CHICAGO, September 30, 2025 — The U.S. Health & Human Services Department (HHS) has earmarked an additional $61.9 million to upgrade the foodservice operations of more than 290 facilities participating in the federal Head Start childcare program.
About 75% of the funding will be used to modernize kitchens, menus, and onsite gardens, with an eye toward serving more nutritious fare, according to HHS.
The remaining money will be spent on improving the nutritional education of youngsters participating in the program, along with their parents. That component is part of the step-up in nutrition instruction that has been promised by federal agencies as part of the Trump Administration’s Make America Healthy Again initiative. As part of the plan, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., is pressing to make nutrition instruction a standard component of U.S. medical school curricula.
Head Start provides food, education and supervision to children aged 3 to 5 from underprivileged families. About 820,000 youngsters participated in Head Start in 2023.
“The early years are the most powerful window to shape lifelong habits, and this funding allows us to Make America Health Again when it matters the most: during the foundational years of child development,” said Dr. Laurie Todd-Smith, HHS’ Deputy Assistant Secretary for Early Childhood Development.
Increased nutrition and health education is also a key component of the Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy, a comprehensive plan released Sept. 9 as part of the MAHA movement.
Many stakeholders expressed surprise after the report was released that so little of the spelled-out strategy was directed at improving the breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks that are served in schools. Other than pushing for a switch by K-12 foodservice facilities to whole milk from low-fat varieties, the report called for little specific action on the part of school cafeterias.
The Head Start funding program is much more specific in spelling out ways of improving childhood nutrition. It specifies that about 50% of the money will be spent on upgrading Head Start kitchens with commercial-grade appliances, providing cooking demonstrations, and increasing schools’ resources for planting onsite gardens.
About a fourth of the dollars will be spent on procuring local ingredients and preparing fresh foods on-site, according to HHS.
A complete listing of the grants and their recipients is available here.
The federal Head Start program was started under President Lyndon Johnson as part of his landmark War on Poverty initiative.
As Managing Editor for IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, Romeo is responsible for generating the group's news and feature content. He brings more than 40 years of experience in covering restaurants to the position.