Project 2025, calls for the elimination of federal funding for Head Start, which would impact millions of low-income American families. Head Start provides quality early education to children birth to five and access to wrap-around services, while also employing over 250,000 adults, including dozens of AFSCME Local 1369 members in Vermont. The Trump administration is expected to put forth a budget proposal in May that would strip funding, further disadvantaging some of the most vulnerable among us. Join us in sending the message to Republican lawmakers that voters care about Head Start by signing in support of the program.

Head Start is not just childcare. It’s a lifeline. It provides early learning, health screenings, nutritious meals, and critical family support to nearly 800,000 at-risk children nationwide — and hundreds right here in our own community. Without it, parents would be forced to choose between keeping their jobs and ensuring their children have a safe, nurturing place to grow.

This isn’t just a budget cut. It’s a direct attack on working families and a betrayal of sixty years of bipartisan commitment to helping children succeed regardless of income or zip code. Head Start has long proven its value: improving educational outcomes, increasing graduation rates, and creating pathways to economic self-sufficiency.

Though this is only a proposal, the time to act is now. We urge President Trump to reconsider, and for Congress to stand firm in defending our families. We cannot allow this program to vanish.

Our children are counting on us. Let’s raise our voices, contact our representatives, and make it clear: we won’t stand by while the futures of our kids — and our community — are threatened. Head Start is the foundation of opportunity. Let’s fight to protect it.

Here is the link to the action step: Take Action for Head Start