Head Start program seeing decline in numbers, could affect operations in long term

The Head start program at HACAP in Washington has seen a decline in numbers recently which could affect operations in the long run.

RenElla Crawford, Washington County Operations Manager for Hawkeye Area Community Action Program Inc. (HACAP), credits the expansion of local preschool programs to the loss of students in the Head Start program.

'What's affected our numbers is a voluntary preschool program,” she said. 'When they started that in our community, our waitlist kind of vanished.”

The Head Start program can accommodate and are licensed to teach up to 36 students but according to their contract must have at least 32 enrolled. Students ages 3-5 are accepted into the program and split among two classrooms. Their free program offers one-way transportation for all students as well.

One classroom offers eight part-day slots, from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. and eight school-day slots from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. five days a week. The other offers 16 full-day slots from 7:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. five days a week.

Julie Potratz, Comprehensive Services Supervisor and teacher at Head Start, said they offer classes through July and will take students in as soon as they turn 3 years old or there is an available slot.

'We enroll kids throughout the whole entire year. So we've had several children who have just turned 3 and have started. We don't have a cutoff,” she said. 'We'll take kids right up until the end of our program year.”

Crawford said when numbers first began to falter, HACAP applied for an expansion grant that would allow them to purchase materials and equipment for an Early Head Start program which would accommodate students 18 months to 3 years old.

They did not receive the grant and were unable to move forward with the plan, which planted a seed of worry with Crawford that the Head Start program could be at risk in the future. Currently there is no risk of the program closing, but with diminishing numbers, thoughts of what could happen have been swirling in the minds of staff.

'One of the things that will happen is that if the slots are not filled eventually, the slots will go away,” Crawford said. 'Either they will be reassigned to possibly another county or HACAP will maybe lose slots. We don't know what the impact will be, but it is a little bit scary when you're talking about federal dollars that are providing a much-needed service in our community and if people don't use it, then they have to put the federal dollars somewhere else.”

For Washington County Head Start, this could mean the program would eventually drop from two classes to one over the course of time if the decrease in numbers continues. Crawford feels this would be a detriment to the county if the downward trend continues.

'Head Start is the biggest program HACAP administers so it could have kind of a trickle effect as far as other services we provide,” she said. 'If Head Start were to go away it could affect energy assistance, the food pantry and it could affect a lot of things we do.”

The Head start Program still is accepting students from all of Washington County ages 3-5. Anyone with questions or who would like to enroll their student may do so by calling: 319-653-7275.