MACAA Transitions Early/Head Start Management to CDI

In late January, the Monticello Area Community Action Agency (MACAA) Board of Directors made the difficult decision to relinquish its Early Head Start and Head Start grants, with the intent of reapplying for a revised grant in the near future.

Head Start grants require that grantees serve a certain number of students, at a set cost per student, and that the grantee demonstrate high standards for quality and safety. Although MACAA has operated this area’s Head Start program successfully since its inception, the current grant established these parameters over a decade ago. In light of changes in the education sector we have seen since the pandemic, we determined that the current grant’s funding does not allow us to serve the number of children we are obligated to serve, in a manner that is likely to be successful. Staff were informed of this decision in late January, immediately following the Board’s vote.

As we anticipated when making the decision to relinquish, the Office of Head Start (OHS) has contracted with an experienced national nonprofit, CDI, to run the Head Start program in this area from April 1, 2024, until it can hand off the program to a permanent grantee. MACAA expects to participate in the grant reapplication process later this year. CDI’s interim management of the program will provide MACAA with more time to collaborate with community partners and build a stronger foundation to support a new grant, while CDI maintains Head Start services in the community.

Although CDI has emphasized the importance of continuity in the program, transitions like this are difficult and unlikely to satisfy all concerned. MACAA staff whose employment is funded by the grant will be released from their employment on March 31, 2024, the last day that MACAA is responsible for the program. Most of these staff were offered employment opportunities with CDI in similar roles, though they may have chosen to pursue other opportunities. CDI is also working on the regulatory approvals necessary to open classrooms. They have advised staff and families to monitor their website, www.cdiheadstart.org, or call them at 877-404-0746 for more information.

MACAA remains committed to the mission of community action and advancing early childhood education and care throughout the region. As MACAA evaluates and develops solutions for the recent issues it has seen in our early childhood education work, its Board of Directors and management would like to publicly express their deep gratitude for the devotion and hard work of our staff serving students and families under challenging conditions, and for those who have been working to make this transition as successful as possible.