Head Start program to open Wednesday in Albemarle
The new organization charged with operating area Head Start programs will reopen facilities in Stanly, Montgomery and Moore counties Wednesday.
Services will open in five out of six sites across the three counties, including the Davis Street location in Albemarle. The Norwood Elementary location will be delayed until later in the month if not until January, Executive Director Khari Garvin said, due to a plumbing renovation that is ongoing. Garvin is the Head Start executive director for Save the Children, which took over Head Start earlier this year.
Save the Children is able to offer services to the three counties thanks to a roughly $4 million grant from the Office of Head Start, which is under the umbrella of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Garvin said.The older Head Start children will start Wednesday while Early Head Start for babies and toddlers will begin in January, Garvin said.
Only returning students will initially be accepted though new students will be phased in at a later time.
Garvin was not sure exactly how many students will be at the Albemarle site.
“I’m most looking forward to restoring a very important educational and child development services to families who have longed for it and needed it for a good bit and who have been very patient,” Garvin said. “I know for them they’re excited for that moment and we are, too.”
“At the end of the day, this is about preparing a child for kindergarten success.”