Expanding Head Start Eligibility Act of 2025
Expanding Head Start Eligibility Act of 2025
Plain Language Summary
# Expanding Head Start Eligibility Act of 2025 - Summary **What the bill would do:** This bill would expand the Head Start preschool program to serve more low-income children by automatically including families who receive certain government assistance benefits. Currently, Head Start serves children from families below certain income thresholds. Under this bill, families receiving benefits like food stamps (SNAP), housing assistance (Section 8), WIC (nutrition for women and children), or other welfare programs would automatically qualify their children for Head Start, without having to meet separate income requirements. **Who it affects:** The bill primarily affects low-income families and their young children (Head Start typically serves ages 3-5).
It would also impact Head Start programs, which would need to accommodate more eligible participants, and state governments that administer some of these assistance programs. **Current status and key provisions:** The bill is currently in committee and has not yet been voted on by Congress. The main provisions link Head Start eligibility to six existing government assistance programs: SNAP, TANF, SSI, WIC, Section 8 housing, and the food distribution program on Indian reservations. The bill also requires states to include families eligible for state-funded food assistance programs with similar requirements to SNAP.
CRS Official Summary
Expanding Head Start Eligibility Act of 2025This bill expands eligibility for Head Start programs to include the children of families eligible for specified public assistance programs. Specifically, the bill expands Head Start eligibility to include the children of families that qualify for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), and federal housing assistance (commonly known as Section 8). The bill also provides statutory authority for the eligibility of families that qualify for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Families that qualify for state-funded food assistance programs with eligibility standards identical or substantially similar to the standards for SNAP must also be eligible for Head Start.
Latest Action
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.