Grand Forks’ Head Start Program confused by low enrollment (VIDEO)
June 20, 2012 at 4:13 am in Grand Forks Herald
Supporters of the Grand Forks Head Start program are trying to figure out why only half the amount of kids than usual have enrolled for fall preschool. Head Start can handle 357 kids and it’s short about 170 kids, and officials aren’t sure why. Continue Reading
Low enrollment? No. High rejection rate? Yes.
When my husband was going to school at UND and we were living off of one income, we tried to enroll our daughter in Head Start. We made just a tad over the income requirements, but she has behavioral problems so she fit into the “extra 10%” that they say they let in, but she was denied 2 years in a row because they had too many kids enrolled. Now they are complaining of low enrollment? Give me a break.
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I agree that it’s very frustatring. The local Head Start is only allowed to accept 10% of total enrollment from families that do not meet income requirements. Those income requirements are set by federal guidelines. The problem with low enrollment of “income qualified” applicants is that less grant dollars will be available to fund the program, thus hurting the services provided. If there was a way to loosen up the income guidlines, more people would be able to benefit.
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There was a Chinese girl that lived in our apartment building whos parents both made more than my husband did, and she was accepted in as the 10% just because she was Chinese.
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What an uninformed and ignorant comment. Have you ever visited the Head Start facility? The teachers and staff work very hard to give children a “head start” on life. These are professionals working daily with children preparing them for kindergarten. Head Start is not a daycare. Your comments illustrate a misperception of a really valuable program. I invite you to call and ask for a tour sometime, I guarantee you will see things differently.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Care to address the “taxpayer funded” part; or the suggestion to not pop out kids that the parent(s) can’t afford?
How much are the “Head Start” kids still ahead of the non-Head Start kids at the fifth-grade level?
Hot debate. What do you think?
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There are longitudinal studies that show what the differences are between “Head Start” kids and “non-Head Start” kids. Do some research.
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http://www.nhsa.org/research/research_bites
(parents pay taxes, too
)
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Schurkey, instead of “skimming” try reading closely. Did you look at the economic data?
A better case could be made that MOST kids need to start kindergarten earlier!
…and take off those ideological glasses you are wearing — they are blurring your objectivity!
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Would it be unethical for a parent whose spouse dies when the child is 3 to keep their child, even if they were forced to live in a “low-income” household? You do not know the individuals’ utilizing this program’s stories. You do not know why they are low-income, how responsible they are, how intelligent, priviliged, or unlucky. Vote for a politician (or better yet, run for an elected position) in order to fight to “eliminate this camouflage of education” if that’s what you feel is right. Please don’t judge others in the process, though. You are making assumptions about the families connected to, staff working in, and supporters of this program that has proven (through data – look it up) to be effective. Doing that is unethical AND immoral.
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Who do you want a “thank you” from, Schurkey? Andria, a “taxpayer”, wrote that she would never have sent her children anywhere else, even though she could afford it. She sounds grateful for Head Start’s existence, even though she has to “pay” for it. I am sure that Head Start families that are “low-income” are just as, if not more grateful.
You have strong misperceptions about the children of Head Start families, obviously stemming from ignorance. I am not going to force-feed you survey results or other types of data that PROVE that Head Start is a solid, effective program. I am sure you would call whatever I provided you with “cherry-picked” anyway.
Did you know that 10% of the children enrolled in Head Start are above income, which means that those parents FOR SURE pay taxes?
Another 10% HAS to be made up of children who have developmental disabilities or other special needs. Do you think it’s a waste of taxpayers’ money to help these children?
I get that you don’t feel that taxpayers should pay for other people’s childrens’ educations. You don’t think that people should “pop children out” that they can’t afford. I agree that parents should be responsible when deciding to have kids, when, and how many. Life happens, though. Not everyone makes the same decisions that YOU would make. When that happens, how will our society care for those children? Or should we not care for them at all?
No matter what your opinions are, you can make these points WITHOUT being judgemental.
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Question for Schurkey: How do you think public schools exist?? That’s right…taxpayers. So does that mean that they run under a camouflage of “education?” If 10% of enrollees are for above income parents who have to pay for it, then that is more of a percentage that parents pay for the “education” than they do in the public schools.
