(The Center Square) – Head Start programs in Illinois and several other states are suing the Trump administration over plans to cut federal funding for early childhood education. Critics argue the program lacks academic impact and is plagued by misuse.
Head Start is run by Start Early, which received about $70 million in taxpayer funds in fiscal year 2024, according to an audit that was conducted due to “inadequate internal controls.”
Executive Director Sarah Rittling, who is also the president of its affiliate First Five Action, earned over $600,000 in combined salary, according to 2022 tax records.
Former education policy advisor and expert Tony Kinnett said Head Start is basically “taxpayer-funded” daycare.
“You have these bloated salary individuals who can’t even tell you what they are doing different from any other traditional method of preschool, early school education that’s providing any kind of a long lasting benefit,” said Kinnett.
According to a Start Early spokesman, Head Start is a vital early childhood program that supports nearly 805,000 children and pregnant women each year with education, health care, and family services – not just daycare.
“Critics who focus on salaries and question impact overlook decades of research demonstrating that early childhood education offers a return on investment of $4 to $9 for every dollar spent,” said the spokesman. “Families are facing a national child care crisis – with costs exceeding college tuition in most states.”
Diana Rauner, wife of former Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, is the treasurer of First Five Action. She is also the president of Start Early. Kinnett said politicians on both sides of the aisle buy into the “feel-good language lobbyists.”
“I don’t think it’s insidious corruption, you know, smirking and handshaking,” Kinnett said. “I think it probably comes from a sense of moral superiority, the idea that because you have a degree and some experience, you’re the one who should be tasked with growing this bloated program that’s, in reality, lukewarm, three-day-old milk.”
The ACLU of Illinois joined a national lawsuit on behalf of the Illinois Head Start Association to challenge the Trump administration’s efforts to “undermine” the Head Start program. The lawsuit argues that cuts to support systems and delays in funding threaten the survival of local programs and their ability to serve children and families.
“It is especially troubling that the administration says that many of the programs are ‘wasteful’ or ‘problematic’ for providing the type of diverse services for the community that are mandated in the statute creating Head Start,” ACLU Illinois spokesman Ed Yohnka told The Center Square.
Start Early’s Illinois Head Start program is funded largely by taxpayers. According to the 2024 financial audit, Illinois spent over $21 million, federal agencies spent over $47 million and Chicago Department of Family and Support Services spent over $1.3 million.
In fiscal year 2024, the federal government allocated $12.27 billion to the national Head Start and Early Head Start programs. This funding represented a $275 million increase over the previous year.
“Seventy-two percent of voters, including majorities across the political spectrum, believe early childhood education is a good investment of taxpayer dollars,” the Start Early spokesman told The Center Square.
Kinnett said that, up until kindergarten, the most important factor for children’s education is the ability to mimic their parents.
“If you’re talking about the benefits of a program like Head Start, the main takeaway is it’s just a place for kids to have some social interaction. That doesn’t justify the massive budgets of $70-$90 million,” said Kinnett.
Kinnett argued that early childhood programs like Head Start should be locally or privately funded, not backed by federal tax dollars.
“Head Start is like one of those trendy burger joints with $40 flavorless burgers and no fries. They call them ‘handhelds’ and talk about their ‘vision,’ but it’s all style, no substance,” said Kinnett.
