COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – The regional office for Head Start has informed the Branch Intermediate School District it could see a reduction in grant funds if enrollment does not increase in the next year.
Regional Program Manager Karen McNamara indicted in a February 13 letter to B.I.S.D. Board Chair Ken Norton that the Office of Head Start “is committed to supporting grant recipients’ efforts to achieve full enrollment while maintaining the highest quality of services for children and families.”
McNamara says the B.I.S.D. District is required to develop a plan in collaboration with O.H.S. to address its current under enrollment status. She went on to say O.H.S. recognizes that many Head Start programs are experiencing unprecedented challenges in hiring and retaining qualified staff.
The B.I.S.D. will be required to initiate a 12 month plan to improve enrollment to at least 97 percent in collaboration with O.H.S.. The 12-month period will conclude no later than February 23, 2025.
If the B.I.S.D. has not reached at least 97 percent enrollment at the end of the 12-month period, the O.H.S. has the option of reducing grant funds.
McNamara also points out for informational purposes only that based on the most recently reported enrollment levels, the local Head Start program is under enrolled by 27 slots. Based on that figure, the O.H.S. would recapture over $303,000 from the district’s Head Start base grant next year if enrollment stayed the same.
B.I.S.D. Early Education Assistant Superintendent Cynthia Hutson said in her report for the Wednesday’s Board of Education meeting that their main issue with not meeting the 97 percent enrollment requirement under the Head Start Act is a lack of qualified staff, mainly teachers.
She said they are still down three teachers and have also had several absences amongst staff, which has caused the closing classrooms quite frequently.
Hutson said, “not only do we not have permanent staff, we do not have a sub list to work from. We continue to battle the issue with lack of staff to support classrooms safely, which has caused some systems issues that we are working through.”
Hutson added they were are putting a concerted effort into the Lincoln Center which is their largest center, “to ensure that the facility is kept up and that we are able to operate our classrooms safely and with quality.”
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