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With all due respect I wouldn’t go blowing the “go public education” horn too loud. The slide of our place in the world
in math and science anyone?!? I wouldn’t call that success.
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With all due respect david, most of our schools are doing quite well despite lack of funding and support at most levels. Of course, the right — especially the religious right, don’t want our kids to do well in things like science in case they question things like creationism, and human dominion over the planet’s resources.
The result — other countries openly laugh at the stupidity — e.g.: http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/education/how-american-fundamentalist-schools-are-using-nessie-to-disprove-evolution.17918511
Talking of other countries, Finland could teach us a few things about how to improve education — but then the Finns see education as something worth investing in.
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Both of my boys went through Head Start. We were above the income both times. They absolutely LOVED it. Could I have sent them elsewhere? Yes, we were fortunate to be able to afford it. Would I have, never! The teachers and aids at the Grand Forks Head Start are wonderful! My kids still ask if they can go and visit. They made life long friends and have been at the top of their class since Kindergarten. Never underestimate the breadth of knowledge, routine and security that Head Start brings to a child. It sometimes is the only source of “normalcy” a child may have!
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GOOD! I am glad we have NO UNMET NEED!!!! I am happy with our success!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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the reason the enrollment is low is because the transportation is a major factor for most kids going to Head Start. With the budget cuts the transportation is being cut dramatically and thus the enrollment is going to drop. Many parents do not have a way to get their children back and forth to Head Start. As usual its a money thing as with almost everything else. The kids will suffer for this one.
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“Andria, a “taxpayer”, wrote that she would never have sent her children anywhere else, even though she could afford it. ”
“Both of my boys went through Head Start. We were above the income both times. They absolutely LOVED it. Could I have sent them elsewhere? Yes, we were fortunate to be able to afford it. Would I have, never!”
“Did you know that 10% of the children enrolled in Head Start are above income, which means that those parents FOR SURE pay taxes?”
But do they pay the fair value of the Head Start services they receive? (No.)
What I’m hearing:
Some parents who can afford to pay for daycare are dumping their kids’ daycare expense on the taxpayer “because they can”.
Even more “parents” who shouldn’t have had kids to begin with are dumping their kids’ daycare on the taxpayer “because they need to”.
“Another 10% HAS to be made up of children who have developmental disabilities or other special needs. Do you think it’s a waste of taxpayers’ money to help these children? ”
Largely, yes. They should be kept comfortable; and the primary funding should be THE PARENTS AND FAMILY. They’re the most unlikely to actually support themselves or to contribute to society. Investing Society’s resources into folks who aren’t likely to contribute to society is a crime against those who can contribute. We spend more per student on the poorest-performing when we should be boosting the “average” and the highest-performing.
As for the effectiveness of Head Start as an educational program, the research I saw showed that the benefits were gone by fifth grade–after that, educationally, the Head Start kids were at the same level as the non-Head Start kids.
Do you suppose that “scientific studies” done on behalf of Head Start, and linked-to previously just possibly could be biased–distorted to promote the “best possible” outcomes?
Fact is, Head Start is just another taxpayer-funded boondoggle inflicted by well-meaning but clueless politicians who find it very easy to spend other people’s money. A major “unintended consequence” is encouraging unfit “parents” to pop out more kids than they can afford; and thus making sure poverty–and therefore the need for expanded assistance programs–increases in the next generation.
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What schurkey has outlined here appears to be the new version of “compassionate conservatism.”
It fails to appreciate that State Pen is much more expensive than Penn State.
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I agree. Wether we invest in our country’s disadvantaged children or pay for their incarcerations when they’re young adults, we’re going to have to pay some amount and at some point. I’d rather invest in education in the hopes that it makes a difference (which it does).
Schurkey, you obviously haven’t done any of your own research on the subject. That’s fine. Even if you go by the only “research” that you saw, which showed that by the end of fifth grade, “educationally, the Head Start kids were at the same level as the non-Head Start kids”, that still PROVES EFFECTIVENESS. A lot of the children who go to Head Start would be very far behind without it. If children are interested in education and shown the value of learning from an early age, they have a better chance at ending the cycle of poverty they were born into. That will save ALL OF US money in the long-run, and increase quality of life for more individuals. You seem more interested in “boosting the “average” and the highest-performing” than giving a boost to those in our society who need it most – which shows where your values lie.
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