Councilors criticize Early Head Start quarterly report as late and insufficient

Councilors on March 3 expressed disappointment with the Early Head Start quarterly report (EC‑317) covering July 2022 through December 2024, saying the packet lacked a statutory performance analysis on program outcomes and school readiness required by ordinance.

Councilor Grout and others pressed associate directors and program staff for the report’s missing elements — specifically school‑readiness metrics, program performance analyses and timely quarterly updates. Associate Director Dr. Donita Moseley and city staff explained that a pause had been placed on quarterly reporting beginning in 2022 while the department and council staff sought a better platform for delivery; the report combined multiple quarters and was not structured as the ordinance requires. Staff said attendance and financial data were included in the packet but acknowledged the report lacked the types of analysis councilors expected.

Councilor Grout called the submission a ‘‘data dump’’ and said it was two years late for required reporting; several councilors asked staff to meet to develop a revised reporting schedule and to consider non‑city partners if needed to increase program capacity and reporting quality. Officials said the department had increased federal Early Head Start funding over recent years and had reopened some centers, and that recruitment and teacher retention remained a challenge tied to statewide pay and workforce shortages.

Council members directed administration staff to meet with council services and affected councilors to restore timely, ordinance‑compliant reporting and to present a plan for improved program performance and school‑readiness reporting.