State Sen. Stan Clouse of Kearney is moving to codify Nebraska’s Head Start programs into state statute to protect them from potential federal funding cuts and resolve critical staffing bottlenecks. The effort, which follows the introduction of Legislative Resolution 472, aims to provide legal stability for a program that currently serves roughly 5,500 children across 37 statewide programs.
Right now, Head Start exists in a strange legal vacuum in Nebraska. While it has operated since 1965 as a federal pillar for low-income families—providing everything from developmental screenings to dental services for expectant mothers and children up to age five—it isn’t actually mentioned in Nebraska’s state statutes. This lack of formal recognition creates a precarious situation: the program relies on the federal government for 80% of its funding, with local governments covering the remaining 20%.
The urgency behind Clouse’s push stems from a volatile federal climate. In recent years, the Trump administration has signaled an interest in eliminating all federal funding for Head Start. While Congress has not approved those proposals, the threat alone creates a “limbo” for the families and staff who depend on these services. By defining the program in state law, Nebraska would create a legal floor, making it significantly easier for the state legislature to provide direct support or emergency funding if federal aid ever vanishes.
The Fingerprinting Bottleneck
The push for legislation wasn’t just about high-level budget fears; it started with a practical, bureaucratic nightmare. Clouse first encountered the program’s instability when he learned about the state’s fingerprinting requirements for new hires. Federal law mandates that every new Head Start employee undergo a fingerprint-based background check.
In Nebraska, these checks are handled by the Department of Health and Human Services. However, because Head Start isn’t formally recognized in state statute, some programs lack the specific childcare licensing required to access the DHHS resource. This creates a paradoxical gap: programs are required by the federal government to vet staff, but the state’s infrastructure doesn’t always recognize their authority to request those checks.
“This is to try and provide some of that stability, get it defined,” said Mitchell Clark, policy adviser for First Five Nebraska. “And then going forward in future years, if the state Legislature would consider anything else to support Head Start, it’ll make it a little easier, because state statute recognizes it and knows what it is.”
Nebraska Certification Rules Force Head Start Teachers Out
Beyond the paperwork, there is a deeper human cost to the program’s current legal status. Jill Bomberger, the Head Start director for Lancaster and Saunders counties, pointed out a systemic flaw in how Nebraska handles teaching certifications. Currently, working for Head Start does not count toward the requirements needed to maintain a teaching certificate in the state.
This puts certified educators in an impossible position. To keep their credentials, teachers must either pay for and attend graduate classes, leave Head Start for a traditional school system, or simply let their certificates expire.
Bomberger argues that if the state recognized Head Start practice as fulfilling certification requirements, it would stem the tide of educators leaving the program.
State Statute Must Define Head Start for Future Support
For now, the goal is to have state statute recognize and define Head Start, so that the state is prepared for future changes in federal support.
