Illinois Head Start Association, along with several other Head Start associations from across the country, filed a lawsuit against the federal government late Monday over its plans to eliminate the early childhood development programs nationwide.
The suit alleges the executive branch has disregarded congressional budget extensions, which had allocated funding to the programs through September, as well as the Head Start Act, which has required the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to allocate at least as much funding for Head Start programs as the year before.
It also cites improved economic and health outcomes for children and families who participate in the program and warns of the damage if programs close amid the uncertainty of funding.
“[The federal government’s] actions disrupt — and are designed to disrupt — the ability of Head Start agencies to provide quality service to children and parents,” the suit reads. “They are part and parcel of Defendants’ unlawful policy of winding down the Head Start program without Congressional approval.”
A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said the agency doesn’t comment on ongoing litigation.
Nationally, the program serves about 750,000 kids — approximately 28,000 across 600 centers in Illinois — about 75% of them in what it deems as “quality” preschool centers. The other 25% are children who receive child care and home visits because they are too young for preschool.
About 8,700 Illinois residents are employed by the program statewide, according to the suit.
The Trump admininstration is proposing to eliminate all Head Start funding next year as part of massive cuts, as several outlets reported according to a 64-page draft.
“The budget does not fund Head Start,” which is consistent with the Trump administration’s “goals of returning control of education to the states and increasing parental control. The federal government should not be in the business of mandating curriculum, locations and performance standards for any form of education.”
In January, a government-wide funding freeze temporarily prevented some Head Start providers nationwide from making payroll. Then on April 1, Chicago-based staffers who worked for a range of federal programs aimed at helping struggling children and families were terminated. Their office was one of five nationwide that was shuttered in the “highest cost cities,” a spokeswoman later said.
Uncertainty around funding has continued, according to the suit, which states the Illinois Head Start office wasn’t informed if it would receive the second half of this year’s funding until Friday — and there’s doubt the money will ever arrive.
“The reckless cuts authored by the Trump Administration and DOGE block Head Start programs from serving — and offering a better future to — low-income children and families across the state,” Lauri Frichtl, executive director of Illinois Head Start, said in a statement. “It has made a positive difference in the lives of thousands of young people from all backgrounds and communities in Illinois. We are committed to continuing this service for all children.”
The lawsuit also alleges that Illinois Head Start employees have been given a variety of conflicting answers on how to comply with Trump’s March DEI ban, ranging from being told they were unable to discuss the ban to cutting words like “diversity,” “equity” and “accessibility,” as well as entire sections on anti-bias training.
In addition, the suit alleges Illinois Head Start programs were told to remove “non-English speaker” as criteria when registering new members, which it says could become an issue in ensuring children who need dual language programming get it.
“Agencies that are forced to make these changes risk compromising the quality of services that they are able to provide to children of diverse backgrounds,” the suit alleges. “To the extent that agencies are no longer able to meet the same needs of the children they serve, they are at risk of disenrollment, and, as a result, closure.”
Contributing: Lauren Fitzpatrick, AP