WEST LIBERTY — With September almost halfway gone, there appears to be no sign of area Head Start programs opening their doors.
According to Gateway Community Action Agency’s CEO Charlene Engle, Licking Valley Head Start will not begin operating this month.
“There’s things that come up and you don’t always make those deadlines, but we’re looking at now hoping that we will be in session in October,” Charlene Engle said. “We’re waiting on a few things, some inspections, licensing, things like that to come out and finish up in order for us to open our doors.”
Since July, GCAA has been working with Licking Valley Community Action Program to transfer the area’s Head Start Program.
Involved in that transfer, Engle said both agencies have worked on exchanging leases, contracts and other assets associated with LVHS. An “employee fair” was also held for current employees to resubmit their application and undergo interviews.
Engle also said that the agency is trying to purchase and gather up all of the materials needed for the Early Head Start Program, a program that was not provided previously in the area and will serve pregnant mothers and children aged from birth to three.
In August, Engle said GCAA planned on having LVHS be operational on Sept. 1, while August would be spent completing the staffing process and preparing facilities for the coming school year.
With the work being done so far in getting Head Start back up and running in the Licking Valley area, Engle said the agency feels pretty comfortable that they will make the October start date.
“(Licking Valley Community Action Program) has phenomenal to work with,” she said, “ they’ve been very receptive to the thing that we’ve needed and making transition as comfortable and as easy I think is possible. It’s just a matter of setting up classrooms, hiring the staff in, getting licensing to come out of a new ownership, the fire marshal — all of those things that take some time. I wouldn’t really call it a hold up, it’s certainly been what has to happen in order for the transition to occur for us to make sure that we’ve got all of our ducks in a row before we open our doors.”
