Local officials look toward Mercer County Head Start's future

May 25—SHARON — When this summer vacation ends, Mercer County Head Start — which serves about 559 children across the county's school districts — will resume its programs like any other year, potentially with some new employees.

Behind the scenes, Mercer County Head Start will now be directly administered by the Community Action Partnership of Mercer County, although CAP President and CEO Wilma Torres said this won't affect the children or families involved in Head Start's programs.

"Nothing will change, it's going to be the same for our kids as it's always been," Torres said.

Mercer County Head Start, which includes the Head Start, Early Head Start and Pre-K Counts programs, falls under the Early Childhood Division of the CAP and is funded by a mixture of state and federal grants.

Administration of Mercer County Head Start was previously handled by the Farrell Area School District for 57 years, although the agreement between the school district and the CAP will end on June 30, following a vote by the Farrell School Board earlier this year.

Officials with the CAP initially considered looking for a new school district or agency to delegate administration of Mercer County Head Start to for this coming school year, but the CAP will now serve as the interim delegate for Head Start from July 1 through June 30, 2024, Torres said.

The decision for the CAP to take direct control, albeit only for the next school year, was so CAP officials could make the necessary grant applications to the Head Start Region 3 office in Philadelphia — which requires a delegate be in place, Torres said.

"Head Start receives five-year grants, but every year we have to make 'mini-grant' requests with any updates or changes," Torres said.

Requests for proposals will be submitted to local school districts and agencies around July or early August, allowing the CAP board to eventually choose a delegate by their December meeting, Torres said.

Following the board's selection, the period of January through June will be spent preparing that new delegate to take over administration of Head Start, which would be effective July 1, 2024.

But while the services that children and families have come to expect from Mercer County Head Start will remain the same, Torres said there are plans to grow the organization's staff, with opportunities to recruit parents as well.

Officials are looking to hire about 38 new staff members, including 30 educational staff such as teachers, assistant teachers and support aids, and eight administrators, supervisors and family advocates.

For teachers, applicants must have a minimum of an associate's degree in early childhood education, with the contingency that the applicant receive their bachelor's degree within five years.

Torres said all of Head Start's current staff have bachelor's degrees in early childhood education, but hiring with a minimum of an associate's degree is expected to draw a larger pool of candidates.

However, parents with a minimum of a high school diploma, the ability to pass the necessary background checks and a desire to work with children can also apply to become assistant teachers through a training program hosted by Mercer County Head Start.

Organized in Child Development Associate cohorts, the training program allows groups of parents to undergo the training together. The program includes training videos, interviews, developing portfolios and a final oral and written examination, Torres said.

Trainees will also be working in classrooms as part of the training, since 720 classroom hours are also required to successfully complete the program.

Successful trainees will be nationally certified, allowing them to work at Head Start or eventually take a similar job at daycare programs throughout the U.S.

Torres said the program has been successful with parents in the past.

"This is something that can get the parents started on a career, and it's at no cost to them," Torres said of the program.

In the meantime, CAP officials will be meeting with representatives from the Pennsylvania State Education Association — which represents more than 100 employees at Mercer County Head Start.

In what Torres described as a "continuous process," CAP and PSEA officials will meet to discuss the five-year contract secured by PSEA last year.

These discussions could look at different parts of the contract, such as personnel policies or the health insurance plan.

Torres said she understands the point-of-views of both CAP officials and Head Start's teachers, since she originally started as a Head Start teacher in Youngstown, Ohio before eventually coming to Mercer County Head Start and later transferring to the CAP.

"I've been in the classroom and know what it's like as a teacher trying to make sure you have the best for your kids," Torres said. "Because when they were in my classroom, they were 'my kids.'"

For more information on Head Start's programs or employment opportunities, call Mercer County Head Start at 724-346-4482, Community Action Partnership's administrative office for Head Start at 724-342-6222, or visit www.mchs-ehs.org.

Like David L. Dye on Facebook or email him at ddye@sharonherald.com.