Head Start leaders warn EEC board of federal rule proposals that could weaken standards and wages

Leaders from Head Start programs told the EEC board on May 13 that federal rulemaking poses an immediate risk to state efforts to raise early educator wages and maintain program quality.

Michelle Hayman Woods, executive director of the Massachusetts Head Start Association, reported that Head Start providers statewide serve about 10,000 children and families and that 27% of Head Start children in Massachusetts also receive CCFA funding to support full‑day, full‑year services. She said the federal Administration recently released a notice of proposed rulemaking aiming to rescind wage and benefits requirements that were added in 2024 and that another forthcoming proposal could seek to remove other federal Head Start standards, including health and safety and monitoring requirements.

"Rather than supporting the funding to allow programs to meet these high standards that we know our teachers deserve, the proposal seeks to pull the target away and remove the focus from wage progress," Hayman Woods told the board. She said the combination of flat federal funding and regulatory rollbacks would place additional pressure on state and local programs and on Massachusetts’ recent investments that have helped raise Head Start wages locally.

Board members thanked the speaker and agency staff noted ongoing state‑level supports. The public comments underscored a shared interest in state‑federal coordination to protect Head Start standards and educator compensation, and in monitoring federal rulemaking for downstream impacts on state programs and budgets.