From Ohio Capital Journal 9/10/2025
For 60 years, Head Start has provided child care for the most vulnerable children in the United States with little controversy.
It was established by a Democratic president, Lyndon B. Johnson, in 1965, and supported by a slew of Republicans since, including Richard Nixon, who called it “valuable”; Ronald Reagan, who established Head Start Awareness Month in the 1980s; and George H. W. Bush, who increased its funding. Legislators from both parties have supported Head Start, which operates in all 50 states, and is the only child care option available in some rural parts of the country.
This year, though, politics came to the door of Head Start. Caught in the political crosshairs of the Trump administration, the program is facing unprecedented upheaval that could shutter child care centers and, as many of Head Start experts who spoke to The 19th see it, fundamentally alter the program.
“For me and for a lot of other directors, trust has been deeply broken,” said Jen Bailey, executive director of Reach Dane, which operates 17 child care centers in Wisconsin and offers Head Start services. “The mission is we serve the neediest of the needy and poorest of the poor. For us, changing that would violate the mission of Head Start.”
Read more: https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/09/10/when-did-caring-for-americas-most-vulnerable-kids-become-political/