Rep. Ciscomani Pushes Back on Head Start Rule Changes, Urges ACF to Reconsider Admin Cost Cap

September 21, 2026

The Honorable Alex J. AdamsAssistant SecretaryAdministration for Children and Families330 C Street, S.W.Washington, D.C. 20201

Dear Assistant Secretary Adams,

I write to express my thoughts and provide feedback I have heard from Head Start and Early Head Start programs across my district, on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), entitled "Reducing Federal Burden for Head Start Programs", submitted by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) on August 6th, 2026.

To be clear, I applaud many of the provisions included in the proposed rulemaking that are aimed at ensuring healthier and better outcomes for children across America who take part in these programs, including those that ensure more physical activity outdoors and ensuring better nutritional guidelines for programs to follow that will lead to healthier eating habits for kids in these programs. These targeted reforms would have an undoubted positive impact in the quality of life and outcomes for our children. Furthermore, I fully appreciate the aim of this proposal, which is targeted at finding significant cost savings that can be reinvested into creating, according to ACF's estimates, hundreds of thousands of additional slots for Head Start and Early Head Start programs across the country.

After careful review of this proposed rule, discussions between my staff and representatives from your office, and feedback from local Head Start and Early Head Start programs in my district, I respectfully request that the following observations and proposals be given thorough consideration as ACF continues towards finalizing the rule in the coming months.

First, for several of the proposed changes under the NPRM, including the reduction of the administrative cost cap from 15% down to 5%, my office has heard from several of the programs in my district that allowing for a phased implementation would allow for programs to be given adequate time to organize and implement these changes in a timely and organized manner, which will allow them to plan for future impacts to their operations.

Relatedly, programs in my district report administrative costs averaging approximately 10%, well below the current 15% cap. The NPRM itself notes that 27.7% of programs operate between 5% and 10%, with only 3.7% at or below 5%. Given that most programs currently operate above the proposed 5% threshold, I respectfully request that ACF consider raising the cap proposed under the NPRM to 10% instead.

Lastly, the NPRM allows programs to apply for an exemption waiver from certain requirements, including the administrative cost cap and the proposed removal of the requirement that at least one staff member be able to communicate with non-English speaking students, where operations or community needs make compliance impracticable. I would ask that ACF consider setting a maximum response time for waiver determinations, so programs have a predictable timeline for a final decision.

Again, I appreciate your consideration of these requests, and my office stands ready to assist in providing any further background information that you may require during this process. Please feel free to contact my Senior Legislative Assistant, Josh McGuire, at Josh.McGuire@mail.house.gov or via phone at 202-225-2542.

Sincerely,

Juan Ciscomani

Member of Congress