Head Start in turmoil

Head Start and Early Head Start classrooms in St. Martin Parish are silent this week as the federal government prepares to take control of the program.
The action follows a ruling by the Administration of Children and Families (ACF), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Effective last Friday, July 28, ACF took control away from the SMILE Community Action Agency, which provides services in the three parishes of St. Martin, Iberia and Lafayette. Head Start and Early Head Start are early childhood educational programs intended to aid the development of disadvantaged children.
The combined programs currently serve about 1,400 preschoolers in the three parishes, employing about 350 people. SMILE has received $17 million per year, about 85 percent of its budget to run the program.
SMILE’s termination is a result of findings by ACF that insufficient actions had been taken to address several instances of abuse and neglect by staff members. Some of these occurrences were not reported to authorities as required.
Instances included the reported pinching, scratching and hitting of children, a case in which a five-year-old was left alone at a bus stop and one in which a child was left on a bus. Complaints from parents sparked the initial inquiry.
Earlier this year, the federal agency concluded that deficiencies in management of the three-parish agency “pose serious risks involving the health and safety of children.” Reportedly, none of the alleged problems occurred in the St. Martin Parish programs.
The Community Development Institutue (CDI) will provide Head STart services in the interim and will hold a competitive grant awarding process to find another qualified agency to administer the Head Start programs. Public and private non-profit groups, including school systems, can apply, according to agency press releases.
CDI representatives are hopeful Head Start classes could resume as early as next Monday.
Attempts to reach St. Martin SMILE officials and board members were unsuccessful.
SMILE operates Head Start campuses in St. Martinville, Breaux Bridge and at Huron, between Cecilia and Arnaudville.
St. Martin representatives on the SMILE governing board are Christopher Bourda, Zachary Landry, Richard Potier and Scody Prade.
The federal agency is holding a “job fair” this week, at which current employees may apply to keep their Head Start jobs when classes resume under CDI leadership. SMILE board president Thomas Guidry said that about 99 percent of employees have kept their jobs in previous instances of CDI takeovers.
SMILE CEO Chris Williams said the agency will file for an court injunction to stop what he calls a federal overreach. That process can take up to a year, however. Williams claims SMILE has complied with all requests from CDI, has made corrections, and is in full compliance with their orders.