September 29, 2026

Chamber staff have begun an advocacy campaign in response to a proposed federal rule change affecting child care: “Reducing Federal Burden for Head Start Programs”. This proposed federal rule from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would have drastic negative effects on our region’s childcare providers. Among the Chamber’s concerns, the proposal would eliminate important safety and quality standards, reduce support for workforce development, place an arbitrary cap on administrative costs that will reduce staff, and impose stringent eligibility criteria that could limit access to Head Start programs. 

In response, the Chamber has taken several important advocacy steps. We launched a call to action encouraging members to submit comments against this proposed rule, which has been featured in our weekly legislative newsletter. We also joined a coalition letter opposing the proposal led by UNITE-LA, a close partner of ours in the Los Angeles area that is focused on childcare and workforce development.  

Additionally, we’ve connected with the U.S. Chamber on joint advocacy efforts, created social media content highlighting the importance of child care for our regional economy, and will submit our own letter outlining the Chamber’s concerns with the proposed rule. If you would like to join our advocacy efforts, please contact Luisana Gonzalez, Policy Coordinator, at lgonzalez@sdchamber.org.