Head Start next year?

[Anonymous]

It would be realistically easier for Marie Reed and Bancroft to keep it than other schools. Both schools draw kids from all over Columbia Heights. There is a lot of subsidized and low income housing in that neighborhood. Both schools just have to get out and recruit the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I expect that of the same people who really want their schools to "flip" with more high SES IB children - or who celebrate when they do - are going to be claiming that their school should remain Head Start eligible.

You can't have it both ways.

Exactly and the school that comes to mind is Langley. Lots of boosters on here about ECE being middle class, some families staying past ECE but lo and behold, now only preK 3 has the middle class families, not so much preK 4. Guess the laundry comes out when it comes down to money. LOL!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I could see DCPS trying to keep it at these schools:

Marie Reed
Cleveland
Bruce Monroe
Truesdell
Barnard
Tubman
Brightwood
Dorothy Height

I’m the PP teacher who got the letter. I’m at one of these schools. I don’t remember seeing a list of schools’ statuses. But heard we will be in the 2nd category—losing funding but keeping PK through DCPS? I can’t remember exactly what it said that category was.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I expect that of the same people who really want their schools to "flip" with more high SES IB children - or who celebrate when they do - are going to be claiming that their school should remain Head Start eligible.

You can't have it both ways.

Exactly and the school that comes to mind is Langley. Lots of boosters on here about ECE being middle class, some families staying past ECE but lo and behold, now only preK 3 has the middle class families, not so much preK 4. Guess the laundry comes out when it comes down to money. LOL!

It's really no big secret in the neighborhood. I don't know who is telling you ECE is middle class. PK3 has the highest percentage of high-income kids, PK4 the next, and K less. K is some low-income, some moderate-income and maybe like 10-15% higher-income. That is normal and to be expected as the class size increases and attrition is backfilled. I don't know what numbers you need to qualify for Head Start funding now, but it is entirely plausible to me that a school could have some income diversity and still qualify. The real question is how many kids are sufficiently low-income for Head Start rather than just slightly too high income to qualify.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It would be realistically easier for Marie Reed and Bancroft to keep it than other schools. Both schools draw kids from all over Columbia Heights. There is a lot of subsidized and low income housing in that neighborhood. Both schools just have to get out and recruit the kids.

But the city’s funding won’t be adjusted for 5 years. DCPS can move money around though, but the allocation won’t change.

[Anonymous]

Did anyone else get this letter? Or is this just the troll sock puppeting now? My kid is in PK4 at a school that will be one of the first to lose HS and I got no letter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I could see DCPS trying to keep it at these schools:

Marie Reed
Cleveland
Bruce Monroe
Truesdell
Barnard
Tubman
Brightwood
Dorothy Height

I’m the PP teacher who got the letter. I’m at one of these schools. I don’t remember seeing a list of schools’ statuses. But heard we will be in the 2nd category—losing funding but keeping PK through DCPS? I can’t remember exactly what it said that category was.

There were at least 20-30 schools in the second category. The first category consisted entirely of ward 7 and 8 schools. I believe that Walker Jones EC and Wheatley were the only two schools outside of Ward 7 and 8 in the first category. The last category had Marie Reed, Bancroft, Ludlow Taylor, Van Ness, West, Garrison, and Payne as the schools that would definitely not be receiving Head Start. It is important to remember that these placements were tentative and could change depending on whether schools collected additional data.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone else get this letter? Or is this just the troll sock puppeting now? My kid is in PK4 at a school that will be one of the first to lose HS and I got no letter.

What sense would it make for a current PK4 parent to receive the letter? The letter contains information about programming shifts for parents with children still in preK next school year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone else get this letter? Or is this just the troll sock puppeting now? My kid is in PK4 at a school that will be one of the first to lose HS and I got no letter.

If you really want the letter send an email to the DCPS Early Childhood Education Division.

[e-mail]

[Anonymous]

How much is the current Head Start funding (total to DCPS and per-school)?

I’m wondering if the schools losing head start because of higher income parents could get parents together to subsidize Head Start level services.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How much is the current Head Start funding (total to DCPS and per-school)?

I’m wondering if the schools losing head start because of higher income parents could get parents together to subsidize Head Start level services.

The total is $14.5 million.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How much is the current Head Start funding (total to DCPS and per-school)?

I’m wondering if the schools losing head start because of higher income parents could get parents together to subsidize Head Start level services.

It. Is. A. Formula. Has nothing to do with whether some parents are viewed to be able to donate money.

DC is one of the few cities that has ECE for anyone who wants it (if they will travel). We've paid for our program with money from Head Start and city funding. The Head Start funds come with requirements related to staffing, training and material and facilities -- and that the money goes to support poor kids (it's ok if a few not poor kids are there too).

So what's happening is that DC is receiving less from the federal government than it has been. The city has to figure out how to distribute the Head Start money it will still have (not an insubstantial sum), within the rules of the grant which says it is for poor kids. And it will need to pay for the rest of ECE out of DCPS dollars.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How much is the current Head Start funding (total to DCPS and per-school)?

I’m wondering if the schools losing head start because of higher income parents could get parents together to subsidize Head Start level services.

It. Is. A. Formula. Has nothing to do with whether some parents are viewed to be able to donate money.

DC is one of the few cities that has ECE for anyone who wants it (if they will travel). We've paid for our program with money from Head Start and city funding. The Head Start funds come with requirements related to staffing, training and material and facilities -- and that the money goes to support poor kids (it's ok if a few not poor kids are there too).

So what's happening is that DC is receiving less from the federal government than it has been. The city has to figure out how to distribute the Head Start money it will still have (not an insubstantial sum), within the rules of the grant which says it is for poor kids. And it will need to pay for the rest of ECE out of DCPS dollars.

Which means if you do not qualify, you won’t be getting money. DCPS has a huge budget shortfall. Where will this dollars be coming from? Out of the sky?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How much is the current Head Start funding (total to DCPS and per-school)?

I’m wondering if the schools losing head start because of higher income parents could get parents together to subsidize Head Start level services.

The total is $14.5 million.

LOL! Sure, I’ll whip out a check for 30k for my school which BTW would not be anywhere near the amount needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How much is the current Head Start funding (total to DCPS and per-school)?

I’m wondering if the schools losing head start because of higher income parents could get parents together to subsidize Head Start level services.

Rather defeats the purpose of the program. Head Start is to help poor kids. They need more to succeed. Equity is the founding principle and has been since the program started in the 70s.

But DCPS could come up with $14M pretty easily if it chose to. Let’s start with eliminating PK3 in 21-22 for schools with a sliver of at-risk kids. Any at-risk IB kids have a pref to go to the closest school with PK3/4.