MONTE VISTA— The Monte Vista Head Start officially terminated its early head start program on Wednesday, Dec. 19, leaving three teachers without employment there and 16 families with the task of finding alternative childcare.

Head start programs provide a wide range of services for low-income children from birth to elementary school at no cost. The early head start program serves children from birth to age three.

The decision had been made by the center a couple of months earlier not to renew its license for the infant and toddler program through the Early Childhood Council, which is the grantee for the federally funded early head start services in the Valley.

“We contract with licensed childcare centers that provide the early head start services,” said Sherri Valdez, executive director for the Early Childhood Council in the San Luis Valley. The council pays a fee to licensed providers and determines compliance with the program, which includes childcare services and the advancement of things like family engagement, health and safety and school readiness.

When word came down to the childhood council that Monte Vista Head Start would not be submitting a Request for Proposal (RFP) to renew its contract for the early head start program, council staff began working closely with affected families. “When we found out, we immediately began working with families to help them find other child care options,” Valdez said.  

Valdez said she was surprised by the center’s decision and doesn’t know the details of why. No one from the Monte Vista Head Start returned calls asking for comment.

The council has also been working with other childcare sites to expand their early head start programs. “We are working with these sites very closely and the expansions should be ready within the next couple of months,” Valdez said. “In the meantime, we have also asked for homebased services as options for the impacted families.”

According to the Early Childhood Council, the San Luis Valley has an estimated 1,260 licensed spaces available for three to five-year-olds. “We’ve been working for years to develop care programs for that age group, and we feel it’s covered pretty well, “Valdez said.

But when it comes to infants and toddlers, from birth to age three, there are only about 188 licensed spaces serving an approximate 1,800 children in the Valley. The childhood council is currently working to expand the number of licensed childcare spaces serving those infants and toddlers.

The Valley is in dire need of more licensed childcare businesses, Valdez said, whether they are homebased or brick-and-mortar centers. The childhood council provides resources and advising for anyone interested in opening a licensed child care business. There is often money available from federal and state governments for things like materials, licensing and even capital improvements.

“It’s about someone having a passion for children,” Valdez said, “and it’s about finding space and community partnerships. And we can help with advising through that process.”