When the federal government ground to a halt in early December 2025, the Council on Rural Services (CORS) and its Head Start program in Piqua, Ohio, found themselves staring down a harsh reality. The organization, which provides vital early childhood services to pregnant women and children up to age five, was suddenly facing the prospect of staff layoffs and a complete pause in services. "We had some real candid discussion about what was coming. We talked about layoffs of staff and then that pause in services to children and families," recounted Karin Somers, CEO and Early Childhood Director for CORS and Head Start, in an interview with WKEF.
For six tense days, the future of the program—and the families who rely on it—hung in the balance. Head Start and Early Head Start services are a lifeline for many in the Piqua community, offering not just education but also nutrition, health care, and a safe place for children while parents work. "We provide Head Start and Early Head Start services to pregnant moms and children zero to five. Two meals and a snack every day for children and formula for babies and diapers for babies and toddlers and a resource for parents to go to work. Monday through Friday, 6.5 hours a day, providing school readiness, family engagement, nutrition services, medical," Somers explained.
As the shutdown dragged on, Miami and Shelby county leaders stepped in with emergency funding, helping to keep the doors open and the lights on. Their support proved crucial. On December 4-5, 2025, CORS finally received official word that its federal funding was restored. The program was able to return to normal operations, but not without lessons learned. "We were put to the test. There's nothing that we did or didn't do that we would have changed. We are surrounded by individuals who want to support our program and our families," Somers reflected.
Yet, as CORS and other Head Start programs across the country breathed a sigh of relief at the restoration of funding, a different storm was brewing—one that threatened the very language used to describe and deliver their services. According to NPR, court documents filed on December 5, 2025, revealed that some Head Start programs had been instructed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to remove nearly 200 specific words and phrases from their funding applications. The list included terms like "disability," "women," "tribal," and "minority." Programs were warned that failure to comply could result in their applications being denied.
This directive came to light as part of a lawsuit filed by Head Start programs in Pennsylvania, Washington, Wisconsin, and Illinois, challenging the Trump administration’s ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in federal programs. The suit, which names HHS and its secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., argues that the word ban directly conflicts with Head Start’s statutory mandate. That mandate requires the provision of "linguistically and culturally appropriate" services and early intervention for children with disabilities—needs that are impossible to address without naming them.
One program director from Wisconsin, identified by the pseudonym Mary Roe in court documents, described the impossible situation she faced. After submitting a routine funding renewal request on September 30, 2025, Roe received two emails from HHS on November 19. The first email briefly explained that her grant application was being returned and instructed her to "please remove the following words from your application," listing 19 terms including "Racism," "Race," and "Racial." A second email soon followed, this time from her assigned program specialist, containing a much longer list—nearly 200 words and phrases—under the heading: "Words to limit or avoid in government documents."
"The word ban has put me in an impossible situation," Roe stated in her declaration to the court. She pointed out the contradiction at the heart of the directive: Head Start is legally required "to create inclusive and accessible classrooms for children with disabilities," yet her application was flagged for including the words "disability," "disabilities," and "inclusion." Roe expressed concern that removing such words might satisfy the current administration but would violate existing federal law.
Disability-rights advocates quickly condemned the HHS directive. Jacqueline Rodriguez of the National Center for Learning Disabilities told NPR, "Banning the word 'disability' from Head Start is morally repugnant and a violation of federal law. No administration can claim to support children with disabilities while banning the very word that protects them."
The controversy extends beyond the issue of disability. According to NPR, court documents also show that a Head Start program on a Native American reservation was told to remove sections from its application necessary for prioritizing services for tribal members and their descendants—something federal law allows. The word "tribal" itself appeared on the list of banned terms.
These developments follow a January 2025 executive action from the White House, which stated, "illegal DEI and DEIA policies not only violate the text and spirit of our longstanding Federal civil-rights laws, they also undermine our national unity, as they deny, discredit, and undermine the traditional American values of hard work, excellence, and individual achievement in favor of an unlawful, corrosive, and pernicious identity-based spoils system." In March, the Office of Head Start informed all grant recipients that it would no longer approve funding requests for any activities "that promote or take part in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives."
Nationally, Head Start serves around 750,000 infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children, providing not only early learning but also childcare, free meals, health screenings, and crucial family support. The program has, for decades, been a cornerstone for low-income families seeking a better start for their children. The new restrictions on language have left many in the field feeling caught between changing federal policies and the needs of the communities they serve.
For CORS in Piqua, the return to normal operations after the shutdown was a relief, but the broader uncertainty facing Head Start programs nationwide remains. As Somers noted, the experience underscored the importance of community support and resilience. Yet, as legal battles play out and federal guidance shifts, it’s clear that Head Start’s mission—to serve the nation’s most vulnerable children and families—is being tested in new and unexpected ways.
With lawsuits ongoing and advocates raising alarms, the coming months may prove pivotal for the future of Head Start. For now, programs like CORS remain focused on their core mission, determined to weather whatever storms come their way—whether from funding shortfalls or from battles over the very words they use to describe their work.
