NYC Head Start Providers Assessing Impact of Plan to Exclude Undocumented Children

Head Start supports school readiness for children from birth to age including free childcare nutrition assistance medical screenings and materials for pregnant women It s serving people across New York State this year including thousands of homeless families Michael Appleton Mayoral Photography Office On July the U S Department of Fitness and Human Services HHS stated a approach change to the federal Head Start operation that would exclude undocumented immigrant children from enrollment The proposal would rescind a Clinton-era interpretation of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act PRWORA It allowed certain children without legal immigration status to access services that were not considered federal citizens benefits but rather part of the executive s school readiness coaching project The rules are expected to take effect after publication in the Federal Register on Aug following a -day community comment period function d u ac var s d createElement 'script' s type 'text javascript' s src 'https a omappapi com app js api min js' s async true s dataset user u s dataset campaign ac d getElementsByTagName 'head' appendChild s document 'u kmqsczew vunxutxmd' They re part of a set of changes by President Donald Trump to make it harder for immigrants to access governing body services and comes as his administration adds stricter requirements for population assistance HHS also listed other federally funded programs that would now be considered masses benefits to exclude immigrants without legal status which HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr mentioned had previously diverted hardworking Americans tax dollars to incentivize illegal immigration Soon after the announcement the American Civil Liberties Union sued the administration while advocates condemned the plan Should the new rule take effect it would require verification of a child s citizenship or immigration status before they could be enrolled in a Head Start undertaking excluding undocumented children nationwide Head Start offers a variety of services to promotion school readiness for children from birth to age including free childcare nutrition assistance fitness screenings and guidance for pregnant women It primarily serves children from low-income families but also children who don t have a home are in foster care or receiving community assistance In the past the activity was also available to legal permanent residents children who ve been granted asylum humanitarian parole or refugee status According to HHS s final regulatory impact analysis Congress provided billion for the Head Start Preschool and Early Head Start programs in fiscal year to serve children and pregnant women throughout the country While HHS oversees the activity it s mostly run by local municipalities New York City Populace Schools NYCPS formerly known as the Department of Tuition runs Head Start programs in the city as well as a framework of providers that receive funding directly from the federal administration City Limits reached out to providers receiving federal funds but they declined to speak publicly about the matter worried it would jeopardize their funding HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr broadcasted the program change on July Official White House Photo by Joyce N Boghosian The National Head Start Association NHSA a nonprofit that represents Head Start staff and families says Head Start funded venture seats in New York State in fiscal year The activity served local homeless families but neither authorities nor advocates know how multiple might be excluded from the project if undocumented children are made ineligible Both NYCPS and the Office of Children and Family Services for New York State OCFS don t know exactly how plenty of children may lose coverage the agencies narrated City Limits New York City Masses Schools does not track or ask for our students immigration status or country of origin a City Hall spokesperson reported We are reviewing this change and will continue to monitor the situation An OCFS spokesperson explained via email that the agency is currently assessing the impact of the guidance issued by the U S Department of Soundness and Human Services HHS HSS s final regulatory impact analysis acknowledges that estimating the share of beneficiaries it would exclude is inherently uncertain since this demographic information is not now collected under the Notice According to their estimates however approximately Head Start children and families could be impacted or about percent of Head Start enrollees nationwide during the last fiscal year NHSA Deputy Director Tommy Sheridan raised concerns about the strategy s foreseen to create hindrances for children and families especially those experiencing homelessness Producing documentation is a challenge and we need to be mindful of that as we re thinking about the verification of this he explained We re also really worry that requiring Head Start programs to verify immigration status changes both the relationship that we have with families as well as with the population and is something that will pull us away from our primary job which is to ensure that children are prepared for school and that families are ready to succeed in life as well he added Nora Moran the director of guidelines advocacy at United Neighborhood Houses which provides Head Start services revealed that the operation s providers and city administrators have never had to ask children or their families about their immigration status as a condition for enrollment We know that there are families with varying immigration statuses who enroll their children in Head Start programs but we cannot offer a precise number Moran announced She noted the announcement has confused community-based organizations that run Head Start programs Previously providers reported their main responsibility was to identify people in the city who met the project s income housing and other eligibility criteria adding that the U S governing body had for decades viewed Head Start as an early teaching project rather than a population benefit that would exclude noncitizens United Neighborhood Houses condemns the federal administration s latest attempt to undermine our communities commented the organization s Executive Director Susan Stamler To be clear throwing immigrant children out of Head Start programs or adults out of development and training programs is as senseless as it is cruel To reach the reporter behind this story contact Daniel citylimits org To reach the editor contact Jeanmarie citylimits org Want to republish this story Find City Limits reprint plan here The post NYC Head Start Providers Assessing Impact of Plan to Exclude Undocumented Children appeared first on City Limits