Head Start next year?
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Anonymous
Because it is for ECE and that includes K. |
Anonymous
| Wait, so DCPS has been using Head Start funding so MC, UMC and wealthy DC parents don't have to pay for daycare? Ouch. |
Anonymous
Head Start funding does not cover kindergarten. So again, why should a parent with a child moving to kindergarten need to know about changes to preK 3 and preK 4? |
Anonymous
It's only part of the program's funding. |
Anonymous
The Head Start money isn’t enough to cover every ECE, but yes it has been covering non-poor kids. When the last grant was made, there were a lot more poor kids in the system. “DCPS does ECE well everywhere” wasn’t an accident. Now you see what Early Action was about. |
Anonymous
Because if they pull some money from other parts of the budget to cover ECE, that’s everyone’s business. And so many K parents have younger kids. |
Anonymous
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Here's the letter:
January 29, 2020 Dear DC Public Schools Families, At DC Public Schools (DCPS), we are proud to offer free, high quality, full-day Pre-Kindergarten education to 3- and 4-year-olds across all wards in the District. With funding from the federal Head Start program, we have been able to enhance the Pre-K programs in our Title I schools by offering additional supports and wraparound services that promote early learning, health, and family well-being. I am reaching out today to provide you with an update regarding the status of DCPS' Head Start funding for School Year 2020-2021 and beyond. Head Start grants typically last for a five-year funding period, and DCPS is at the end of the current five-year grant cycle. Due to shifting demographics of our schools that have resulted in fewer Head Start-eligible students coupled with challenges related to student safety, DCPS has submitted a new application to receive Head Start funding for the 2020-2021 school year and beyond. Please be assured that regardless of funding status, the number of Pre-K classrooms that DCPS offe rs will not be impacted. With fewer Head Start-eligible students, it is important that we are transparent with our communities as we anticipate changes to the grant award. As part of the re-application process, DCPS' Early Childhood Education Division (ECED) has completed a comprehensive assessment and review of services and schools to ensure that support services are available at schools with the highest need. The final confirmation of Head Start funding will be available in summer 2020, and we will be able to share additional information with any impacted schools at that time. For impacted schools, we expect some grant-funded support staff and resources - including family services and instructional coaching - will be reduced. DCPS remains committed to providing high-quality early childhood education programs that we know have a significant and lasting impact on a child's school readiness, achievement throughout their education, and positive life outcomes. Thank you for your continued support of DCPS' Early Learning. Sincerely, Melissa M. Kim, Ed.D Deputy Chancellor 1200 |
Anonymous
+1. This is a way of reaching next year's PK3 siblings. Our school just emailed it to everyone in the school. |
Anonymous
I agree, everyone in the school should know. Losing head start will affect ECE the most with the quality of programming but you are naive if that does have have effect downstream on the rest of the grades/school. Some money/resources will have to be shifted not to replace head start but at least for the testing and materials. |
Anonymous
| And people here said that the OP who talked about this in the summer was lying. |
Anonymous
No, we said OP failed to provide supporting references and was an annoying, repetitive troll. |
Anonymous
| I think it’s unfair of DCPS to expect people to enter the lottery without this information. Parents and families rely on ECE, and we should be given the information before we’re expected to choose schools for next year. |
Anonymous
| Is there a way for parents to call Head Start and tell them how much they love and benefit from having Head Start at DCPS? That might help DCPS get the grant again. |
Anonymous
But the funding depends on how many low income kids enroll. |
Anonymous
| If you guys really want to help to keep the program and demonstrate to Head Start that there is a need, help with recruitment of low income families at your school. |