New Year Begins with Two Virtual Weeks

Happy New Year Head Start Parents!

We have ushered in 2022, which means new beginnings. However you spent this holiday season, we hope it brought peace, love and joy to your family.

As we continue to manage the pandemic, it is our hope as each day and month goes by, that things will get better and better. However, it appears our “new normal” will continue for a while.

We made the difficult decision to keep our centers closed to students for three additional weeks after winter break. The week of January 3 saw staff training and the beginnings of extensive sanitizing. The weeks of January 10 and 17 will include virtual instruction for all students.

As you know, many businesses and organizations continue to struggle nationwide with workforce issues and we are no exception. Since the beginning of the school year in September, we have struggled to open classrooms and keep them open due to lack of staff. Unlike our area school districts, we are required to meet a variety of both federal and state standards. Among those are rules about the ratio of children to teacher as well as specific requirements for teacher credentials.

We want to get back to normal but we have to make it safe for everyone and we must comply with the rules that come with our federal funding, some of which are the subject of court battles we are following.

We are trying to meet families’ needs and we understand it’s tough for you too. Our family service workers will do everything they can to help you find alternative solutions for those who need daycare in order to work. Meanwhile, we hope you will take advantage of the virtual instruction provided through ClassTag.

Offerings on and off the platform will include:

Recordings of teachers reading stories, conducting lessons and more;

Ready Rosie;

Ignite by Hatch to continue their child’s learning experiences;

Program enhancements such as Viva Spanish, Kindermusik and Tae Kwon Do.

Our nutrition staff will also be providing meals which will be distributed Jan. 18. If you need additional help with meals, technology or anything else, please do not hesitate to contact your teacher, family service worker or home visitor.

Also, don’t forget that we have already planned to extend our school year into the second week of June this year. This will particularly help our students who are preparing for kindergarten this fall.

I so appreciate everyone’s patience as we continue to navigate these issues. We want to thank you again, for choosing Head Start during these difficult times. We look forward to welcoming your children in person during the week of January 24.

Shauna Matelski, Ed.D. Head Start Director