WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump administration has eliminated a Biden-era requirement that larger Head Start programs raise teacher salaries to levels comparable with local public preschool educators, arguing the mandate threatened access to the early-childhood program.
The Department of Health and Human Services finalized the rollback Friday. The 2024 rule would have required larger Head Start programs to gradually increase pay by 2031, with HHS estimating the mandate would cost roughly $2.1 billion annually once fully implemented.
Administration officials said eliminating the requirement restores flexibility to local providers and could prevent the loss of approximately 106,000 Head Start slots. HHS has separately argued that increasing regulatory costs have contributed to declining enrollment capacity across the program.
Critics counter that low wages are already making it difficult to recruit and retain qualified teachers. Head Start educators with bachelor’s degrees earned less than $50,000 on average in 2026, while those with master’s degrees earned under $60,000. Public school teachers averaged more than $75,000.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children rejected the administration’s framing that programs must choose between teacher compensation and serving more children, arguing that classroom slots are meaningless without qualified staff.
Head Start currently serves more than 700,000 children, primarily from low-income families. The administration is also pursuing broader changes that would loosen federal requirements involving staffing ratios, qualifications and other program standards.
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