The Relentless School Nurse: Who Gets to Learn? The Cruel New Reality for Undocumented Preschoolers

Official Statement from the National Head Start Association

   The National Head Start Association (NHSA) is alarmed by today’s announcement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that will require Head Start programs to check the citizenship or immigration status of children prior to their enrollment. This decision undermines the fundamental commitment that the country has made to children and disregards decades of evidence that Head Start is essential to our collective future. Head Start programs strive to make every child feel welcome, safe, and supported, and reject the characterization of any child as ‘illegal.’
    The Head Start Act has never required documentation of immigration status as a condition for enrollment over the last 60 years. Attempts to impose such a requirement threaten to create fear and confusion among all families who are focused on raising healthy children, ready to succeed in school and life.
    Over its six decades of service to children and families, Head Start has been a launch pad to success in life for more than 40 million children. An investment in Head Start means healthier children, safer neighborhoods, more parents working and contributing, and fewer families needing public assistance. Given all that Head Start does for the country’s youngest learners and their futures, there is no good reason to make it harder for children to access this life-changing opportunity. –National Head Start Association Executive Director Yasmina Vinci

What’s at Stake?

Head Start has long been a cornerstone for low-income families. It’s not just a place for early learning; it’s where children receive critical health screenings, mental health support, nutrition, and a foundation of safety and belonging. For many, it’s where developmental delays are first identified, where speech and hearing challenges are caught early, and where trauma or social-emotional concerns are addressed. These early interventions change lives. Excluding undocumented children from these services is a cruel and dangerous reversal of decades of inclusive practice.

The Policy Shift

• New HHS Guidance: Head Start is now classified as a “federal public benefit,” and proof of immigration status is required for eligibility.

• Immediate Impact: This effectively bars undocumented children from accessing the program, a devastating shift from the longstanding policy that prioritized a child’s needs over their paperwork.

• Rolls Back Decades of Inclusion: This reverses federal guidance dating back to the Clinton administration, which allowed all children to enroll regardless of status.

The Real-World Impact

• Fear and Confusion:Families who once trusted these programs are now afraid to walk through the door. Some are pulling their children out of preschool entirely. Others are afraid to access health care or social services—even when their children are sick or need developmental support. This past school year, several of my preschool families self-deported for fear of being separated.

• Harm to Children: Missed appointments, delayed care, rising anxiety among parents, and uncertainty among providers are becoming the new normal. The message this policy sends is clear: if your child is undocumented, they do not deserve support. That message is not just inhumane—it’s dangerous.

• Lack of Guidance: Community-based nonprofits that operate Head Start programs are left with no clear direction. Are they expected to verify a child’s immigration status or the parent’s? What about mixed-status families? This lack of transparency has created widespread confusion and undermined trust between families and providers.

This Is Not About Saving Money

Let’s be clear: this is not about budget savings. It’s about exclusion and intimidation. It runs counter to everything we know about child development, public health, and ethical care.

My Stance as a School Nurse

I became a school nurse to serve all children and families. I believe in early access, in building trust, and in identifying health concerns before they escalate. Every child deserves to feel safe, supported, and included in the systems designed to help them thrive. We have a collective responsibility to speak out when those systems are used to exclude rather than uplift.

What You Can Do

If you are a school nurse, educator, health care professional, policymaker, or concerned community member, I urge you to act:

• Contact HHS and Your Elected Officials: Demand the reversal of this exclusionary policy.

  • Email the Office of Head Start directly: OHS_policy@acf.hhs.gov

  • Find your representatives: Find Your Members of Congress

• Support Immigrant Families: Connect families with trusted organizations that can help them navigate their options.

  • National Immigration Law Center: https://www.nilc.org/

  • Protecting Immigrant Families: https://protectingimmigrantfamilies.org/

• Raise Awareness: Share what’s happening with your networks and speak the names of the children this policy affects.

• Stay Grounded in Compassion and Justice: Our job isn’t to screen children out. Our job is to care for them, no matter who they are or where they come from.

When we care for children, we care for our future. Let’s make sure it’s one where every child is welcome, supported, and given the best possible start in life, without fear, without exception.

I visited the LBJ Presidential Library on the campus of the University of Texas-Austin during the NASN2025 conference. It was LBJ who signed the legislation that created Head Start in 1965. You can watch the actual ceremony in the Rose Garden by clicking the link below:

President Lyndon B. Johnson created Head Start as part of the War on Poverty 60 years ago this summer. 

I believe that this is one of the most constructive, and one of the most sensible, and also one of the most exciting programs that this nation has ever undertaken,” LBJ said in the Rose Garden ceremony. Head Start grew exponentially in its early years. In 1968, Lady Bird Johnson went to see the success for herself with a classroom visit. 

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