HHS' Historical Approach to Head Start Regulation Following the 2007 Statutory Reauthorization has Increased Costs and Reduced Access, without Substantial Quality Gains

This brief describes HHS' historical approach to Head Start regulation following the 2007 statutory reauthorization. Key findings include:

• Head Start was last reauthorized in 2007 in the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act (PL 110-134).
• The Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS) underwent comprehensive revisions in 2016 and 2024. These revisions described a tradeoff between cost, access, and quality: higher regulatory costs were expected to reduce funded enrollment absent offsetting resources with the goal of improving quality. Combined, the two rulemakings were estimated to reduce funded slots by 228,000.
• Since the 2016 regulation, average spending per slot has increased and number of funded slots has decreased, but there has not been a substantial increase in quality as measured by the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS), with scores generally plateauing. 
• From Fiscal Years 2015 to 2024 (FY15 to FY24), average spending per slot for Early Head Start increased from $16,042 to $21,175 and for Head Start Preschool from $10,575 to $15,752 in 2024 dollars. Spending outpaced inflation by 32 percent in Early Head Start and 49 percent in Head Start Preschool.
• The number of slots reduced from FY15 to FY25 by 277,658 slots, or a 29 percent decrease.

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