The American Civil Liberties Union sued the Trump administration on behalf of six young children organizations, including in California, for a lawsuit Monday to stop demolishing the program’s knockout and resume cuts, alleging that the action requires Congressional approval.
The lawsuit filed in western Washington also claimed that the government’s directive for depriving diversity, equity and inclusion work programs was “unconstitutionally ambiguous”, violated its teachers’ free freedom of speech and did not provide adequate guidance to providers on how to avoid loss of federal funds.
The DEI charge comes days after a federal judge blocked the Trump administration directive that threatened to withhold federal funds from K-12 public schools that did not comply with its anti-DEI guidance. The federal judge who made the initial ruling said the government’s definition of DEI was not clear.
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Head Start serves 800,000 low-income families nationwide, including about 80,000 in California. The six organizations joining the lawsuit are: Oakland’s Parent Voice, Oregon Family Forward and Head Start Associations in Washington, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
The lawsuit says a “blatant violation” of funds approved by Congress was conducted through a “blatant violation.” The lawsuit says Congressional action requires the Department of Health and Human Services to keep the head off with its current funding and staffing levels and ensure current capabilities as provided by the Head Start Act.
It also claims that the anti-DEI directives have damaged the quality of the program by preventing it from effectively meeting the “different needs” of its families. The lawsuit alleges that Head Start requires the ability to provide linguistically and culturally appropriate services and must allow hiring of diverse staff to ensure the situation.
The Department of Health and Human Services funded Head Start and did not respond to requests for comment on Monday.
Since its inception in 1965, Head Start has provided child care, health checks and meals to millions of low-income children, and it has faced multiple disruptions since its presidency. The center faces funding delays after the January executive order temporarily freezes federal aid, leading to efforts by some providers to temporarily trade wages. Dozens of federal government startup workers were then fired in February, followed by closing five of 12 regional offices in April, including the District 9 offices in charge of California.
Recently, a leaked draft proposal from the Department of Health and Human Services budget proposal revealed the department’s proposal to start a full refund in 2026. Budget proposals must be approved by Congress.
“We know what the government’s goal is – they told us,” said Jennesa Calvo Friedman, a lawyer for the ACLU Women’s Rights Project. “This is the termination of the Head Start process. We see that they have taken steps to do that.”
Clarissa Doutherd, executive director of Oakland parent Voices, said the pre-phase-out launch would put many families in trouble.
“We see families struggling with their salaries, trying to build a better future for their children, and those dreams slip on their fingers,” Dussard said. “It’s crucial – a comprehensive support system that helps families thrive by providing education, health and workforce development opportunities.”
Despite Trump’s previous challenges to funding for the program, Head Start has been supported by Democrats and Republicans in Congress — albeit unsuccessfully. He proposed an increase in Cutthe Head Start Inter funding in 2018 to $85 million, and $29 billion in 10 years in 2019, but no proposals succeeded. Instead, planned funds are increasing during both budget periods.
This year’s start planning to receive more than $12 billion in funding. California alone plans to receive about $1.6 billion in grants.
The program was recently targeted by the 2025 project called for termination, accusing the program of “full of scandal and abuse” and “has little or no long-term academic value for children.” However, Head Start is not the requirement for specific courses, nor is it the only child care program available for low-income families. Research also shows that it has many positive effects on children.
This article is part of the Times Early Childhood Education Program, focusing on learning and development of California children from birth to 5 years of age. For more information about the program and its charitable funders, please go to latimes.com/earlyed. The Stein Early Childhood Development Fund of the California Community Foundation is the funder.
