Montana has around 19 Head Start programs and 89 Head Start sites across the state. It also said it would allow local Head Start programs to keep policies that “best address the needs of their communities.” But individual Head Start programs are unlikely to comply with standards that aren’t required, particularly if they’re facing pressure to serve more students, said Melanee Cottrill, executive director of Head Start California, a nonprofit that advocates for California’s 1,813 Head Start centers. A handful of California Head Start programs shuttered during the government shutdown last fall, but reopened when legislators returned to work. Head Start offers health screenings, meals, curriculum focused on literacy and math, and resources for parents such as parenting classes.