Restoring Flexibility To Support Head Start Program Access

Document 2026-09383 is a Proposed Rule published by the Department of Health and Human Services in the Federal Register on May 12, 2026. In this notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) proposes to remove requirements from the Head Start Program Performance Standards (Performance Standards) to restore local flexibility to Head Start programs and improve access to quality services. Specifically, this NPRM proposes to remove requirements related to wages and benefits that the Administration believes are not in line with the plain language of the Head Start Act and are costly and overly prescriptive for Head Start programs and staff. ACF estimates these proposed changes, if finalized, will result in over $2 billion in future cost savings for Head Start programs. The proposed rescissions in this NPRM, if finalized, would impact the costliest parts of the final rule published by the Office of Head Start (OHS) in 2024, Supporting the Head Start Workforce and Consistent Quality Programming.\1\ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- View the original at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/05/12/2026-09383/restoring-flexibility-to-support-head-start-program-access.

No. Document 2026-09383 is not classified as economically significant under Executive Order 12866. Economically significant rules require OIRA review and are estimated to have impacts of $100 million or more per year.