Less than half of toddlers below poverty in day care

from The Escanaba Daily Press

By Kim Hoyum

SCANABA — Only 40 percent of 3- to 5-year-olds whose families live below the poverty level are in daycare or preschool, noted a U.S. Census report, “A Child’s Day,” released in January. The percentages increase as family income rises, and the report suggests the reason is that wealthier families are better able to afford care.

One major counterbalance to that statistical trend is the Head Start program, which is federally funded to get low-income preschoolers ready for kindergarten.

“One of the challenges our program has is that if people make anything above poverty level, they’re not eligible,” said Kim Johnson, Head Start coordinator for the Menominee-Delta-Schoolcraft Community Action Agency, which runs the area Head Start programs. It’s a challenge because they sometimes have to turn down applications, and also must stay fully enrolled to keep funding.

But there are exceptions, such as if a family receives any Social Security income or state supplements for child care, or if the program goes through its waiting list and can accept higher-income applications.

“That’s why we always say, just apply, and you never know,” Johnson said.

Parent involvement is emphasized in the Head Start program, by federal specifications. “Every center we operate has a parent committee,” noted Johnson. Parents also sit on a policy council and volunteer in centers. Involvement by each parent is not required, though. “We sure encourage it, but we never deny service to any child because of that,” she said.

Head Start also offers home-based services, which are geared mostly toward infants and toddlers, or for rural families who live too far away from a center, although MDS CAA does run bus routes to rural areas as well.

“Both settings are designed to provide individualized experiences,” Johnson said. Educational, social or emotional goals can all be emphasized according to a child’s needs.

Early Head Start is also available locally, which focuses on pregnant mothers and children up to age three, providing pre-natal and ongoing parent education and help with access to pre-natal care.

For parents, Family Partnership Agreements are offered, which give them an opportunity to work with social services staff on personal goals they’d like to achieve in a year. For some parents, it’s as simple as finding a safe and stable place to live, Johnson said. “Lower-income families can really be challenged by moving frequently,” she said. GED tutoring and educational training for parents can also be arranged through the program.