To the editor:

I read with alarm the article “White House moves forward with Head Start overhaul,” published in the Lawrence Journal-World Aug. 7, 2026.

Mr. President, you’re overhauling Head Start? Why?

Why are you focusing on this tiny program in our country’s mammoth budget? This is a well-respected program with a history of positive outcomes. Many Head Start-educated youngsters have grown up to be leaders who publicly credit Head Start for shaping their lives.

The word overhaul sometimes has a positive connotation, but in your administration the word has often become synonymous with destruction. In this case, overhaul includes a plan for laying off staff, closing regional offices and eliminating most of the regulations that have made Head Start a proud, effective program that gives young children with few options a step up. The proposed overhaul would allow the federal government to step aside, leaving Head Start to the states to regulate. While many states would continue to do their best with their youngest population in spite of a loosening of federal regulations and less financial support, other states might not have the resources and, sadly, might not have the desire to provide quality early intervention services when there are so many other pressing issues in their states.

As a teacher and administrator with more than 30 years of experience in the field of early childhood education, and a witness to the strength and noble purpose of this solid national treasure called Head Start, I ask you to reconsider your proposed changes.

Cathy Molineux,

Lawrence