Washington DC - President Donald Trump's administration is moving to deregulate Head Start, an anti-poverty initiative started by the uncle of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
In a press release shared on Thursday, HHS announced reforms to Head Start, a federal program that provides health and nutritional services and free education to low-income children, that they claim will save the nation $2.2 billion.
The agency said the move delivers on the president's "vision to expand access, reduce red tape, and refocus the program on its core mission of preparing America's most vulnerable children for success."
RFK Jr. explained that his uncle, Sarge Shriver, "founded the program on a simple conviction: strong families, wholesome nutrition, and healthy childhood development can change the course of a child's life."
"Today, we are returning Head Start to those roots," he added.
According to The New York Times, the plan includes scrapping most of the program's federal requirements for math and literacy curricula, class sizes, medical screenings, and home visits.
The outlet points out it even ends "a requirement that children brush their teeth after meals."
Trump has made cuts to the federal government a focus of his second term, with his administration scrapping anything deemed "wasteful."
HHS is expected to debate, amend, and finalize the reforms in the coming months, and Head Start classrooms will see changes implemented as early as next year.