For more than 60 years, Head Start has represented one of the nation’s most successful investments in children. Created during the War on Poverty, the program has provided millions of low-income families with far more than preschool. It has offered health screenings, developmental assessments, nutritional support, family services and a structured learning environment that prepares children for success in school and beyond.

Now, the Trump administration is proposing changes that threaten to strip away many of the very standards that have made Head Start effective.

According to reports, the administration plans to replace more than 100 pages of federal performance standards with roughly a dozen pages of regulations, leaving many decisions to states and local providers. Supporters argue the changes will reduce bureaucracy, increase flexibility and allow more children to be served with existing funding.

Efficiency in government is a worthy goal. Eliminating unnecessary paperwork and giving local providers flexibility where appropriate can improve public programs. But efficiency should never come at the expense of quality, particularly when the nation’s most vulnerable children are involved.

The proposal reportedly would eliminate or weaken standards governing teacher-to-child ratios, health and developmental screenings, services for children with disabilities, family engagement and other safeguards that distinguish Head Start from ordinary child care. Those requirements are not arbitrary regulations. They are the foundation upon which Head Start has built its reputation as one of the country’s premier early childhood education programs.

Research has consistently demonstrated that quality matters in early childhood education. Small class sizes allow teachers to provide individualized attention. Developmental screenings identify speech delays, autism and other conditions early enough for intervention. Family engagement helps parents become active partners in their children’s education. Remove those elements, and Head Start becomes something fundamentally different.

The administration contends that reducing standards could save enough money to expand enrollment. That may sound appealing on paper, but expanding access to a diminished program is hardly a victory. Serving more children is important, but only if the services they receive continue to make a meaningful difference in their lives.

Stories from parents and teachers illustrate why these standards matter. One longtime Head Start teacher described how the program encouraged her to complete her education and later helped identify her youngest child’s autism, opening the door to services that changed her family’s future. Experiences like hers are repeated across the country every day.

The administration deserves credit for seeking ways to stretch taxpayer dollars and reduce unnecessary federal regulation. But there is a vast difference between trimming bureaucracy and dismantling quality controls that exist because decades of experience have proven their value.

Head Start has traditionally enjoyed bipartisan support because it addresses a simple reality: children living in poverty often begin school already behind their peers. The program was designed to narrow that gap before it becomes permanent, giving every child—regardless of family income—a better chance to succeed.

If reforms are needed, they should focus on improving accountability, strengthening outcomes and ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent wisely. Congress and the administration should welcome debate about how Head Start can evolve. But reducing proven educational standards simply to lower costs risks undermining the very mission that has made the program successful for six decades.

A strong nation invests in its children, especially those facing the greatest obstacles. Head Start has never been perfect, but its core principles have stood the test of time. They should be modernized where appropriate, strengthened where necessary and preserved where they continue to serve children well.

America can afford to demand both efficiency and excellence. Its youngest learners deserve nothing less.