By Madison Marino Doan via The Daily Signal | January 27, 2025
Imagine sending your child to a federally funded early-childhood program, thinking they’re in a safe, nurturing environment, only to discover they’ve been repeatedly exposed to hazardous mold.
Imagine hearing that a teacher entrusted with your child’s care grabbed him or her by the hood of his or her jacket and slammed him or her to the ground.
These are not the nightmares of some dystopian novel. These are real events uncovered in a recent Government Accountability Office report about the Head Start program—a cornerstone of early-childhood education in the United States.
Commissioned by the House Education and Workforce Committee, the GAO’s investigation paints a grim picture of systemic failure within Head Start, particularly in centers managed by interim administrators.
For at least five years, the Office of Head Start—the agency responsible for oversight—failed to implement basic monitoring measures, enforce quality standards, or safeguard taxpayer dollars.
The results are appalling.
Alarming Findings of Neglect, Mismanagement
The report reveals at least 15 documented child-safety violations under interim management.
State licensing agencies shared accounts of dangerous conditions, but in some cases, local staff were prevented from reporting these issues directly to the Office of Head Start or to state officials.
These violations are both shocking and heartbreaking:
- A child picking mold from under baseboards held together with double-sided tape.
- Heating systems failing, prompting unsafe temporary fixes like plug-in heat lamps with taped-down cords.
- Rent payments for facilities costing four times more than the previous grant recipient paid—all at taxpayers’ expense.
- Essential items such as diapers, baby wipes, and soaps are frequently unavailable due to fiscal mismanagement.
- Trash pilling up for more than a month at two centers.
These stories of neglect are compounded by a lack of financial accountability. The GAO found that the Office of Head Start failed to monitor enrollment or require the return of funds for children no longer in the program.
Millions of taxpayer dollars intended to support vulnerable children were spent, but the inability to fill seats rendered the funds essentially wasted.
A Troubled History of Oversight Failures
This isn’t the first time Head Start has come under scrutiny.
A 2022 report from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General revealed widespread instances of abuse and neglect in Head Start programs between 2015 and 2020. Children were left unsupervised, subjected to verbal and physical abuse, and even released to unauthorized individuals.
Even beyond safety concerns, the program’s effectiveness has been called into question. A 2012 HHS study tracking 5,000 children from Head Start through third grade found the program had little to no lasting impact on cognitive abilities, access to health care, or parenting practices.
A Call for Reform
As the nation’s largest federally funded early-childhood program, Head Start represents a $12 billion annual investment by taxpayers. While its mission to support children in poverty is laudable, its execution has fallen woefully short.
If Head Start cannot meet its most basic responsibilities—ensuring the safety and well-being of children—it’s time for a serious conversation about its future.
Congress should adopt the policies in the Head Start Improvement Act, which would shift control to states, local officials, and parents. By replacing the current program with block grants and introducing education savings accounts, families could use their portion of funds to select the child care provider that best meets their needs.
That approach would empower parents with the flexibility to make choices aligned with their values and priorities.
In the short term, Congress should ensure that HHS fully implements the GAO’s recommendations. Families participating in Head Start deserve immediate action to address these failings.
Madison Marino Doan is a senior research associate in the Center for Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation.
Original article link
