County Leaders Oppose Federal Head Start Rule Changes

County Executive Marc Elrich, Council President Natali Fani-González, and Community Action Board Chair DaVida Rowley are formally opposing proposed federal rule changes to Head Start that they say would weaken staffing standards, reduce instructional hours, restrict dual-language instruction, and limit parent engagement requirements. Montgomery County is submitting a joint public comment as part of the official notice-and-comment process for the proposed rule. The county has operated as a Head Start grantee for more than 60 years and currently serves approximately 1,000 children annually, 63% of whom come from multilingual households.