Pennsylvania Head Start joins national HHS lawsuit
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The Pennsylvania Head Start Association has joined parent advocates and Head Start programs from Illinois, Wisconsin and Washington to sue the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) over looming funding cuts.
Why it matters: Shutting down the program would strip tens of thousands of Pennsylvania families of free child care, nutrition support and other vital services, says Kara McFalls, head of the state's Head Start Association.
Driving the news: Pennsylvania Head Start and others filed the federal complaint in Washington state on Monday, following news of a leaked HHS budget that proposes cutting Head Start funding.
- The coalition says the Trump administration is damaging Head Start — a decades-old federal program that provides services to low-income families — through cuts, closures, funding delays and a vague DEI ban.
Catch up quick: Pennsylvania offers Head Start through day cares, preschools, early childhood centers and home visits.
- Federal layoffs, regional office closures and funding delays are already disrupting Head Start programs nationwide.
Zoom in: Plaintiffs cite recent news reports that say President Trump's budget calls for eliminating Head Start by September, and budget materials that say the program uses "a 'radical' curriculum and gives preference to illegal immigrants," Axios' Carrie Shepherd reports.
- The lawsuit says the Trump administration "criticizes (Head Start) for diversity, equity and inclusion programming and the use of resources that encourage toddlers to welcome children and families with different sexual orientations."
By the numbers: Pennsylvania got $384 million in Head Start funding in 2023–24, per government data, and as many as 3,500 enrolled children were experiencing homelessness or in foster care statewide.
- A quarter of children served by Head Start speak a language other than English at home, per the lawsuit.
- Head Start serves more than 790,000 children nationwide through age 5 who rely on the federal programs for learning, meals and health care services, per a report from the Center for American Progress.
What they're saying: "Head Start in Pennsylvania provides vital continuity of care for more than 30,000 children and their families across the state," says McFalls. "Families deserve to know that the agencies they rely on — and the staff they trust with their young children — are protected."
- The White House didn't respond to a request for comment.
What's next: Plaintiffs ask the court to declare that dismantling Head Start is unconstitutional and unlawful, and to delay the effective date of any actions, including efforts to freeze or terminate the disbursement of appropriated Head Start funds.