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Head Start program reports federal deficiency after four teacher incidents; county submits corrective actions and requests extension
Summary
Contra Costa County reported a federal deficiency in its Head Start program after the Office of Head Start cited safety‑practice failures tied to four staff incidents; the county outlined seven corrective‑action categories and plans to request a 30‑day extension.
Note: Because this is a matter involving children and personnel actions, the county’s presentation used precise incident summaries; the board’s report describes corrective steps and a pending federal review.
Contra Costa County’s report to the Board of Supervisors on May 20 said the Office of Head Start issued a deficiency notice after a risk assessment and review on April 24. Marla Stewart, director of the county Employment and Human Services Department (EHSD), told the board the deficiency concerned "safety practices" and stemmed from four substantiated incidents involving staff actions toward children in the prior 12 months. Stewart said three incidents occurred at county‑operated sites and one at a partner site. In each case the county removed the staffers from classrooms during the investigations and subsequently separated the four employees from employment after the incidents were substantiated.
Stewart summarized the four cited events as seconds‑long incidents in which teachers briefly used inappropriate physical contact; there were no reported injuries. The county reported the four earlier to the board when they occurred (first in September 2024, another in December 2024, and the most recent in March 2025) and said the corrective action period began May 4. Head Start’s guidance defines a deficiency as a substantial or systematic failure that threatens health, safety or civil rights; uncorrected deficiencies can risk grant cancellation or recompetition.
The EHSD presentation outlined corrective actions in seven categories: board policy review and potential update to explicitly reference child safety; internal procedure revisions; review and improvement of hiring/background checks; strengthened teacher affirmations and conduct statements; expanded child‑safety training and retraining for staff and partners; a requirement to install and provide access to video cameras at partner sites that currently lack them; and expanded monitoring practices including random review of video footage and daily random assessments of teacher knowledge of prohibited behaviors.
Stewart told the board that the 30‑day corrective window ends June 3 and the county planned to request a 30‑day extension to complete camera installations at partner sites and finalize any recommended policy changes. County staff said they had accepted technical assistance from Head Start and were coordinating with County Counsel and the County Administrator’s Office. The board asked whether the county could require partner sites to install cameras; Stewart said EHSD is working with County Counsel on contract language to require cameras for partner sites where Head Start children are served.
Public comment and several supervisors emphasized the need to support providers’ mental health and staffing conditions and welcomed the county’s intention to require cameras at partner sites. The board then voted to accept the Head Start monthly update and corrective‑action status and recorded the vote 5‑0.
Ending: The county will file a request for a 30‑day extension with the Office of Head Start, install or require cameras at partner sites, complete retraining for staff and partners, and return with results of the corrective‑action review after the extension period if approved.
