Pursuant to the preliminary injunction issued on January 6, 2026 in Washington State Association of Head Start et al. v. Kennedy, et al., No. 2:25-cv-000781 (W.D.W.A.), HHS has been enjoined from implementing and enforcing any of the listed actions below. This preliminary injunction is in place until further notice and nothing in the list will be enforced by any HHS employee, agency, grantee, or contractor against any Head Start agencies, program providers, students or family participants, or other similar persons or entities.
1) The March 14, 2025 letter from ACF on federal funding restrictions related to “diversity, equity, inclusion”;
2) Any certifications or other representation related to the DEIA certification or other similar requirement.
3) Any agency-wide directive banning “diversity, equality, inclusion and accessibility”;
4) Any modifications made to grant terms pursuant to the DEIA ban or similar language
5) Any similar action implementing the restrictions on “diversity, equality, inclusion and accessibility” contained in Executive Orders No. 14,151, 90 Fed. Reg. 8339 (Jan. 29, 2025) (“Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing”) or No. 14,173, 90 Fed. Reg. 8633 (Jan. 31, 2025) (“Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity”).
The court order is linked here
(PDF) for your reference.
On March 14, the Office of Head Start provided the following email to grant recipients:
Dear Head Start recipients,
The Office of Head Start will not approve the use of federal funding for any training and technical assistance (TTA) or other program expenditures that promote or take part in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. This includes expenditures for services provided by contractors or vendors.
With your next application submission, Head Start grant recipients should carefully review their annual funding application, including the budget and budget justification narrative, TTA plans, program goals, and any other supplemental materials to ensure they are in accordance with this change.
Please direct any questions regarding this guidance to your regional office.
/ Andrew Gradison /
Andrew Gradison
Acting Assistant Secretary
Administration for Children and Families
Subscribe to receive HeadStart.gov emails and stay up to date with the latest news and policy.