Head Start for America’s Children Act
Sponsored By: Representative Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12]
Introduced
Summary
Modernize and expand Head Start. This bill raises income eligibility to 60 percent of state median income, sets a 1,380-hour minimum for center-based services, and creates a large baseline of federal funding plus targeted grants to strengthen pay, services, and partnerships.
Show full summary
- Families and children: More families qualify under a raised 60% state median income cutoff and explicit inclusion of homeless children, foster and kinship care, SSI, TANF, SNAP, school meal participants, children with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups. Center-based services must provide at least 1,380 hours per year and many agencies move toward full-year operation.
- Workers and programs: Establishes a wage floor with a $60,000 annual base salary for educational staff in FY2026 with CPI-U adjustments, requires benefits for staff working 30 or more hours, and creates Rebuilding the Head Start Workforce grants to recruit and retain staff.
- Native American, Native Hawaiian, and migrant/seasonal programs: Recognizes and protects Native and Native Hawaiian operators, prohibits awarding Native American Head Start grants to non-Native entities, reserves at least 4.5% of certain grant funds for these populations, and exempts them from the full-calendar-year requirement.
*Authorizes approximately $144.9 billion as a baseline for FY2026 and targeted additional appropriations for 2026–2030, which would increase federal spending relative to current law.*
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
7 provisions identified: 7 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Higher pay and better Head Start jobs
This bill would set a pay floor for Head Start educational staff at $60,000 in fiscal year 2026 and then raise that base each year by the Secretary's CPI‑U estimate. It would also require pay parity with local elementary school teachers for similarly qualified staff, require salary scales tied to experience, and require regular updates. Head Start agencies would have to provide or help staff access health coverage, paid personal leave, short‑term behavioral health services, child care access, and Public Service Loan Forgiveness assistance. The bill would fund competitive "Rebuilding the Head Start Workforce" grants (about $37.5 million authorized for 2026–2030) and add reporting on wage and benefits comparability and training effects.
Major new Head Start funding baseline
The bill would authorize a Head Start baseline appropriation of $144,872,000,000 for fiscal year 2026, with each later year increased by an annual adjustment percentage. It would reserve and target funds for specific uses, including at least $40 million for a career advancement partnership, $40 million for research, $6 million for regional offices, and FY2026 reservations such as $300 million for slot conversions, $4.404 billion for extended operation, and $80 million for mental health. It would also authorize targeted funding for facilities, transportation, workforce rebuilding, partnerships with colleges, and child care partnerships through 2030.
More mental health and disability supports
If enacted, Head Start agencies would have to offer universal mental health screening for children, trained mental health consultants, infant and early childhood mental health training for lead teachers, and adult mental health and family engagement supports. The bill would require technical help to reduce seclusion and restraint and would require agencies to identify children eligible for Section 504 accommodations and tell parents about their rights. It would also require coordination with IDEA and Medicaid (Title XIX), training to improve services for children with disabilities, ADA Title III compliance certification for facilities, and that grant funding account for disability‑related costs.
Expanded eligibility and community pilot
This bill would raise Head Start income eligibility to families below 60% of their State median income for the same family size. It would explicitly make children who are homeless, in foster or kinship care, eligible for SSI, TANF, SNAP or certain nutrition or housing assistance, children with disabilities, and children of Head Start staff categorically eligible. It would define who counts as "developing English proficiency" and replace the phrase "limited English proficient." The bill would also create a 5‑year Community Eligibility Pilot allowing up to 10 high‑poverty communities to enroll all children in the community without the usual eligibility tests (with one optional 3‑year extension and required reporting).
Longer Head Start days and summers
If enacted, Head Start center programs would have to provide at least 1,380 center‑based hours per year. The bill would create competitive Extended Operation grants so programs can expand to full working‑day schedules and summer hours. It would fund partnerships with child care providers to help them meet Head Start standards and blend funding for full‑day care; providers that get help would be exempt from designation renewal for 36 months. Some funds and at least 4.5 percent of certain grants would be reserved for Native American and migrant/seasonal agencies; targeted funding to support >1,380 hours and partnerships is authorized for 2026–2030.
On‑campus Head Start for student parents
The bill would fund competitive grants for Head Start agencies to partner with colleges to run campus‑based Head Start for student parents. Grants would run for five years with possible three‑year renewals and give priority to HBCUs, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and other minority‑serving institutions. Grants could pay for transportation, child care, dependent care, assistive technology, and food assistance to help student parents stay in school. It would authorize $500 million for these partnerships for FY2026–2030.
Native program protections and oversight
The bill would require at least 10 Head Start regional offices and two program offices, including one for Native American Head Start and one for migrant/seasonal programs, with public comment before geographic designations. It would create independent Native American and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start advisory committees to guide research and design. The law would update terminology (for example, using "Native American" instead of "Indian" and the new English proficiency language), bar non‑Native entities from receiving Native American Head Start grants, and require public reports on designation re‑competition trends and on any staffing reductions at the Administration for Children and Families since January 1, 2025.
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Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12]
MI • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12]
PA • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. Adams, Alma S. [D-NC-12]
NC • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. Beatty, Joyce [D-OH-3]
OH • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24]
CA • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. Carson, Andre [D-IN-7]
IN • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Cisneros
CA • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9]
NY • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7]
IL • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-6]
MI • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Elfreth
MD • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3]
PA • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. Frost, Maxwell [D-FL-10]
FL • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. Garamendi, John [D-CA-8]
CA • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. García, Jesús G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4]
IL • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Grijalva
AZ • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. Gomez, Jimmy [D-CA-34]
CA • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. Hoyle, Val T. [D-OR-4]
OR • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7]
WA • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. Kennedy, Timothy M. [D-NY-26]
NY • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36]
CA • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. McClellan, Jennifer L. [D-VA-4]
VA • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. McGarvey, Morgan [D-KY-3]
KY • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10]
NJ • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. Moore, Gwen [D-WI-4]
WI • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. Omar, Ilhan [D-MN-5]
MN • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1]
ME • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2]
WI • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2]
NC • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Simon
CA • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2]
HI • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12]
NJ • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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