the need for partnership between early childhood and K-12 systems to address declining literacy rates in children.

Press Releases & Statements

STATEMENT: FFYF Executive Director Sarah Rittling on Proposed FY27 House Funding Levels for Child Care and Early Learning Programs

June 4, 2026

On June 4th, the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee released its FY2027 funding proposal, including federal investments in child care and early learning …

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