Day 3 of the 20-Day Public Comment Challenge: Recruitment, Waiting Lists and Reserved Slots
Today’s Prompt:
The rule gives fewer details on how programs recruit families, run waiting lists, and reserve slots for children in foster care or without stable housing. Say how your program decides who gets the next open slot, and what changes if that becomes purely local.
Day 3 Prompts for the Action Alert
Staff: “I work in [enrollment / recruitment] at [program]. We prioritize [foster care, homelessness, disability, income]. With no federal framework, [what could change].”
Parent: “My family waited [length of time] for a slot at [program]. [What mattered in that wait, or what might have happened under different priorities.]”
Community Partner: “As [title] at [organization], we refer children in [foster care / without housing / another priority group] to Head Start. [How reserved slots affect that.]”
Where it says that: Recruitment and waiting-list requirements are at 45 CFR 1302.13-14. The proposed rule reduces federal specificity on how these priority groups are defined.
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.
