Lauren Mendoza
With more than 15 years of experience leveraging state and federal policy to improve outcomes for all children, Lauren Mendoza currently serves as Senior Policy Advisor for the First Five Years Fund (FFYF).
She returned to FFYF after serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary for State and Local Outreach at the U.S. Department of Education. In that role, she led the Department’s intergovernmental affairs and external engagement efforts, coordinating across the Department and other agencies to help stakeholders understand and access federal resources in support of students from cradle to career. She also collaborated with local, state, and federal leaders to facilitate more streamlined delivery of services in and out of the classroom.
Before joining the Department of Education, Lauren served as FFYF’s Policy Manager, helping to develop and advance FFYF’s federal early learning policy agenda. She began her career at the Kansas Legislative Research Department, a nonpartisan research staff for the Kansas Legislature, where she led the Department’s Education Policy Team and served as lead staff for the House and Senate Education Committees, among others.
A native Kansan, Lauren is a graduate of Washburn University School of Law and MidAmerica Nazarene University.
Content Contributions
Head Start NPRM: Public Comment How-To Guide
On August 7, 2026, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for Head Start, a formal announcement published in the Federal Register when an agency intends to add to, …
HEARING: House Education and Workforce Subcommittee Hearing Highlights Importance of Federal and State Partnership in Addressing the Child Care Crisis
The House Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing on September 2, 2026 to highlight how states are leveraging federal, state, and local funds to address the pervasive need for affordable, quality child care.
Head Start Snapshot: Populations Served
Head Start’s mission goes beyond the classroom: it is designed to reach the children and families who need it most, which is why eligibility is intentionally built around those facing the greatest barriers to opportunity.
