Board hears detailed Head Start, Early Head Start annual report; program approved

The Poudre School District Board of Education approved the district—s 2024—25 Head Start and Early Head Start annual report on Sept. 23, following a presentation from the district—s director of early childhood.

The report, presented by Director of Early Childhood Rebecca Benedict, summarized enrollment, funding sources, health and safety metrics, family engagement and a recent transportation-related deficiency identified by the Office of Head Start. Benedict told the board the district served 874 pre-K children during the 2024—25 school year, including 292 Head Start-funded slots and 153 Early Head Start slots; overall early childhood programming totaled about 925 seats across roughly 20 elementary schools and other sites.

Benedict said the program—s federal Head Start funds are roughly $6 million, state and local UPK funds about $4.7 million and total early childhood revenue approaches $11.5 million. She told trustees that Head Start funds make up the majority of the budget while representing about a third of funded seats.

Benedict also reviewed family services and outcomes. She said family mentors and specialists logged thousands of home visits and more than 2,800 community referrals last year, with housing and mental-health referrals among the most common. She reported strong health-screening performance: vision and hearing screenings are at about 98—100 percent, dental exam rates are 100 percent for Early Head Start and about 96 percent for Head Start, and developmental screening at time of application is likewise in the high 90s.

Benedict told the board that Head Start class-observation scores improved across the three CLASS domains (emotional support, classroom organization and instructional support) and exceed national averages. She said the program is using class-level data and PowerBI reports to help receiving kindergarten schools plan and prepare for incoming students, noting about two-thirds of preschool attendees move to kindergarten each year.

The presentation also addressed a transportation incident flagged as a programmatic deficiency by the Office of Head Start. Benedict said a preschooler was briefly left unsupervised for about a minute after being unbuckled on a route; the child was not harmed. The Office of Head Start issued a deficiency requiring corrective action within 30 days; Benedict said the district requested an extension because many staff were out of contract over the summer and that the district expected to provide corrective documentation by Oct. 1. She described changes the district made: retraining bus drivers and paras, adding a parent-facing bus video and communications, more frequent participation in monthly bus-operator meetings, and classroom- and parent-level education such as a Buster the Bus safety presentation.

Board members commended Benedict and early childhood staff for improved screening and family engagement metrics. Trustees voted 7-0 to approve the annual report.

Looking ahead, Benedict told the board enrollment remains strong; she said the district reached last December—s enrollment numbers by August and continues to enroll year-round. She and trustees discussed constraints to expansion, including classroom and bathroom infrastructure, licensing requirements, and funding limits. Benedict said federal Head Start cost-of-living adjustments have been limited and that most program costs are personnel-related, which constrains immediate growth without new revenue sources such as community measures or additional state/federal funds.

Several trustees asked follow-up questions after the presentation about capacity, the impact of recent extreme-heat days on session scheduling, and how transportation retraining would prevent future incidents. Benedict outlined steps already taken and said staff would continue monitoring and report back as required.

The board approved the report by unanimous vote and moved on to other agenda items.