Grand Street Settlement to open Head Start center at 2305 White Plains Road; will serve 60 children, hire 25 staff

Grand Street Settlement representatives told Community Board 11’s Education, Culture and Youth Services Committee that the nonprofit will open a Head Start center at 2305 White Plains Road in Community District 11 that will serve up to 60 children and employ about 25 new staff.

Aaron Sanders, Grand Street Settlement’s deputy director of government and community relations, said the organization won a grant from the Office of Head Start last year and is using the funding to expand childcare services in the Bronx, including the White Plains Road site. "We received a grant from the Office of Head Start last year with the support of Congressman Ritchie Torres to expand childcare services throughout the Bronx, including Community District 11," Sanders said during the committee presentation.

The proposed site will include four classrooms for 2‑year‑olds (32 places total), plus one class each for 3‑ and 4‑year‑olds, for a combined capacity of 60 children. Grand Street staff said classrooms will be fully staffed by certified teachers and aides; the organization is recruiting roughly 25 employees for the location, including group teachers, assistant teachers, floaters, custodians, a cook aide, a director and a program assistant. Sanders and other presenters said the site will offer open houses and walk‑in interviews; a $5,000 sign‑on bonus for teachers was mentioned.

Caroline Capone, introduced as the Bronx regional director for ESRO, confirmed the program will be a federal Head Start grantee operation serving children ages 2 through 5 and that Head Start at Grand Street runs year‑round: "Head Start has been in system for 60 years..." She said staff will be at the new location beginning this month and the classroom program for children is scheduled to begin in September, with typical daily hours now planned as 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and a possibility of extending to 6 p.m.

Grand Street said it is already operating dozens of sites citywide and currently serves about 453 children through its network of centers and partner family childcare providers; the Bronx expansion will run alongside partnerships with Bronx House and other community providers. Sanders told the committee the White Plains Road site’s design and colors will reflect Bronx institutions such as the Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Garden and that the organization is negotiating with the property manager for final arrangements.

On access and eligibility, presenters said the program is free to qualifying families but requires enrollment screening. Capone said families must meet Head Start age and residency rules and pass income eligibility checks; she added that Grand Street factors housing costs into intake calculations so that families with high rent may still qualify. Enrollment for the new site will be handled on a first‑come, first‑served basis subject to those eligibility screens.

Committee members and attendees raised questions about staffing, outreach and federal funding. A committee member flagged a website issue: job listings on Grand Street’s careers page did not filter by Bronx. Community members and local groups offered to promote hiring flyers and post openings to neighborhood Facebook pages and Instagram accounts. Grand Street asked community members to forward resumes and said applications posted at GrandStreet.org will be prioritized when applicants indicate they are from the community board.

Several residents asked about the potential impact of proposed federal budget cuts to Head Start funding. Sanders told the committee his organization is monitoring federal and city budget developments and preparing contingency plans; he said the organization is also meeting with congressional and city officials to advocate for continued funding. "We're developing contingency plans around that, but we're planning for that accordingly," he said, adding that Grand Street intends to proceed with building out sites while continuing advocacy.

Presenters also asked the community to complete a short survey the organization is using to measure local needs; they said the survey goal is roughly 400 responses to guide future program choices. Grand Street representatives said they will follow up with the community board and share job listings and promotional materials.

No formal action or vote on the proposal was taken during the meeting; the presentation was informational and followed by a community Q&A.