The Impact of Eliminating Head Start on America's Children
Project 2025 proposes to "Eliminate the Head Start program," a critical service that provides early childhood education, health, and nutrition to low-income children. This isn't just a budget cut; it's the removal of a lifeline for nearly a million children.
833,000+
Low-income children served annually
The chart visualizes the proportion of children served by Head Start compared to the population of a major city like San Francisco (approx. 808,000).
Head Start provides comprehensive services beyond education. Its elimination would force families to pay an estimated $12,000 more annually for childcare, while society loses a program that yields a $7.30 return on investment (ROI) for every dollar spent.
$7.30 ROI
Returned to society for every $1 invested
The number of children who would lose access to Head Start is roughly equivalent to the entire population of San Francisco, CA.
Eliminating Head Start affects
More
people than live in the entire city of San Francisco.
"Project 2025" argues Head Start should be eliminated to return control to states, despite many states facing budget shortfalls that would prevent them from replacing this funding. Research consistently shows high long-term returns on investment for early childhood education.