2026 OHS Virtual Tribal Consultation
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Office of Head Start (OHS) will host the virtual Tribal Consultation on September 16, 2026, 1:00–4:00 PM ET. The purpose of this consultation session is to provide Tribal Leaders and their designated representatives an opportunity to provide testimony and share perspectives regarding ACF’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), Reducing Federal Burden for Head Start Programs, published on August 7, 2026. The consultation will provide an opportunity for OHS to hear directly from Tribes about the proposed changes and their potential implications for American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) Head Start programs, children, families, and communities.
As part of this Tribal Consultation, OHS welcomes oral and written testimony regarding the NPRM. Oral and written testimony provided as part of the Tribal Consultation will be included in the Federal Register as part of the public comment record for the NPRM, unless the individual or Tribe providing the testimony requests otherwise. Tribes wishing to submit written testimony for inclusion in the Consultation Report may submit it to OHS prior to the consultation session or no later than October 6, 2026, consistent with the close of the NPRM public comment period. Written testimony may be submitted to AIANHeadStart@acf.hhs.gov.
If you would like to designate a representative to provide testimony at the Tribal Consultation, please submit a signed letter authorizing them to speak on behalf of the Tribe to OHSTribalConsultation2026@saxmanone.com no later than September 11, 2026.
The consultation will provide Tribal Chairpersons, Presidents, Governors, Chiefs and/or their designated representatives an opportunity to share perspectives, recommendations, and testimony on the proposed changes and their potential implications for American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start programs, children, families, and communities. Tribal Chairpersons, Presidents, Governors, Chiefs, representatives, and other interested stakeholders may also submit comments on the NPRM directly through the Federal Register, in accordance with the instructions provided in the NPRM. The public comment period closes on October 6, 2026. Tribes that provide testimony on the NPRM through the Tribal Consultation are not required to separately submit the same comments through the Federal Register.
If you would like to attend the virtual Tribal Consultation, please complete the registration form located in the menu bar above. Details on connection instructions will be forthcoming.
Should you have any questions about the consultation, please contact AIANHeadStart@acf.hhs.gov. To view the Federal Register Notice for this Tribal Consultation, see here.
We look forward to your participation in September.
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