Over a hundred kids on Head Start waiting list

Over a hundred children are on the waiting list of the CNMI Head Start program for the coming school year, according to a report to the CNMI Board of Education.

Head Start program director Keiko Yamagata said their centers on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota have already exhausted the mandated enrollment of 461, based on approved funding for the CNMI. Majority of those on the waiting list are on Saipan.

On top of this, Yamagata disclosed that the program is also operating with three unoccupied positions vital to Head Start’s operations. The Head Start program currently has a staff of 43 and three vacancies.

According to Education Commissioner Dr. Rita A. Sablan, the only thing that would allow the Public School System to add more students to the program is additional funding.

“Until we get enough funding…we can’t do that [add more students],” she told Saipan Tribune, expressing hope that future funding opportunities would help address the issue.

Since two years ago, funded enrolment figures for Head Start had dropped—from 579 to 462—mainly due to funding allotment for the program.

Every year, PSS receives $1.7 million in federal funds for the program. Its local matching requirement has already decreased, from nearly $700,000 to the current $350,000.

PSS said the current enrollment numbers will be kept in SY 2009-2010.

Saipan Tribune learned that Head Start only accepts someone on the waiting list if a student withdraws. The selection of the replacement is based on who is the next most eligible to replace the student.

Saipan Tribune learned that majority of the Head Start’s 43 service providers are deemed non-highly qualified but many are in the process of obtaining their degrees.

Yamagata confirmed to board members that the Head Start program is losing certified and HQT personnel to local elementary schools.

PSS still needs more HQTs to meet the mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act by 2011.

Based on the PSS annual report for 2008, a total of 46 staffers were assigned to Head Start programs.

Head Start has a total of 10 centers on the three islands. Only a handful have two classrooms—Tinian, Songsong, Sinapalo, Tanapag, Garapan, Oleai, Kagman, Dandan, Chalan Kanoa, and San Antonio. Approximately 17 kids are accommodated in every Head Start session.

PSS considers funding as one of the biggest challenges facing the program. Last week, the Education Board approved the submission of a federal grant application for Head Start amounting to $256,000 for the program’s expansion.