On March 31, 2025, the Trump administration abruptly closed five regional Head Start offices that provided support and guidance for Head Start programs in TK23 states and territories, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The sudden loss of the regional staff who have been key partners in ensuring the success of the Head Start and Early Head Start programs is a serious blow and will critically disrupt Head Start’s viability for millions of children and families. One of those unexpectedly shuttered regional offices was Region 9 in San Francisco, which oversaw all Head Start programs in California, Hawai‘i, Nevada, and Arizona, including CommUnify’s 20 Head Start campuses across Santa Barbara County.
This hasty shutdown threatens the future of our local Head Start program and the children and families it serves — no warning, no transition plan. And it jeopardizes critical support for some of the most vulnerable members of our community.
But the worst is yet to come. Project 2025 proposes to completely eliminate the Head Start and Early Head Start programs, which serve more than one million children annually. Without Head Start, families who are already struggling financially could experience even greater economic burdens as they would have to spend funds they don’t have on childcare, or forego working in order to stay home with their children. This would in turn impact local workforces across our nation and in our county, and could create other negative outcomes such as increased homelessness, food insecurity, mental health challenges, and unsafe/unlicensed childcare settings.
The premise of Head Start is simple: Every child, regardless of their circumstances at birth, should have the ability to reach their full potential. And Head Start works. Since its launch in 1965, Head Start has positively impacted the life circumstances of 40 million children and their families.
The data has consistently shown that children who attend Head Start have better health outcomes, better preparation for kindergarten, and a greater likelihood of graduating high school and completing a post-secondary degree. Children who attend Head Start are less likely to enter foster care, less likely to be aggressive and have behavioral issues, and 31 percent less likely to engage in criminal activities as young adults. For parents, Head Start enhances parents’ education level, employment status, and income potential/self-sufficiency, improves parenting skills, reduces parental stress, and increases family stability.
CommUnify has provided Head Start and Early Head Start since 1967, and we estimate that our programs have served more than 55,000 children and their families to date in Santa Barbara County. Currently we have close to 600 children (infants, toddlers, and preschoolers) enrolled, and the program employs more than 200 staff. The closing of these regional offices means that it will be an even bigger challenge than before to ensure that these children and their families are given a fair opportunity for a quality education and a better future.
We hope that you will stand with Head Start. The clock is ticking, and the time is now to raise our voices. Santa Barbara County could look very different without Head Start. If you’d like to take action, please contact your local federal representatives and demand the reopening of the Region 9 Head Start office and the reinstatement of essential Head Start regional staff.
Call or Message Now
- Rep. Salud Carbajal (@repcarbajal): (202) 225-3601 and (805) 730-1710
- Sen. Alex Padilla (@SenAlexPadilla): (202) 224-3553 and (310) 231-4494
- Sen. Adam Schiff (@SenAdamSchiff): (202) 225-3601 and (805) 730-1710
Impacted Regional Head Start Offices
- Region 1: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island
- Region 2: New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, USVI
- Region 5: Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota
- Region 9: California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawai‘i, Outlying Areas
- Region 10: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska
Patricia Keelean is the Chief Executive Officer of the nonprofit organization CommUnify, which oversees Santa Barbara County’s 20 Head Start locations. CommUnify’s mission is to empower people and transform lives through its 16 programs and services. Learn more at communifysb.org.
