Rockingham County Board hears plan for Head Start extended-day pilot with subsidies, $50/week fee proposed

The Rockingham County Board of Education on Sept. 9 heard a presentation on a proposed Head Start extended-day pilot intended to help families whose work schedules conflict with current preschool hours. Presenters said the program would operate until 5:30 p.m. on days that follow the preschool calendar, would not cover teacher workdays or summer programming, and would draw staffing from the district's substitute pool who meet childcare licensing requirements.

Presenters said the extended-day model emerged after outreach to families and collaboration with the county Department of Social Services and community services. The program team said they have already compiled a list of parents ready to enroll and expect initial capacity of 12'0 children, with 12 families described as "solid" at the time of the presentation. Program leads named Michelle Wesley and Andrea Barker (also referenced as Andrea Bartholomew earlier in the discussion) as point people overseeing enrollment and operations.

Financial details presented to the board included a proposed parent fee of $50 per week (subject to change after DSS guidance), a $20 registration fee per child, and anticipated revenue examples: $486 per child across an eight-month period would equal roughly $58,320 if parents paid out of pocket. Presenters estimated staffing expenses at about $20,000; the district's illustrative net figure toward the non-federal share was described as roughly $38,320, but presenters noted sustainability depends on enrolling families who qualify for subsidies.

Board members asked how snack and supply costs would be covered and whether the pilot would compete with private childcare. Presenters said after-school snacks are provided within the program's current framework and noted most initial enrollees were not enrolled in private childcare. The presenters emphasized this is a pilot intended to establish sustainability before expanding services such as teacher workdays.

The presenters also said Head Start performance standards require reserved slots for homeless children; they reported those slots had been filled and urged quick approval to move families off wait lists. A launch target of Oct. 1 was discussed, contingent on finalizing staffing and enrollment.

Next steps noted to the board were finalizing enrollment, assisting families with subsidy applications, and finalizing staff assignments. No final board vote to fund or formally adopt the pilot was recorded in the public portion of the meeting.