RFK Jr., Andy Ogles address Head Start deregulations in Nashville

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited Nashville Thursday as the Administration for Children and Families announced plans to largely deregulate the nation’s Head Start programs.

Kennedy, along with U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles and ACF Assistant Secretary Alex Adams gathered at Susan Gray Head Start in South Nashville to unveil the new proposed rule, “Reducing Federal Burden for Head Start Programs,” which they billed as an attempt to give more “flexibility” and state and local control to the approximately 1,600 federally funded early school centers across the country. However, some experts warn that removing the federal mandates could diminish the overall quality of Head Start programs.