The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), under the leadership of Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. at the Department of Health and Human Services, and Assistant Secretary Alex J. Adams, has two new announcements:

  1. Publication of a proposed rule titled “Reducing Federal Burden for Head Start Programs;” and
  2. Issuance of a new Information Memorandum (IM) on Enrollment Reductions for Head Start and Early Head Start programs.

This proposed rule will significantly reduce regulatory burden and unlock savings to serve more children and families.  These proposed updates directly benefit the Head Start workforce, programs, and families. To ensure children truly thrive, the rule secures vital health, nutrition, and physical activity fundamentals. Moreover, it drives local innovation by granting maximum flexibility in critical workforce decisions.

The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding the Performance Standards will be open for public comment in the Federal Register on Friday, August 7.

Preview of the NPRM on the Federal Register website, including the Preamble and the proposed changes.

How To Submit Comments

The Federal Register website will be open to receive comments beginning August 7 and remain open for 60 days.

To submit comments electronically, follow the “Submit a comment” instructions in the Federal Register. This approach is our preferred method for receiving comments.

All comments without change will be posted to www.regulations.gov, so please do not include any personal or sensitive information. We will use your comments to help shape our decisions for a final rule.

Public Comments due: October 6, 2026.