Head Start classes at stop sign
TPS-run program’s start delayed by lack of necessary licenses.
9/2/2014Toledo Public Schools’ takeover of Head Start classes in Lucas County got off to a rocky start, with classes delayed a week because the district has not yet received all its needed licenses.
Head Start classes will now start Monday, because not all the district’s Head Start locations received licenses to open, district spokesman Patty Mazur said. Paperwork was submitted for all sites at the same time, but it has not been returned for several sites by the state yet.
The district realized in the middle of last week that it would not be able to open Head Start on time, Ms. Mazur said, and parents were notified by letter and by phone. The first day of class -- originally expected to be today - was meant to be a staggered introduction session for children.
There is no indication of problems with the paperwork, Ms. Mazur said, and that it was purely a timing issue.
A TPS-led community collaborative was awarded this year a five-year grant worth $8.1 million annually to serve 1,126 children through Head Start.
The federal grant has switched hands several times in recent years. The local program was one of dozens put up for competition in 2011 for the first time. Community Development Institute of Denver was given the grant on an interim basis during the bidding process.
The TPS group is sharing the $13 million grant with Pittsburgh-based Brightside Academy. Classes for Brightside have not been delayed.
Contact Nolan Rosenkrans at: nrosenkrans@theblade.com or 419-724-6086, or on Twitter @NolanRosenkrans.