Area leaders within the early education space expressed a range of concern or tepid excitement about the federal government\u2019s plan to restructure the Head Start program.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The federal service provides free early childhood education to families who qualify.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The federal program\u2019s importance to the early childhood education ecosystem is paramount, said Dominique McCain, president and CEO of Educational First Steps.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While her agency is not enrolled in Head Start, the regional nonprofit works with childcare providers to turn low-performing centers into nationally accredited early learning systems. McCain said it\u2019s clear that any changes that impact classroom ratios or attempt to create a supply-demand cost model will affect the industry as a whole.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou cannot take that approach because you start to hinder what’s required \u2014 i.e., children being safe, children being able to experience free play, the ability to move,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
With the aim of reducing regulatory burdens and administrative costs for agencies, the federal move will shift structures at institutions currently charged with the care of the more than 60,000 Texas children under age 5 enrolled in the national program. More than 30 facilities offer Head Start or Early Head Start programs in Tarrant County, according to the program\u2019s website.<\/a><\/p>\n The two Head Start providers in the county are Child Care Associates and Center for Transforming Lives.\u00a0<\/p>\n Child Care Associates is one of the largest nonprofits in the state and operates early education centers in Tarrant County. The organization provides scholarships for families seeking affordable childcare and works with lawmakers on early education policy at the state and federal level.<\/p>\n Center for Transforming Lives supports single women and their children through housing services, early childhood education and wraparound services such as healthcare and insurance enrollment.<\/p>\n The Fort Worth Report spoke with leaders from both local nonprofits to garner their perspectives on the federal proposal.<\/p>\n Center for Transforming Lives<\/p>\n The initial reaction of Center for Transforming Lives CEO Carol Klocek was one of concern that the proposal will dilute Head Start\u2019s positive impacts on the provider\u2019s clients.<\/p>\n Several weeks after the proposal was announced, her thoughts \u201chave gotten more specific.\u201d But the concern still remains.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the areas I have great concerns about is the potential impact on children experiencing homelessness,\u201d Klocek said. <\/p>\n Of the 618 children who received early childhood services from the nonprofit last year, 26% experienced homelessness, according to data reported by Center for Transforming Lives<\/a>.<\/p>\n Families who are homeless are eligible to enroll in a Head Start program. Currently, a family needs to self-attest \u2014 simply state they are homelessness \u2014 to be eligible for the program. The proposal would require documentation proving homelessness.<\/p>\n \u201cFor homeless families, they are very often living in motels, living in their cars. Some are on the street. Some are in shelters. But very often what they do not have is documentation,\u201d Klocek said.<\/p>\n Klocek said she believes this change will harm homeless children and make it more difficult for them to enroll in Head Start.<\/p>\n The nonprofit chief also noted the goal to align Head Start agencies with their selective state childcare standards is being implemented too drastically. Klocek noted that Head Start requirements are meant to address children\u2019s developmental, health and mental health needs prior to starting school. Texas\u2019 standards regard the child\u2019s safety.<\/p>\n This matters when supporting traumatized children, Klocek said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we just rely on the Texas minimum standards, none of those things get addressed,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n Klocek hopes the federal government identifies specific ways they can less drastically shift the program so that states can align their systems with Head Start.<\/p>\n \u201cAre the concerns universal? No,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are some providers who may welcome less oversight and who want to be able to do the curriculum that they like. But I think It\u2019s more important to have an evidence-based curriculum that is normed on the population that you serve.\u201d<\/p>\n Child Care Associates<\/p>\n Kara Waddell was not surprised when the proposed changes were announced.<\/p>\n The CEO of Child Care Associates noted her organization had been working with Standing Up for Head Start, a nonprofit advocacy organization in Washington, D.C. committed to the protection of the Head Start program.<\/p>\n Waddell noted easing regulatory burdens while also aligning Head Start with the state systems has pros and cons.\u00a0<\/p>\n Still, she emphasized the need to keep the core purposes of Head Start intact. <\/p>\n She outlined five elements created through Standing Up for Head Start: prenatal-five, comprehensive services, family engagement and partnership, community driven, and support those with the greatest needs.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cHead Start is a high-quality benchmark, and it’s because of those five core commitments,\u201d Waddell said. \u201cI don’t think it’s necessarily because of the rulebook. Quality really resides in the services that children and families actually receive on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n Waddell also said Texas state requirements for early childhood education are not currently streamlined. <\/p>\n Five agencies \u2014 including the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Department of State Health Services \u2014 all support one section of early childhood education.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one entity really owns, \u2018What do Texas families need in the zero to five years, and how are we going to partner and walk alongside families in those years?\u2019\u201d Waddell said. \u201cWe haven’t had that. That hasn’t been a strength of Texas to date.\u201d<\/p>\n The Child Care Associates chief noted that Gov. Greg Abbott\u2019s Task Force on Early Childhood Education and Care<\/a> is currently trying to bridge that gap.<\/p>\n Child Care Associates is still working on a public response regarding specific changes in the proposal, Waddell said. <\/p>\n However, she emphasized the need to not \u201close the local flavor, the local control, the local design.\u201d<\/p>\n Ismael M. Belkoura is the nonprofit editor for the Fort Worth Report. His position is supported by a grant from North Texas Community Foundation. Contact him at ismael.belkoura@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n