Day 2 of the 20-Day Public Comment Challenge: Group Size and Ratios
Today’s Prompt:
Federal limits on how many children one adult supervises would go away. Programs would follow state or local licensing and post their ratio for parents. Describe one moment in the day when two more children per adult would matter.
Day 2 Prompts for the Action Alert
Staff: “I teach [age group] at [program]. Our ratio is [ratio]. During [arrival, bathroom breaks, a child having a hard time, a fire drill], [what changes with two more children per adult].”
Parent: “My child’s classroom has [number] children and [number] adults. I want that to stay a federal floor, not a number that shifts by state.”
Community Partner: “As [title] at [organization], we see children move from Head Start into [your setting]. When the ratio is whatever a program posts, it is harder to know what a child’s classroom was like.”
Where it says that: Current ratio requirements are at 45 CFR 1302.21(c). The proposed rule, § 1301.05, removes the federal floor and defers to state and local licensing. A major research review found ratio effects concentrate at 7.5 children per adult or fewer, and group sizes of 15 or fewer.
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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Another way to help Protect Head Start is by signing onto Together for Head Start’s Family Sign-On Letter. Deadline to sign on is Sept 25.
