A Cautionary Tale as Head Start Turns 60
Fresh federal findings cast doubt on whether Head Start is delivering on its promises to families and taxpayers. In 2025, the federal preschool program providing care to children from low-income families, marked its 60th anniversary. Over that time, taxpayers have spent more than $240 billion on the program.
A recent report from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) found that median spending per child reaches approximately $20,000 in Early Head Start (a program serving infants, toddlers, and pregnant women) and close to $15,000 for pre-K students in Head Start programs.
These figures exceed or rival the cost of many private childcare options. Nationally, center-based childcare averagesroughly $16,000 per year for infants and about $12,000 for four-year-olds. In some states, Head Start spending even surpasses K-12 public school spending per pupil. For example, in Idaho, Head Start median costs range from roughly $16,000 to $18,000 per child, compared to about $12,000 in public K-12 spending. In Utah, Head Start costs could reach as high as almost $25,000 per child, more than double the state’s K-12 per-pupil spending.
This comparison doesn’t even account for states with school choice programs that yield significant cost savings. In 2022, the average public funding per student for choice programs was approximately $6,000, compared to $17,000 per student for traditional public schools in states where choice programs operate. These programs demonstrate that it is possible to expand educational opportunity at a far lower cost to taxpayers.
One might expect a program costing taxpayers up to about $40,000 per child to deliver exceptional care. Instead, federal investigations have repeatedly uncovered neglect, mismanagement, and systemic and oversight failures.
In 2022, the Office of Inspector General (from within HHS) released a report revealing widespread instances of abuse and neglect in Head Start programs between 2015 and 2020. Approximately 1 in 4 grant recipients had incidents in which children were abused, left unsupervised, or released to an unauthorized person.
More recently, a different agency, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), released a report highlighting systemic failures, particularly in centers managed by interim administrators. The report revealed at least 15 documented child-safety violations under interim management. In one case, a facility was so poorly maintained that a child was exposed to mold from under baseboards held together with double-sided tape.
The 2025 GAO report also found that the Office of Head Start failed to monitor enrollment or require the return of funds for children no longer enrolled in the program. As a result, millions of taxpayer dollars were wasted simply because basic accountability mechanisms were not enforced.
Beyond those serious oversight failures, Head Start’s effectiveness has also been questioned. A 2012 Department of Health and Human Services study tracking 5,000 children from Head Start through third grade found the program had little to no lasting impact on cognitive abilities, access to health care, or parenting practices. This followed a 2010 report (from HHS) looking at first grade outcomes, which found similar results.
The newest HHS report included proposed guidance on setting a spending benchmark for Head Start grantees, in hopes that greater fiscal responsibility would result in more spots for kids. However, based on past accountability reports on these programs, the issues could outweigh the benefits.
Head Start was first created in 1965 under President Lyndon Johnson’s administration to provide preschool care to children from low-income families. Early Head Start followed nearly three decades later. However, in the 60 years that Head Start has been in existence, it has been fraught with problems.
As a former colleague of mine said, it’s in the interest of children and taxpayers for this program to finally come to an end.
Congress should consider sunsetting the program. If unable to do so, they should consider adopting the policies in the Head Start Improvement Act, which would shift control to states, local officials, and parents. By replacing the current program with block grants and introducing education savings accounts, families could use their share of the funds to choose the childcare provider that best meets their needs.
Parents shouldn’t have to wait around for the unlikely prospect that Head Start reforms itself from within. Instead, eligible families should have access to safe and effective early education and care, with Head Start dollars following them to the provider of their choice.
