SPECIAL REPORT
Head Start Transportation Hits Headwinds from Federal Proposal to Strip Down Regulations
Written by Carol Brzozowski F
or 61 years, Head Start has provided comprehen- sive early childhood education, health, nutrition and parent involvement services to children from birth to age 5 as well as pregnant mothers
from low-income and at-risk families, and American Indian and Alaska Native programs. While Head Start has long had funding issues, the
Administration for Children and Families (ACF) that oversees the Office of Head Start within the U.S. Depart- ment of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that seeks to rescind and replace its main performance standards. ACF estimates that it could reduce the administra-
tive-cost cap from 15 percent to 5 percent, which would decrease allowable administrative expenditures by about $754.3 million annually, with funds potentially reallocat- ed within programs. The proposal would direct the HHS secretary to no
longer enforce most Head Start regulations, including those for transportation, in favor of having each agency follow its respective state, tribal and local government licensing regulations. Federal oversight would continue, but no definitions were provided. While Head Start programs are not required by federal
rules to provide transportation services, those that do must follow strict safety and operational standards that meet or exceed traditional school transportation. When transportation is provided, vehicles must be school buses or allowable alternate vehicles equipped with height- and weight-appropriate child safety restraints. Federal rules also currently require at least one adult
18 School Transportation News • NOVEMBER 2026
monitor on board in addition to the driver, and specif- ic safety equipment like child safety restraints sysems, seatbelt cutters, emergency communication systems, fire extinguishers and first aid kits must be available. The Head Start Act’s requirement that programs en-
sure at least 10 percent of actual enrollment consists of children eligible for IDEA services would remain. How- ever, the NPRM proposes to remove current §1303.75, which requires adapted transportation for children with disabilities as necessary and compliance with transpor- tation requirements contained in a child’s IEP or IFSP. Programs not directly providing transportation must give families reasonable assistance to help them arrange travel to and from program activities.
What the Proposal Could Do The NPRM essentially would remove many standards
for transportation, the classrooms, program oversight and finances for local requirements that differ from one area to the next. It removes the federal requirement for aides or monitors on each school bus and would no longer require students be transported in school bus- es or allowable alternate vehicles, defined as a vehicle designed to carry 11 or more people including the driver that meets all federal motor safety standards applicable to school buses except for specific traffic control and lighting standards like stop arms and flashing red lights. It would remand the use of child safety restraint systems to what states require. But most states exempt school buses from following occupant protection laws. Only Indiana requires the use of CSRS in school buses
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