Some Central Virginia students could lose early education if Trump administration ends Head Start funding

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Students in at least two Central Virginia school districts would be impacted if Congress agrees to end funding for a federally-funded education program that benefits young children from low-income families, as the Trump administration has requested.

President Donald Trump and his administration have requested that Congress eliminate funding for the Head Start program, per the Associated Press (AP). This proposal aligns with Trump's “goals of returning control of education to the states and increasing parental control," as stated in an internal draft budget document obtained by the AP.

Head Start is an early childhood education and development program that serves children from birth to age 5, according to the Virginia Department of Social Services (DSS). It provides a variety of academic, social and emotional development-related services for eligible low-income families.

"Head Start is the most successful, longest-running, national school readiness program in the United States," the DSS said. "It is a direct federal-to-local program serving low-income children. The program promotes comprehensive education, health, nutrition, dental, mental health, social services and parental involvement opportunities."

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This program is entirely funded by the federal government, meaning that, should its funding indeed be eliminated, these early education opportunities would also be eliminated.

“Eliminating funding for Head Start would be catastrophic," said Yasmina Vinci, the executive director of the National Head Start Association, in an open letter addressed to Trump. "It would end early learning, meals, vision, hearing and developmental screenings, and dental care for nearly 800,000 of our nation’s most at-risk children. Over a million parents wouldn’t be able to go to work. Communities nationwide would lose a vital foundation of their child and family support systems."

Virginia, on the whole, relied on nearly $187 million in funding for Head Start programs during the 2023-24 school year, according to data from the Center for American Progress (CAP).

8News reached out to several Central Virginia school districts to better understand Head Start on a local level. The school districts for Richmond, Henrico County and Hanover County have responded as of the time of reporting.

Richmond Public Schools and Hanover County Public Schools both receive Head Start funding.

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The proposed budget for Richmond Public Schools' 2025-26 school year includes about $11.3 million in expected Head Start funding. On average across the 2024-25 school year, the district had about 683 students enrolled in its Head Start programs, per Richmond School Board documents.

For the 2025-26 school year, Hanover Public Schools is set to receive about $1.2 million from the federal government for its Head Start programs, according to a spokesperson. A total of 105 students are currently enrolled in such programs.

"While we recognize that there is much speculation regarding various programs and changes, we have not been informed of any impact on our funding," the spokesperson added. "Additionally, it is not our practice to opine or speculate on potential impacts. We remain focused on providing our students with the highest quality educational experience, preparing them to be empowered learners, responsible citizens, engaged communicators, and resilient individuals."

Henrico County Public Schools does not use Head Start. Instead, its preschool programs are funded through the Virginia Preschool Initiative, per a spokesperson.

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The AP does note that Trump's request is in the early stages of being addressed by legislators and that Congress "often ignores a president's budget request" -- however, the proposal still "highlights the administration’s priorities as President Donald Trump seeks to overhaul education in the United States."