By: Melanee Cottrill, Executive Director, Head Start California

With a new administration, the last two weeks have been a whirlwind of unexpected challenges for Head Start. HSC has been working diligently to understand the new orders and what they mean for Head Start. We are also working closely with our partners to resolve any issues your program experiences as quickly as possible. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly if you encounter any challenges that may be due to these, or future, federal orders.

Here’s a quick roundup of recent federal actions impacting Head Start programs:

• Executive Order 14159 (Immigration): Requires review of federal contracts with nonprofits supporting or providing services to “removable or illegal aliens” and pauses funding pending results of said review. It is currently unclear how or whether this will impact programs.
• Grant Pause: Last week, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memo requiring a freeze on all federal grants to allow for implementation of EO 14159. A few hours later, a clarification was issued indicating that Head Start was not intended to be subject to the freeze. The memo requiring a grant freeze has now been rescinded, however the underlying EO 14159 remains in effect.
• PMS System Issues: Concurrently with the Grant Pause, programs began experiencing delays with the Payment Management System. This appears to be a random issue. If your program is still experiencing payment or grant notice delays, please complete this quick survey as soon as possible.
• Executive Order 14151 (DEI): Requires federal agencies to end DEI “actions, initiatives, or programs.” Many pages on Headstart.gov have been removed and training programs are being updated accordingly. HSC has adjusted our conference content.
• Communications Pause: The Department of Health and Human Services, which includes the Office of Head Start, has been ordered to pause external communications, including most training programs, until a political appointee is in place. We expect the pause to last through at least February, potentially longer.
• Federal Hiring Freeze: Hiring is frozen for federal agencies, including the Office of Head Start, for at least 90 days. To our understanding, the hiring freeze does not apply to programs, only to the federal Office of Head Start.

Additionally, the federal budget for our current fiscal year has not been settled. Congress has until March 14 to pass a budget. Proposals to either flat fund or slightly increase Head Start remain in play.