Trump’s Head Start reform could serve 236,000 more children — without spending a dime

Published August 17, 2026 10:00am ET



Early childhood education is critical, particularly for low-income families. My Archbridge Institute colleague and Nobel Prize winner James Heckman has written extensively on this topic.

This is why the Trump administration’s proposed reforms to Head Start are so badly needed. In the real world, resources are not unlimited. We simply can’t afford to continue devoting increasing amounts of taxpayer funding to every program that we like. The national debt is rapidly approaching $40 trillion.

Trusted reporting.Unlimited access.

Subscribe for full access to Washington Examiner coverage, expert political analysis, and subscriber-only journalism.

Get Unlimited Access

Already a member? Log in

Cancel anytime.