MEDIA CONTACT Gina Davis, gdavis@zerotothree.org
Washington, D.C. – ZERO TO THREE, a national nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life, today released the following statement in response to the reported termination of staff within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), including the Office of Child Care, Office of Early Childhood Development, and Office of Head Start.
“ZERO TO THREE is deeply concerned about the reported staff reductions within the Administration for Children and Families, particularly the significant impact on offices overseeing early childhood programs. We understand that dozens of staff in ACF’s early childhood offices received termination notices yesterday in the Office of Child Care, Office of Early Childhood Development, Office of Head Start.” said Matthew Melmed, Executive Director of ZERO TO THREE. “These actions will have far-reaching and damaging consequences for early care and education in communities across the country. Babies can’t wait for resources. Their needs are now. This is the foundation for a thriving future.”
The first three years of life are a period of unparalleled brain development. During this critical window, a baby’s brain forms over one million new neural connections every second. These connections lay the foundation for future learning, behavior, and health. High-quality early childhood programs, like those administered and supported by ACF, play a vital role in nurturing this development by providing enriching environments and responsive relationships that promote cognitive, social, and emotional growth.
Head Start and Early Head Start, key programs within ACF’s portfolio, have a proven track record of success. Research consistently demonstrates that children who participate in Head Start:
- Show significant gains in cognitive and language development.
- Are more likely to graduate high school and attend college.
- Experience improved social-emotional skills and are better prepared for kindergarten.
- Have better health outcomes, including higher immunization rates and access to nutritious meals.
Beyond Head Start, ACF supports a wide range of programs critical to young children and families, including child care subsidies, home visiting initiatives, and early intervention services. The dedicated public servants who administer these programs possess invaluable expertise and are committed to ensuring that all children can reach their full potential.
“These mass firings have grave implications for the basic functioning of early childhood programming across the country.” Melmed stated. “When you fire people who know how to get critical funding to programs like Head Start and Early Head Start, you’re directly harming families. It means it will take longer to get money to qualified programs, making it harder for them to provide high-quality care and services to families and children, and more difficult to ensure facilities are safe and up to date so kids are learning in secure, enriching environments will take longer. These firings are unnecessary and cruel and will leave families with even fewer resources during a time when they need them most.”
ZERO TO THREE urges the Administration to reconsider these staffing cuts and prioritize investments in programs and personnel that support the healthy development of our nation’s youngest children. The future growth and prosperity of our society depends on it.
In response to this development, ZERO TO THREE has launched an effort to encourage concerned families and community members to contact their representatives in Congress.
