SPRINGDALE — Washington County Head Start officials plan to change how they provide services to some Springdale children after a preschool building flooded on July 12.
The Head Start center at 603 W. Sanders Ave. served 36 children ages 3 to 5 in two classrooms. It cannot be used until it is repaired, said Brenda Zedlitz, Head Start program director for Washington County.
About 150 children attend Springdale Head Start classes, which are designed to prepare low-income children for kindergarten. The local programs are managedby the Washington County Economic Opportunity Agency and paid for with federal tax dollars.
The Springdale School District’s prekindergarten program can serve up to 600 children, but more than 150 are on a waiting list for 2010-11. Programs like Head Start help prepare children the district may not be able to take in, said Jim Rollins, Springdale School District superintendent.
There isn’t enough time to repair the Sanders building before the next preschool session starts Aug. 25, so adjusting how students are served is necessary, Zedlitz said.
Kathleen Randall, director of the Washington CountyEconomic Opportunity Agency, said off cials hope to serve 18 of the 150 children using a home-based program where teachers visit the child’s home. Teachers visit the home 32 times during the school year, she said. It will be offered to families where there is a parent who watches the child during the day. Parents will be consulted to determine if the program is a good fit, Randall said.
The agency will also open a classroom for 18 students in the Head Start center at 500 Oak Ave., which is a half-mile south of the Sanders building.
Finding new space would be diffcult because of Head Start building requirements, which include customized bathroomfi xtures for children.
Paul Reynolds, president of the Economic Opportunity Agency board of directors, supports the directors’ plans given the circumstances.
“We’re very limited on what we can do,” he said.
There are only five Head Start programs in Arkansas that provide home-based services, said Deana Powell, administrative service manager for the state Head Start Association. Most programs hold classes in buildings.
The Sanders building flooded less than two months after it was struck by lightning on May 14. Agency off - cials closed the center with three days left in the spring session.
News, Pages 4 on 07/26/2010