Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Early Childhood Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
BUSSE Early Childhood program reports enrollment, meals and classroom monitoring; vacancies remain
Summary
The BUSSE early childhood program reported current enrollments, wait lists, CACFP meal counts and monitoring procedures; managers said Early Head Start has a wait list and Head Start/GSRP seats are open.
The district’s BUSSE Center for Early Childhood Education presented enrollment, meal and monitoring data and described family-engagement activities, curriculum and assessment plans for the year.
Interim director Ursula Kelly Walsh said BUSSE runs Early Head Start, Head Start and the Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP). She reported current enrollments of roughly 16 Early Head Start students (two in phased transition), 54 Head Start students and 72 GSRP students; the center maintains a wait list for Early Head Start and has vacancies in Head Start and GSRP that staff are actively recruiting to fill.
Walsh described the program’s monitoring routines and educational tools: daily health and safety checklists, sanitation trackers for classroom materials, posted daily schedules and lesson plans, and the use of screeners such as Brigance and the Child Observation Record. Teachers completed period-one assessments; staff intend to use a pretest and a pulse test to inform small groups. Walsh said BUSSE’s curriculum emphasizes inquiry, science and STEM even in infants and toddlers under the center’s “college begins at BUSSE” approach.
Meal program and family engagement The child-and-adult care food program (CACFP) tallies for September included: breakfast served to 1,036 student meals and 289 adult meals; morning snacks to 1,198 students and 58 adults; lunch to 1,052 students and 288 adults; and afternoon snacks to 918 students and 286 adults. Walsh described family events such as Donuts for Dads and a planned “Muffins for Moms” and said staff use home visits and orientation events to set family goals and expectations.
Staffing and professional development Walsh reviewed required professional learning, mandated reporting training, health and safety topics and a teacher-led peer coaching series (Educators Empowering Educators). She said staff will continue data digs on screening results to plan small-group instruction.
Why it matters: BUSSE serves the district’s youngest learners and shapes pre-kindergarten readiness; enrollment and staffing levels affect capacity and service quality.
Next steps: BUSSE leaders will continue recruitment to fill vacancies, complete period-one assessments, and present periodic monitoring reports to the district.
