WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — Every morning, Emily Diaz drops off her daughter, Amelia, at Head Start.
“Amelia is outgoing; she’s like my mini me” said Diaz. “When she started writing, I got her writing tattooed on me."
For Diaz, Head Start has been about much more than preschool.
“It’s been a safe place where I know that the most precious human being to me is in a safe environment and she’s actually being taught skills,” she said.
Head Start faces major overhaul under Trump with new rules on expulsions, class sizes, and language:
The program helps young children from low-income families prepare for school. The program offers learning activities, health screenings, and connections to family resources.
When Diaz was homeless, the program helped her get back on her feet.
“That meant something to be able to take my child there and not have to worry about the cost of her education,” said Diaz. "It allowed me to go after the things that I wanted in life and bridging my family out of poverty."
The Trump administration is proposing changes to the federal rules that guide Head Start. Right now, the federal government decides how many children and teachers should be in a Head Start classroom.
Under this proposal, states and local programs would make those calls. It would also remove Head Start’s federal ban on expelling young children and require instruction to be in English.
Utah Community Action operates a Head Start program serving Salt Lake County families, including families in West Valley City.
The organization stated in part:
“This is a proposed rule, not a final one. It's the start of a public conversation, not the conclusion of it. Behind every requirement in the Head Start standards is something real it's meant to safeguard: a developmental screening that flags a delay before it grows, a staffing ratio that keeps children safe, a home visit that reaches a family right when they need it most.”
The administration said the changes could save more than 2 billion dollars, opening up as many as 236 thousand spots nationwide.
“I think they’re good changes. In fact, it's time,” Gayle Ruzicka, president of Eagle Forum, a conservative advocacy group said. “Trusting parents and the local people, the local communities, that is always the best.”
But parents like Emily worry that fewer federal rules could mean fewer protections for children.
“Any changes to those things or limiting time in the classroom could affect the progress of the future that our children can have,” said Diaz.
She hopes other families will continue to have access to the support that helped her family move forward.
“I don’t want these changes to put struggles in the way for people who are trying to build their way out of poverty,” she said. “I want this generation of people to get the opportunity to break the cycles.”
