Head Start at SLV in August

For the first time in at least three decades, a Head Start classroom will open in the San Lorenzo Valley.
The SLV center, serving children 3 to 5 years old, will be a full-day, year-round program, beginning in August 2017, it was announced this week.
Encompass Community Services, which manages Head Start and Early Start programs in the county, has received $3 million in federal funds for expanding access to child development services for 146 of the county’s most vulnerable and low-income families.
“We will be opening a Head Start classroom at the Ludlow Center in Felton at the San Lorenzo Valley School District campus for 14 low-income children ages 3 and 4,” said Jerri Winner, Head Start director for Encompass Services.
She said Encompass also is adding two “toddler center” classrooms for children 18 months to 3 years in Watsonville.
In Felton, Encompass will be hiring one new teacher director and two teacher assistants.
“Presently several families from the SLV area bring their children to our Santa Cruz centers or receive home-visiting child development services,” she said. “We are excited to finally be able to serve children in the SLV area.”
The home-based program serving children younger than 3 will continue in the San Lorenzo Valley, she said.
 All children in Santa Cruz County are eligible to apply to the Head Start/Early Head Start program.
Encompass Community Services was awarded the funds this month from The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Administration for Children and Families: Office of Head Start.
Santa Cruz County’s local Head Start centers support school readiness and promote healthy families through delivery of education, health, and social services, said.
The award amounts include start-up one-time funding of $1,685,408 and on-going funding of $1,492,855 annually for Head Start and Early Head Start programs.
The funds will extend services for about 146 children in Head Start centers around the county to year-round, full-day programs.
“Research shows that young children need more learning time in high quality programs to prepare them for success later in school and in life,” said Winner.
 “We are grateful to have this opportunity to provide full day, full year services to 29% of our Head Start children starting in August 2017.
“Our goal is to provide full-day, full-year services to 100 percent of our Head Start children by 2021,” Winner said. 
She said Encompass HeadStart/Early Head Start recognized an unfilled need for full-day, full-year programming and sought solutions with community partners.
In 2015, it was calculated that 3,644 children ages 0-5 live in families with incomes no more than 70 percent of the state median income with all parents either working or in school.
Of the 3,644 children, about half or 1,832 children who were income-eligible and in need of full-time care were not being served.
Now, through the new grant, 114 children at six Head Start sites, and 32 children at four Early Head Start sites will receive high quality education and early childhood development support in full day/full year programs.            
 For more information about Encompass and its programs please visit www.EncompassCS.org or call 831-469-1700.