Day 15 of the 20-Day Public Comment Challenge: Health, Oral Health, and Mental Health Specificity
Today’s Prompt:
The proposal gives much less detail on required health, oral health, and mental health services. Describe a screening, referral, or consultation your program provided that you doubt would happen without a federal requirement behind it.
Day 15 Prompts for the Action Alert
Staff: “I am a [health manager / mental health consultant] at [program]. [One health, oral health, or mental health service you provide, and what a looser standard would change.]”
Parent: “My child’s [dental screening, health checkup, behavioral support] at [program] found [describe], which we had not arranged ourselves.”
Community Partner: “As [title] at [organization], we [provide dental care / mental health consultation / referrals] with Head Start programs in [county] County. [What changes if the federal standard is less specific.]”
Where it says that: Health, oral health, and mental health requirements are at 45 CFR 1302.42 and 1302.45. The proposed rule reduces specificity in both areas.
This is one of 20 daily prompts. You don’t have to wait, browse them all and submit on any prompt that fits your situation, anytime between now and October 6. See the rest on the 20-Day Comment Challenge page.
Wondering how public comments help? Watch a 3-minute explainer
This short video walks through what the proposal would change, why it matters, and exactly how to submit a comment, even if you’ve never done this before.
How to leave an impactful comment
You don’t need to be a policy expert to submit a strong comment, and you don’t need to cover every issue in the proposal. In fact, a comment that focuses on one thing is often more powerful than one that tries to address everything.
- Focus on one area of the proposal you feel most passionate about.
- Add a short, real story about how that change would affect you, your child, or your classroom.
- Submit it before October 6, 2026.
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Complete WHSA's 2-part Action Alert
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