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New Indian Express
11-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Head Start will be cut off for immigrants without legal status, Trump administration says
WASHINGTON: The Trump administration will restrict immigrants in the country illegally from enrolling in Head Start, a federally funded preschool program, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday. The move is part of a broad effort to limit access to federal benefits for immigrants who lack legal status. People in the country illegally are largely ineligible for federal public benefits such as food stamps, student loans and financial aid for higher education. But for decades they have been able to access some community-level programs such as Head Start and community health centers. HHS said it will reclassify those programs as federal public benefits, excluding immigrants in the country illegally from accessing them. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the changes were part of a larger effort to protect American citizens' interests. 'For too long, the government has diverted hardworking Americans' tax dollars to incentivize illegal immigration,' Kennedy said in a statement. 'Today's action changes that — it restores integrity to federal social programs, enforces the rule of law, and protects vital resources for the American people.' A spokesperson for the Administration for Children and Families, which administers Head Start, said that eligibility will be determined based on the child's immigration status. Requiring proof of immigration status would likely create fear and confusion among families seeking to enroll their children, said Yasmina Vinci, executive director of the National Head Start Association. 'This decision undermines the fundamental commitment that the country has made to children and disregards decades of evidence that Head Start is essential to our collective future,' Vinci said. The changes are part of a multi-agency announcement rescinding an interpretation of federal law dating to former President Bill Clinton's administration, which had allowed immigrants in the country illegally to access some programs. The Education Department, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Labor announced similar changes affecting a range of workforce development and adult education programs.
Boston Globe
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Head Start will be cut off for immigrants without legal status, Trump administration says
Advertisement 'For too long, the government has diverted hardworking Americans' tax dollars to incentivize illegal immigration,' Kennedy said in a statement. 'Today's action changes that — it restores integrity to federal social programs, enforces the rule of law, and protects vital resources for the American people.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up A spokesperson for the Administration for Children and Families, which administers Head Start, said that eligibility will be determined based on the child's immigration status. Requiring proof of immigration status would likely create fear and confusion among families seeking to enroll their children, said Yasmina Vinci, executive director of the National Head Start Association. 'This decision undermines the fundamental commitment that the country has made to children and disregards decades of evidence that Head Start is essential to our collective future,' Vinci said. Advertisement The changes are part of a multi-agency announcement rescinding an interpretation of federal law dating to former President Bill Clinton's administration, which had allowed immigrants in the country illegally to access some programs. The Education Department, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Labor announced similar changes affecting a range of workforce development and adult education programs. The changes will affect community health centers that immigrants rely on for a wide range of services, said Shelby Gonzales, vice president of immigration policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. 'People depend on those services to get cancer treatment, to get ongoing maintenance for a variety of different health needs,' she said. Students in the country illegally will no longer be eligible to participate in postsecondary career and technical education programs or adult education programs, the Education Department announced. The department also issued a notice to grant recipients to ensure programs receiving federal money do not provide services to immigrants without legal status. Education advocates said the decision would harm young people who have grown up in this country. EdTrust Vice President Augustus Mays said the intention appears to be creating fear among immigrant communities. 'Policies like this don't exist in a vacuum,' Mays said. 'They are rooted in a political agenda that scapegoats immigrants and uses fear to strip rights and resources from the most vulnerable among us.' Head Start was started six decades ago as part of Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson's War on Poverty. It operates in all 50 states, providing preschool, developmental therapy and child care for families who are homeless or are in poverty. Associated Press writer Cheyanne Mumphrey in Phoenix contributed to this report. Advertisement
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
What age is it legal to leave kids home alone in New Jersey? What is legal age to babysit?
Most schools have let out and your child is another year older. Wondering if your kids are old enough to be left alone? Or are they old enough to babysit their siblings? Here's what the law says in your state. Some states have laws on leaving children unattended at home, while some do not specify any appropriate, legal age to leave a child. Instead, parents are asked to make a very personal and individual decision. Here's what parents need to know before leaving a child home without adult supervision. While some states have laws on leaving children unattended at home, New Jersey is one of the states that does not specify any appropriate, legal age to leave a child. Instead, parents are asked to make a very personal and individual decision. It's important to note child protective services can and will become involved if anyone reports that a child was abused, neglected or put at risk of harm while the parent or guardian was gone. Sending kids to a friend's house is often a simple approach, but there are more structured options, such as day camps at local clubs or YMCAs. Summer camps can vary in hours and interests and offer things like museum classes, sports and other managed activities for parents in this common situation. Only 14 out of 50 states have legal age restrictions for children left at home alone, many of which are just guidelines, according to the Child Welfare Information Gateway, a federal service of Children's Bureau, the Administration for Children and Families and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Illinois (14 years old), Colorado, Connecticut, and Mississippi (12 years old), Kentucky (11 years old), South Dakota, Tennessee, and Washington (10 years old), Georgia (9 years old), Maryland and North Carolina (8 years old), Nebraska and Oklahoma (7 years old), and Kansas (6 years old) have laws requiring a minimum age for leaving a child home alone. The remaining 36 states have no set age, but offer some guidelines at the local level. Most states do not have a minimum legal age to babysit except for Maryland (13) and Illinois (14), according to TheBestBabysitters, noting that the "appropriate age to babysit is best determined by the babysitter's maturity, skills and knowledge." Although there's no legal minimum age in most states, there minimum age laws for employment and child labor laws in each state that can also be used as a guide for babysitting work. There's no exact answer on when kids are ready to stay home alone, and most experts say this decision should be made on a case-by-case basis by parents. While there is no magic age that works for every child, the nonprofit Safe Kids Worldwide recommends starting to leave kids home alone between the ages of 12 and 13. But it is very dependent on their level of maturity. 'Parents should look for signs of responsibility when their children are with them before leaving them home alone. Are they able to follow directions without being told repeatedly? Do they only follow directions if you are there watching? If they only follow the rules when you're watching, it's unlikely that they will follow them when they are home alone,' Rolanda Mitchell, an education counselor at North Carolina State University, told USA Today in 2019. 'School behavior can also be a good indicator because school is where children spend the most of their time without their parents watching. If they're misbehaving or violating rules, they may do the same when they're home alone.' Maria Francis is a Pennsylvania-based journalist with the Mid-Atlantic Connect Team This article originally appeared on What age can children be left home alone? What is legal age to babysit
