Quakertown district to keep Head Start, pre‑K Counts while MOUs go to board for approval

Quakertown Community School District administrators told the district’s education committee they plan to continue hosting Head Start and Pre‑K Counts classrooms in district buildings next year and will place updated memorandums of understanding on a forthcoming board agenda for formal approval.

The memorandums described at the April 7 meeting formalize existing arrangements with the Intermediate Unit (IU) and other providers that operate Head Start (the federally funded program) and Pre‑K Counts (state pass‑through funding). Doctor Hoffman, the district administrator who presented the documents, said the agreements are annual renewals and are typically taken to the full board in April or May.

Why it matters: Head Start and Pre‑K Counts classrooms are sited in district facilities and some program spaces—playgrounds and other child‑care features—were paid for by providers under those agreements. Hoffman emphasized that moving those classrooms year to year is not ideal because providers receive funding and invest in site improvements tied to stable locations, and the IU holds the Head Start contract for the county.

At the committee meeting board members and attendees raised two recurring concerns: (1) building capacity for K–12 students if the district is near space limits, and (2) whether the students served are Quakertown residents. Hoffman said current enrollment and space planning already account for those classrooms and that the students served are children of families who live in Quakertown. She added that if the district told the IU it no longer wanted to host a Head Start classroom, the IU could reallocate those funded seats elsewhere in the county and there is no guarantee they would continue to serve Quakertown families.

Clarifying details shared at the meeting: Pre‑K Counts classrooms are capped at 17 students per class; Head Start class size depends on classroom square footage and typically ranges from 12 to 15. The district currently hosts three early‑childhood classrooms through a mix of IU and Lifespan partnerships; classrooms are split among the sixth grade center, Neidigg and Richland (two at Neidigg/Richland and one at the sixth grade center, per the presentation). Committee members were told those agreements are renewals rather than new programs.

Next steps: The administration will place the updated Head Start and Early Childhood MOUs on a forthcoming board agenda for approval. The committee was told the documents are provided early in response to town‑hall questions and to give the public a chance to review them prior to the board vote.

Less critical context: Committee members noted that Head Start and Pre‑K Counts serve primarily low‑income families and help prepare children for kindergarten; the administration said district data show children who attended these programs outperform peers who had no pre‑K experience.