Trump Admin Halts More Than $35 Million from Wisconsin Head Start Centers, A 50% Cut

Quality child care and preschool for thousands of Wisconsin families now at-risk

Withholding of funding comes as Trump proposes eliminating Head Start, shuttering regional offices, and fires key staff who run programs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin announced that the Trump Administration has stopped more than $35 million in funding for Wisconsin Head Start centers, putting quality preschool and child care for thousands of Wisconsin families at risk. New data shows that the Trump Administration has halted more than $35 million compared to the same period last year, a 50% cut in funding that could lead to closures of Wisconsin centers. Nationwide, the Trump administration has withheld nearly $1 billion in funding for Head Start, already forcing Head Start centers to close, with many others at risk. This new data comes as President Trump finalizes his proposal to eliminate Head Start, shutters half of the regional offices helping support local programs, including the one that serves Wisconsin, and fires scores of staff who ensure Head Start centers can serve kids and families.

“Before our very eyes, Donald Trump is defunding Head Start – kicking kids out of the classrooms, laying off teachers and caretakers, and leaving many parents with no option for child care,” said Senator Baldwin. “The idea that the President is actively working to give the biggest corporations and wealthiest Wall Street guys a new tax break while taking away preschool and child care from Wisconsinites is beyond the pale – and I will fight it at every turn. Everywhere I travel in Wisconsin, parents tell me about the challenge of finding and affording good child care and early learning opportunities – and this move will only make it worse. We need to make child care more affordable, not shut down this lifeline, like the President is planning.”

Across Wisconsin, 299 Head Start Centers serve nearly 15,000 children and their families, providing high-quality early childhood education and wrap-around support. Head Start programs’ grants are generally renewed at the same time each year, and Head Start programs depend on these strict funding cycles to continue serving kids and families. In 2024, $69.5 million in Head Start funding went out to Wisconsin centers from the start of the year through April 15. But during the same period this year, only $34.5 million has so far gone out, a 50% decline.

Last week, Senator Baldwin called on U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to answer for the closure of five regional Head Start offices across the country, including the Region 5 office in Chicago, which serves Head Start centers in Wisconsin.

Earlier in the year, the Trump Administration froze funding for Head Start programs, and despite being forced to rescind its directive, eight Head Start programs around the state continued to experience issues accessing their federal funding, forcing one Head Start Center in Waukesha to close – leaving more than 250 families without childcare. Baldwin demanded that the Administration resolve the issue immediately and restore funding to these Wisconsin Head Start centers so they could continue serving kids and families.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.