Attorney General Ford Joins Coalition Pushing Back Against Federal Effort to Gut Head Start Programs
Carson City, NV – Today, Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford announced that he has joined a multistate coalition in opposing a proposed federal rule that would weaken Head Start programs and threaten access to critical early childhood education and support services for children and families across Nevada and the nation. In a comment letter, the coalition urges the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to withdraw its proposed rule, Reducing Federal Burden for Head Start Programs, arguing that the changes violate federal law and could have devastating consequences for children, families and states.
“We cannot allow decades of progress in early childhood education to be undone,” said Attorney General Ford. “Head Start provides Nevada families with critical education, health care and support services that help children build a strong foundation for their future. Weakening these programs would hurt the children who need them most.”
The Head Start program currently serves more than 750,000 children nationwide, providing early childhood education, health screenings, nutrition assistance and family support services to children from low-income households. According to the National Head Start Association's 2026 Nevada State Profile, Nevada has 58 Head Start centers, with 2,708 federally funded enrollment slots and more than 1,000 employees. In fiscal year 2025, Nevada received approximately $28.6 million in federal Head Start funding.
For Nevada families, Head Start offers more than early childhood education. Its programs help parents remain in the workforce, connect children with essential health services and support families facing financial hardship. Nevada Head Start programs conducted more than 14,600 home visits, provided preventive dental care to nearly 3,000 children and served 451 families experiencing homelessness. The proposed federal changes could jeopardize these services, leaving Nevada families with fewer resources to support their children's health, development and educational success.
The coalition argues that the proposed rule would significantly weaken longstanding standards designed to ensure children receive quality care and education. Among other changes, the rule would:
- Increase class sizes and reduce staffing by eliminating existing classroom size and staff-to-child ratio requirements.
- Reduce access to health services by removing requirements related to medical, dental, mental health and developmental screenings.
- Impose English-only instruction requirements, limiting programs' ability to provide multilingual education and support.
- Threaten program operations by reducing the allowable administrative and development cost cap from 15% to 5%, potentially forcing some programs to reduce services or close.
- Weaken protections for vulnerable children, including children with disabilities, children experiencing homelessness and families facing barriers to accessing early childhood education.
The coalition also argues that the proposed changes violate the Head Start Act, which prohibits federal regulators from reducing the quality, scope or types of services required under longstanding program standards. Additionally, the attorneys general contend that HHS failed to adequately consider the financial and educational consequences of the proposed rule, including increased costs to states and families and the potential loss of critical early intervention services.
The coalition is urging HHS to withdraw the proposed rule and preserve the standards that have helped Head Start serve children and families for more than 60 years.
Attorney General Ford joined the attorneys general of New Mexico, California, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaiʻi, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin, along with the governor of Kentucky, in submitting the comment letter.
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