JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A fire destroyed 60 hectares (148 acres) of land in the Mount Bromo area in a national park in Java, Indonesia’s most populous island, since Monday, officials said on Thursday.
The burning area, equivalent to more than 80 soccer fields, is located within the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, one of the most popular tourist destinations in East Java Province.
The National Disaster Management Agency in a written statement said that the terrain has posed a significant challenge to firefighting efforts. Local authorities have not yet determined the cause of the fire.
“A number of hot spots are located on the slopes of Bromo, which are steep and difficult for ground-based firefighters to reach. In addition, strong winds in the area have the potential to accelerate the spread of the fire,” Abdul Muhari, the agency’s spokesperson, said in the statement Thursday.
He added that the agency deployed two water-bombing helicopters on Thursday to help extinguish hotspots located on steep slopes that are difficult for ground teams to reach.
The agency is also preparing weather modification operations such as cloud seeding as an additional measure.
Indonesian authorities also closed part of the Mount Bromo tourist area until further notice as a safety measure.
Forest fires have also been reported at several locations on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo since the beginning of the month.
One person died after running out of oxygen while trying to escape through the smoke from the forest fire in Ketapang Regency in West Kalimantan Province, according to Ketapang Disaster Management Agency.
Forest fires on Sumatra and Borneo islands often break out during dry spells, smothering parts of nearby Singapore and Malaysia in haze.
__ Associated Press journalist Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report.
In this photo released by Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), firefighters attempt to extinguish a wildfire that razes through Bromo National Park in Probolinggo, East Java, Indonesia on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (BNPB via AP)
In this photo released by Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), firefighters attempt to extinguish a wildfire that razes through Bromo National Park in Probolinggo, East Java, Indonesia on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (BNPB via AP)
In this photo released by Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), firefighters attempt to extinguish a wildfire that razes through Bromo National Park in Probolinggo, East Java, Indonesia on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (BNPB via AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's administration said Thursday it plans to overhaul Head Start, tossing out many of the regulations that are the hallmark of the early education program for the nation's poorest children.
Officials from the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the federally funded preschool program, said the proposed changes would encourage more local decision-making. Early childhood policy experts argue the deregulation could undermine Head Start's position as the gold standard in early education.
The Associated Press previously reported on the overhaul proposal, which became public Thursday when it was posted online. The public will have 60 days to weigh in on it before it goes into effect.
Head Start centers serve around 700,000 of the nation’s most vulnerable children, including those who are homeless, in foster care or disabled. That wouldn't change under the overhaul.
But Alex J. Adams, an assistant secretary at Health and Human Services, said the department is hoping to give Head Start centers the flexibility to change the way they operate. That means eliminating most of Head Start's regulations, such as standards for low staff-to-student ratios or requirements to provide services to preschoolers' families.
"Federal mandates can certainly hinder local decision-making, drive up costs and limit the program’s reach,” Adams said on a call with reporters. He highlighted a decade-long decline in Head Start enrollment. “If we get this proposed rule right, we will grow the number of Head Start slots.”
On a call previewing the proposed changes, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy spoke reverently about Head Start, which was started by his uncle Sargent Shriver during the Lyndon B. Johnson administration.
“It’s a program that works for the most vulnerable of the poorest kids in our society, and it’s really important we protect it,” Kennedy said.
But the changes would undermine many of the things that make Head Start distinct from other early education programs, policy experts say.
“The model was created with intentionality,” said Khari Garvin, who oversaw Head Start under President Joe Biden, a Democrat. It was designed, he said, “as part of a strategy to move families out of poverty.”
Head Start, which began in the 1960s as part of Johnson's War on Poverty, is currently governed by more than 100 pages of regulations. Those regulations require centers to have low staff-to-student ratios and a research-backed curriculum, among other things, and they ensure centers are providing wraparound services that are critical to children in poverty, including medical and dental screenings and parent coaching.
The proposal would toss out nearly all of that rule book. Instead, Head Start’s 1,600 operators — which include nonprofits and school districts — would look to state and local childcare licensing requirements for guidance on many aspects of the program.
Once the proposed regulations are published online, the public will have 60 days to weigh in. The final rules could face legal scrutiny, further delaying their implementation.
While the proposed rules largely loosen requirements, Adams emphasized that centers have the option to continue to operate as they had in the past. He estimated the new rules could generate more than $2 billion in savings and potentially allow Head Start to serve more children.
The proposal adds in at least two new requirements, officials said. It includes a 5% cap on administrative expenses, down from 15% under current rules, and new nutrition provisions championed by Kennedy.
Overall, experts emphasize, state childcare licensing requirements are far more lax than Head Start's current regulations. State rules are largely focused on ensuring children are healthy and safe. Generally speaking, they do not require centers to provide things like medical or dental screenings, they don't specify ways to engage with parents, and they don't speak to what — if anything — should be taught in childcare settings.
Shantel Meek, who heads the Children’s Equity Project at Arizona State University, co-authored an analysis that compared state licensing requirements with Head Start standards and found massive gaps.
“Whereas licensing is, like, the bare minimum to keep kids safe, Head Start includes keeping kids safe but also ensuring that kids are developing, growing, learning well,” Meek said. “It’s a totally different purpose.”
Critically, states allow adults to care for far more children than is allowed under Head Start standards. In Mississippi, for example, one Head Start teacher is only allowed to teach up to four 2-year-olds. State childcare regulations would permit up to a dozen 2-year-olds to be supervised by one adult.
Head Start, which operates in all 50 states, has long had support from both Democrats and Republicans. But it has faced repeated threats under the Trump administration, whose budget chief, Russell Vought, had previously called for it to be eliminated. Not long after Trump, a Republican, took office again in early 2025, some Head Start programs had to briefly shutter because they had problems accessing their federal money. Later, a budget draft eliminated Head Start's funding, but it was restored after widespread backlash.
In a call with reporters, Kennedy said he believes Head Start is effective. He cited research showing its graduates have fewer law enforcement encounters, do better in school and have better jobs than their peers. He added that he tried to shield Head Start from many of the cuts that hit the rest of his agency.
Still, the Trump administration succeeded last year in laying off much of Head Start's support staff and closing half of its regional offices.
The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
FILE - Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., listens during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, May 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
