By VICKI URBANIK

The Head Start program offered at Westchester Intermediate School enjoys strong community support and hasn’t encountered the same problems as some other Head Start programs due to budget cutbacks, according to a presentation given at Monday’s Duneland School Board meeting.

Ray Gartner, the Head Start family support specialist at Westchester Intermediate School, told the board that the program continues to be at full capacity with 20 students, with a short waiting list for the current school year.

He cited a national report that found that because of funding cutbacks, some Head Start programs lost participation when bus service ended. That didn’t happen here, he said, since local Head Start families provide their own transportation.

The national report also found that some programs were hurt by funding cuts for supplies. However, Gartner said the local Head Start staff and community have provided program supplies at little or no cost.

“The community has been very supportive of the program,” he said.

Marcia Saprony, Head Start’s North Porter County program manager, said the local Head Start provider, the Geminus. Corp., was given an outstanding evaluation in the federally required reviews. In addition to the program at WIS, Geminus provides the South Haven Head Start program, which serves 74 children.

Head Start is the federally funded educational program for pre-school aged children and families from low-income households. Saprony said that many people incorrectly think of Head Start as a day care program, when in reality, the program takes a comprehensive approach with parents and children, offering a strong family support component.

“We service the family in total,” she said.

Duneland School Board President Janice Custer asked how Head Start is related to another early childhood education program in Duneland, Parents As Teachers. Saprony said that while they do differ, both programs strive to strengthen families. “Both of us are on the same mission,” she said.

Also at Monday’s school board meeting, a report was given on the Title I program at Bailly Elementary School by Title I teachers Cindy Cohn, Lee Ann Foster and Judy Jones.

Schools become Title I schools if they have a certain percentage of students who are on the free and reduced lunch program. Four of Duneland’s five elementary schools are Title I schools.

The Title I teachers work with students having trouble with academics. The students do not have to be on the free and reduced lunch program to qualify for the services. At Bailly, Title I teachers work with students in grades kindergarten through grade 2, with a special focus on improving their reading skills. Each grade serves about 25 students.

Bailly Principal Michael Grubb said many people incorrectly link Title I services with special education. The Title I is more flexible, with the students brought in and out of the program as needed.

He said Title I schools can design individual programs, but the focus at Bailly is on the younger students. He noted that research shows that if a student is struggling at the third grade with reading, then by that age, it is very difficult for the child to catch up.

“Our purpose is to identify struggling learners,” Grubb said, adding that he doesn’t know what Bailly would have done without Title I, especially when it comes to preparing students for their ISTEP tests.

Posted 3/6/2007