| The regions Head Start program is being put out of business, following government intervention.
Problems have surfaced for spending about $4,000 less per individual student than required, to improperly recording the development of children in the program.
Parkersburg-based Family Development Inc. will be dissolved July 1 and no longer administer a $3.37 million federal Head Start grant for 10 counties, including Calhoun.
Family Development oversees Head Start for 579 children in Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer, Jackson, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Tyler, Wirt and Wood counties.
The group reportedly failed to correct a number of deficiencies, including failure to comply with program governance requirements and failure to monitor financial operations.
Family Development is appealing the loss of their contract, saying 100 people could lose their jobs.
A Colorado group called CDI will be operating the program until a permanent provider is found.
CDI attempts to rehire teachers and support staff.
CDI says that parents will see no visible change to the program except that classrooms and teaching personnel will be better supervised and improved in the next school year
Unfortunately, the takeover of several Head Start programs is bad timing. While Head Start has been recognized as a highly successful pre-school program, it is facing significant cuts imposed by the Bush administration.
Almost 9,000 slots for poor children have been trimmed from the program in the past two years, according to the National Head Start Association.
The percentage of eligible children served by Head Start and Early Head Start programs has been cut by 20 percent, and half of local Head Start grantees have been forced to cut services, while others have been put out of business.
Head Start provides services primarily to children, age 3 to 5, who are from low-income situations, and their families. Early Head Start provides services to pregnant mothers and children from birth to age 3. The program provides medical and dental examinations to children, as well as nutritional, educational and social services.
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