Agenda Summary
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In support of Head Start and Early Head Start and the vital role their programs play in the City of Somerville.
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Official Text
WHEREAS: Head Start and Early Head Start (unless otherwise specified, hereinafter both referred to as “Head Start”) are federal grant programs that provide comprehensive healthcare, nutrition, and family supports and services to low-income families, those at risk of homelessness, and other vulnerable populations, serving pregnant women, infants, toddlers, and preschoolers up to age 5; and
WHEREAS: Each year, Head Start programs serve about 100,000 children and families across communities in Massachusetts, including Somerville, where Community Action Agency of Somerville supports more than 115 3-4 year old children annually in seven classrooms in two centers in Union Square and the Mystic housing development, and Riverside Community Care supports 80 pregnant women, infants, and toddlers through its in-home Early Head Start program; and
WHEREAS: Head Start is governed by the 1965 Head Start Act, which created standards for programs including teacher qualifications, curricula and classroom quality, mental health screenings, parental supports, and services for children with disabilities; and
WHEREAS: On August 6, 2026, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services introduced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would eliminate over 90% of existing standards for Head Start programs, including removing all standards related to teaching and learning, and all state licensing requirements; and
WHEREAS: The Massachusetts Head Start Association and other industry experts and advocates have stressed the major negative impacts the NPRM would have on programs that many of Somerville’s children and families depend on, including increasing class sizes by about 16% while reducing teacher workforces, reducing salaries for educators, eliminating jobs and key roles such as bilingual educators, and making 8% of childr...
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