Los Angeles Times
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Trump administration orders California to remove gender identity from sex education lessons
The Trump administration has given California 60 days to remove gender identity materials from sex education curriculum or risk losing more than $12.3 million in federal grants that helped pay for the creation and distribution of the materials. The order is the latest clash between the administration California related to LGBTQ+ issues. These culture war-tinged disputes have raged on many fronts, but date back substantially to Trump's Jan. 20 executive order that recognized two sexes, male and female, a dictum that has moved across all departments under his jurisdiction. In youth sports, this divide has unfolded with Trump threatening to withhold vast sums of federal funding unless California bars transgender athletes from girls' and women's sports. California has not complied to date. Within the classroom, the Trump policy has meant opposing curriculum that allows for more than a binary — male or female — expression of gender. Historically, federal authority over local curriculum has been limited, but Trump has been quick to use federal funding as leverage. In this case, it's the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that is applying pressure. The children and families department administers a grant program that annually distributes $75 million nationally 'to educate adolescents on ... both abstinence and contraception for the prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS,' according to federal statute. For a three-year period, through the next fiscal year, California has been allotted funding worth more than $18.2 million, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The state could lose $12.3 million that it has not yet received, covering multiple years. California is not being accused of failing to carry out the abstinence and contraception message. Rather, the state has included additional content that the Trump administration defines as objectionable and 'outside the scope' of the grant's purpose. 'The Trump Administration will not tolerate the use of federal funds for programs that indoctrinate our children,' said Acting Assistant Secretary Andrew Gradison. 'The disturbing gender ideology content ... is both unacceptable and well outside the program's core purpose.' A June 20 letter to a senior California official cited, as one of several examples, sample wording from a middle school lesson: 'We've been talking during class about messages people get on how they should act as boys and girls — but as many of you know, there are also people who don't identify as boys or girls, but rather as transgender or gender queer. This means that even if they were called a boy or a girl at birth and may have body parts that are typically associated with being a boy or a girl, on the inside, they feel differently.' In a statement, the California Department of Public Health did not say how it would respond to the federal demand, but defended the materials as 'medically accurate, comprehensive, and age-appropriate.' The federal grant supports the California Personal Responsibility Education Program, or CA PREP, which provides 'comprehensive sexual health education to adolescents via effective, evidence-based or evidence-informed program models,' the state statement said. The California department also noted that 'the curricula have been federally pre-approved, in accordance with federal regulations.' The Trump administration did not deny this, but said the Biden administration 'erred in allowing PREP grants to be used to teach students gender ideology.' The funding helps pay for sex education programs in juvenile justice facilities, homeless shelters and foster care group homes, as well as some schools, reaching an estimated 13,000 youth per year through 20 agencies. 'Data show that participants who completed CA PREP had a better understanding of sexual and reproductive health topics and improved health outcomes,' the health department stated. California law requires school districts to provide students with comprehensive sexual health education, along with information about HIV prevention, at least once in high school and once in middle school. The Trump administration has asserted complete authority over federal grants, including those in progress. Its grant cancellations are being challenged in court. Times staff writer Daniel Miller contributed to this report.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
HHS agency threatens funding for California sex ed program over ‘gender ideology'
The Trump administration's bigoted, anti-scientific worldview is driving new threats to federal funding in California. On Friday, the Administration for Children and Families, an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, sent a letter to the state threatening to pull its funding for a sex ed program unless the state removes references to what the administration calls 'egregious' content related to 'gender ideology.' The letter, signed by the organization's head, Andrew Gradison, accuses California's Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) of 'teaching young students that gender identity is distinct from biological sex and that boys can identify as girls,' and gives the state a 60-day deadline to remove 'all gender ideology references' from its curricula. The agency said it's making this threat in the name of providing youth with 'medically accurate, fact-based education,' which is particularly Orwellian given that virtually every reputable medical association in the United States acknowledges that transgender people exist and that gender identity isn't fixed to biological sex. A spokesperson for California Gov. Gavin Newsom told The Hill the PREP program isn't the state's official K-12 sex ed curriculum and defended the program's merits. 'To be clear: this is NOT California's K-12 sex education curriculum,' the spokesperson said in a statement. 'The California Personal Responsibility Education Program (CA PREP), which receives barely $6 million in federal funding, provides comprehensive sexual health education to adolescents via an effective, evidence-based program model.' The letter comes amid a barrage of other right-wing attacks on trans children. The Supreme Court ruled last week that Tennessee can lawfully ban parents from seeking gender-affirming care for their kids, and the Trump administration announced it was removing specialized support service for trans and other LGBTQ people in crisis from a national suicide hotline. The attempt to censor California's PREP program seems like yet another anti-scientific effort by Trump and company to harass and ostracize trans people from public life. This article was originally published on
