LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Charges of abuse and neglect led Jefferson County Public Schools to drop its Head Start early childhood education program in 2018. But now, a scaled-down version has returned under new management.
The Ohio Valley Education Cooperative (OVEC) opened a new Head Start Center on the campus of St. Ignatius Martyr Parish in the Newburg neighborhood.
“I think the impact is huge,” OVEC’s Head Start Director Kim Fithian said. “Our facilities are quality. We believe in serving the child, the family.”
OVEC's Head Start and Early Head Start are all-day programs for children from birth to age 4. It is designed to get them ready for kindergarten.
“For them learn their ABCs, know their first and last name, how old they are, even their address,” teacher Kristin Bryant said.
Bryant said those fundamentals go beyond reading, writing and arithmetic.
“If something's wrong, they have to be able to calm themselves down,” she said. “They're learning how to sit, raise their hand, walk in the hallway, how to talk, use nice words.”
Louisville's Head Start program is getting a reboot, in part, through a $10.1 million annual grant from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The program will serve 288 children in Early Head Start (birth to 36 months) and 306 children in Head Start (ages 3-4.)
“The most likely predictor of success in your educational career and beyond is kids who get a strong foundation,” Congressman John Yarmuth during Monday's the grand-opening ceremony.
The program is expected to have an impact not only on the children but also on their families.
“If the family has needs, we try to figure out what those needs are and help them to meet that,” Fithian said. “We try to empower the family to know what's best for their child.”
OVEC plans to open at least eight Head Start and Early Head Centers by the summer of 2022. The Russell neighborhood center is scheduled to open next week.
Fithian said the big challenge will be finding teachers.
“We need children for enrollment, and we need staff to help teach these children,” she said.
Fithian said OVEC offers benefits and tuition assistance along with the salary. Bryant said anyone who loves to teach children should consider applying.
“I'm very passionate about working with kids and this age group,” she said. “You are cultivating these young children's minds.”
Families must meet income and other qualifications to be eligible for the program. For more information, click here.
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