JEFFERSON CITY — Gov. Mike Kehoe signaled Tuesday he might tap into the state’s robust budget surplus if President Donald Trump’s administration moves forward on a threat to cut funding for Head Start programs for young children.

As part of a preliminary budget memo , the Trump administration asked Congress to eliminate the 60-year-old child care program for low-income families as part of a massive downsizing of the federal government.

In Missouri, Head Start is a $208 million program serving children from birth to age 5 in families with incomes at or below the poverty line. Last year, more than 12,000 children were enrolled in the program.

The program employs more than 6,100 Missouri workers.

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The specter of federal cuts comes as Kehoe has made expanding child care availability a priority, arguing that it would allow more parents to go into the workforce.

In one of his first acts as governor, for example, Kehoe issued an executive order calling on state school officials “to improve the state regulatory environment for child care facilities and homes.”

“I’m a fan of Head Start,” the Republican chief executive told reporters at the Capitol Tuesday.

Kehoe said he is monitoring the potential federal spending reductions under the Trump administration and talking with Missouri’s delegation in Congress. It comes as state lawmakers are in the final stages of crafting a spending plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1.