Head Start helps thousands of Mississippi families, and a budget being considered by the Trump administration would remove all funding for the early childhood education program from the federal planning.
An official familiar with the proposal told USA Today that the 2026 fiscal plan being considered has no Head Start funding and could eliminate several other programs. (The federal fiscal year is October 1 to September 30.)
It would reportedly strip funding from the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which helps about 6 million homes.
LIHEAP is effectively shuttered recently after layoffs spurred by President Donald Trump laid off the entire staff. The funds are still allocated, but there’s no one to handle applications. The money assists elderly, disabled and low-income people to keep heating and cooling on during the months with the most extreme weather.
Congress doesn’t necessarily pass the presidential budget as requested. It’s more like a wish list.
“No final funding decisions have been made,” Rachel Cauley, a spokesperson for the White House Office of Management and Budget, told USA Today earlier in April.
Yasmina Vinci, executive director of the National Head Start Association has warned that more than a million parents need the program for childcare that lets them stay in the workforce.
The drive to eliminate Head Start was clearly outlined in Project 2025. The document claims the program is “fraught with scandal and abuse” and says the program has little academic value for kids.
It cites a Heritage Foundation analysis of a 2022 Inspector General Report calling for better oversight after about one in four grant recipients had an adverse finding from the Administration for Children and Families “for child abuse, lack of supervision, or unauthorized release between October 2015 and May 2020.” The brief noted about 1,000 reports.
Head Start has already taken some hits. At least five regional Head Start offices in cities including Boston, New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Seattle were shuttered as part of a staff purge at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
How could families in Mississippi be affected if the program goes away? Here’s what you need to know about Head Start, how many people in the Magnolia State use the program and which groups serve local communities.
What is Head Start?
Head Start reportedly provides food, health care and developmental screenings for about 800,000 kids around the nation.
Head Start was started in 1965. It was part of President Lyndon B Johnson’s War on Poverty. The federal program will celebrate 60 years in service on May 18, 2025. It’s reportedly helped about 40 million children during that time.
The goal was to assist children in low-income homes with education, wellness and nutrition. The programs provide immunizations, dental and medical care in addition to identifying health or development problems early and intervening.
The services provided for children, in addition to helping them develop, gives millions of families consistent childcare services that mean parents can be in the workforce.
In total, Head Start is for children from birth to age 5. Babies and kids younger than 3 attend Early Head Start.
How many Mississippi families use Head Start?
According to the Mississippi Head Start Association, the program serves 25,000 children in the state. About 22,400 Head Start slots are funded for kids ages 305, and almost 2,700 babies and toddlers have funded Early Head Start slots. They also assist at least 238 pregnant moms.
What Head Start organizations serve Mississippi communities?
The program has more than 15 local grantees that aid people in all 82 counties.
Bolivar County Community Action Agency Inc.: Bolivar County.
Coahoma Opportunities Inc.: Coahoma County.
Community Action of South Mississippi Head Start: Jackson County.
Delta Health Alliance: Leflore, Sunflower and Warren counties.
Five County Child Development Head Start: Covington, Jefferson Davis, Lawrence, Lincoln and Simpson counties.
Friends of Children of Mississippi Inc.: Clarke, Copiah, Greene, Hinds, Humphreys, Issaquena, Jasper, Jones, Kemper, Lauderdale, Leake, Madison, Newton, Rankin, Scott, Sharkey, Smith, Wayne, Winston and Yazoo counties.
Hinds County Human Resource Agency: Hinds County.
Institute of Community Services Inc.: Benton, Clay, DeSoto, Grenada, Lafayette, Lowndes, Marshall, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Panola, Quitman, Tallahatchie, Tate and Tunica counties.
Mississippi Action for Progress Inc. Community Action Agency: Adams, Alcorn, Amite, Attala, Calhoun, Carroll, Chickasaw, Claiborne, Franklin, Hancock, Harrison, Holmes, Itawamba, Jefferson, Lee, Monroe, Montgomery, Neshoba, Perry, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Scott, Tippah, Tishomingo, Union, Webster, Wilkinson, Winston and Yalobusha counties.
Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians: Leake, Neshoba and Newton counties.
Mississippi State University Extension Service: Harrison County.
Moore Community House: Harrison County.
Pearl River Valley Opportunity Community Action Agency: Forrest County.
Picayune School District: Pearl River County.
Singing River Educational Association Inc.: George County.
Washington County Opportunities Inc.: Washington County.
Mississippi University for Women also announced earlier in April that it had secured a $500,000 grant for the Wise Start Early Childhood Project to operate over five years. The W plans to work with kids from birth to 5 in the Columbus-Lowndes area. They will use university resources like the speech pathology and nursing departments to provide wraparound services for tots.
“The economic impact of early childhood education is undeniable,” Penny Sansing Mansell, director of the Center for Education Support and instructor of Early Childhood, said in a news release. “When we invest in young children, we are also investing in working parents, local businesses and the future workforce. No other time is as critical — quality early learning opportunities help parents remain in the workforce, support employers by ensuring reliable childcare and lay the foundation for the problem-solvers, innovators and skilled workers our community will depend on in the coming decades.”
Mississippi protestors take stand on Trump administration, DOGE cuts
Protestors from around Mississippi have gathered multiple times to speak against Trump administration actions, including cuts to government services and programs, including changes made by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Rallies across the state have grown since Trump took office in January.
Contributing: Zachary Schermele and Medora Lee
Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with Gannett/USA Today. Email her at bbolden@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Education program helps Mississippi families. Trump budget could end it