Trump’s cruelty has a new target: Babies and preschoolers in Head Start | Opinion
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- Kennedy barred undocumented children from accessing Head Start programs in 2025.
- Head Start served over 800,000 children and pregnant mothers nationwide in 2022.
- Policy shift may save funds but risks long-term harm to low-income child development.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s announcement that undocumented children would no longer be able to take part in Head Start programs was wrapped in the veneer of American red, white and blue.
““For too long, the government has diverted hardworking Americans’ tax dollars to incentivize illegal immigration,” the secretary of Health and Human Services declared on July 10. “Today’s action changes that — it restores integrity to federal social programs, enforces the rule of law, and protects vital resources for the American people.”
His pronouncement unfurled its patriotism like an American flag. But Kennedy overstates the problem while ignoring the harm being done. Beneath the grandiose words is the black hole of cruelty that is the Trumpian approach to undocumented immigrants.
President Donald Trump’s war with undocumented people has seen deportations without due process and people sent to countries that aren’t their home nations. Now he targets babies and preschoolers, for that is who Head Start helps — little people learning the fundamentals of respecting parents, socializing in groups and conducting oneself with good manners.
Making Head Start unavailable to all children, regardless of immigration status, is penny wise and pound foolish, as the Brits would say. Studies make it abundantly clear that the early education provided by Head Start gives children a strong beginning on the path toward college and a successful life — especially since many of the kids in Head Start come from low-income families struggling with daily challenges.
Consider the story of one Fresno child.
Head Start helps mom
Yvonne Torres was worried about her 4-year-old son Ezequiel. He was shy and had limited interaction with other kids. She knew he was not developing as he needed to, and she decided to enroll him in the Franklin Head Start program in west Fresno.
As related by the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission, Torres was “really grateful when he got accepted because I knew this would be good for him. Being in an environment with kids his own age made all the difference.”
The change was almost immediate. Within months, Ezequiel began to blossom and show “remarkable growth” in his behavior, manners and educational readiness, his mother said.
“This program gave Ezequiel the tools to succeed and gave me the tools to support him,” she told the EOC.
Besides the learning for Ezequiel, Head Start also offered parenting meetings that Torres took part in. “I learned a lot and still use the parenting tools they taught me to this day,” she said.
About 2,000 children are in Head Start (for preschoolers) and Early Head Start (infants and toddlers) programs in more than 35 sites in Fresno County, including Fresno, Clovis, Mendota, Reedley, Huron and Parlier. Children are not turned away as long as they meet eligibility requirements based on age.
Head Start programs in Sacramento County currently serve 3,448 preschoolers and 977 infants and toddlers. Nearly 140 centers operate throughout the county — half by the Sacramento Employment and Training Agency, the rest by local school districts.
The EOC’s telling of Torres’ story does not indicate if she is undocumented or not, but so what? What is most important is that her son has a better chance of working well in school and becoming a productive adult. Chances are that he will remain in Fresno and become part of the city’s fabric.
The benefits of Head Start to children are clear to Dr. Michele Cantwell-Copher, Fresno County’s superintendent of schools.
“At the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, we believe every child deserves the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive, especially in their earliest years,” she told me in an email. “Programs like Head Start help ensure our most vulnerable children are ready for school and supported for life.
“At a time when families have questions and concerns, we are committed to working with our partners to remove barriers and create welcoming environments for all eligible families who call Fresno County home.”
Here is hoping Ezequiel grows up to do great things. Americans used to want children to succeed. Isn’t that still the time-honored American way?
Trump-Kennedy policy must be changed
Nationally, Head Start provided services to more than 800,000 children and pregnant mothers in 2022, the latest year reported. In California, nearly 74,000 children from low-income families were in Head Start classes, according to an analysis by Ed Source, a news site covering schools.
Kennedy said his move would mean “American citizens could receive as much as $374 million in additional Head Start services annually.” That assumes a participation rate that Kennedy did not identify. While hundreds of millions is a lot of money to most Americans, it is a mere dot in the overall federal budget, which last year was nearly $7 trillion.
The latest Gallup poll shows that a record 79% of Americans think immigration is good for the country. The share of those who want less immigration has dropped from 55% a year ago to 30% now, Gallup finds.
Putting Head Start off-limits to children who are undocumented or have undocumented parents is not just wrong, it is anti-American. For any who forget, this is a nation that welcomes immigrants, as proclaimed on the Statue of Liberty’s famous inscription by writer Emma Lazarus: ““Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
Educating children is smart; forbidding to teach them is dumb. Head Start provides this vital service free for qualified families. Kennedy should rescind his wrongheaded decision and uphold true American values.
This story was originally published July 16, 2025 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Trump’s cruelty has a new target: Babies and preschoolers in Head Start | Opinion."
