Michelle Haimowitz, the Massachusetts Head Start Association’s executive director, echoed Bouthilette’s sentiment. The proposed overhaul of Head Start aims to eliminate roughly 1,400 federal regulations, shifting oversight to state and local licensing standards. Bouthilette said Massachusetts has 28 Head Start programs, serving at least 10,000 children from birth to age 5. She said Community Action Pioneer Valley’s Head Start and Early Learning Program is funded for 311 slots and employs about 150 staffers. Haimowitz said Project 2025, the 922-page policy blueprint and transition plan authored by The Heritage Foundation, explicitly targets Head Start and proposes its elimination.