Head Start Enrollment Drops Under Biden’s Policies

In an interview with 60 Minutes that aired last night, President Biden declared, "the pandemic is over. If you notice, no one is wearing masks." However, at the very same time, Biden’s administration is still forcing toddlers in the federal Head Start program to wear masks.

"President Biden has declared the pandemic over, but he is still forcing kids as young as two-years old to wear masks. His hypocrisy hurts the development of young children and I have repeatedly called for Biden to end this policy. Biden’s policies have created a crisis for families who rely on Head Start and I will continue to fight for the rights of parents and students to be treated fairly,” said Congressman John Moolenaar.

On September 7, The New York Times reported that Biden’s disastrous policies have resulted in Head Start staffing shortages and a decline in Head Start enrollment. The Times wrote, “A May survey of the National Head Start Association’s members found that the average center had 30 percent of its staff positions unfilled. Last year, about 745,000 children and babies were enrolled in Head Start and Early Head Start, down from 970,000 before the pandemic, according to federal data compiled by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.”

In the same article, Tommy Sheridan, deputy director of the National Head Start Association, said “Head Start programs have been short-circuited. This mandate on masking and vaccines has hurt a lot of programs. It is more of a crisis that is now feeling like a looming catastrophe.”

Earlier this year, Congressman Moolenaar expressed his support for Saginaw Intermediate School District’s federal lawsuit to repeal the vaccine mandate. Later that spring, he called for the end the Head Start mask mandate in a letter to President Biden. Moolenaar also called for a vote in the House to repeal the toddler mask mandate after the U.S. Senate passed bipartisan legislation to revoke it. 

Original source can be found here.