Head Start Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

State Pre-K Program Maintains Top 5 National Ranking

West Virginia once again scored well in the latest State of Pre-K report from the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at Rutgers University.

For the third year in a row, West Virginia’s pre-K program has ranked among the very best in the nation.

West Virginia once again scored well in the latest State of Pre-K report from the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at Rutgers University. The institute has been advocating for universal pre-K and grading each state’s existing program for more than 20 years.

West Virginia maintained its position as 4th in the nation for preschool enrollment for 4-year-olds, serving 67% of the state’s 4-year-olds. That is nearly double the national enrollment, which is trending upwards, and the report points out West Virginia’s enrollment number has not changed in 5 years.

Steven Barnett , NIEER’s senior director and founder, went so far as to call West Virginia “a national leader in supporting four-year-olds with quality pre-K” in the report.

The state’s program met 9 out 10 NIERR criteria, which include student to teacher ratios, teacher specialized training and maximum class sizes.

The only missed benchmark continues to be professional development for teachers and assistants.

As a state with declining K-12 enrollment, the report also recommends West Virginia look towards Oklahoma’s implementation of pre-K as part of the public school system to improve quality and funding.

“Oklahoma experienced a declining K-12 population a quarter century ago and was perhaps the first state to recognize that the problems this caused (e.g., school closures, lost economies of scale) could be addressed by adding universal preschool to the public education system,” the report argues.

Federal Funding Freeze Creates Uncertainty, Concern For Local Educators

It is unclear what local programs will be impacted by the federal funding freeze.

A federal funding freeze has left many scrambling for answers.

The freeze was first outlined in one of President Donald Trump’s inauguration day executive orders. But a White House memorandum released Monday orders federal agencies to temporarily halt “all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all federal financial assistance” starting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28.

West Virginia received more than $7 billion in federal funds for fiscal year 2021, the most recent year data is available. According to analysis by the data nonprofit USAFacts, almost 9% of that money – more than $600 million – went to the state’s schools and other educational programs.

Kristie Skidmore, president of the American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia (AFT-WV), said it is unclear how the payment stop will impact workers paid through federal programs ranging from Title I to Head Start.

“I’ve had teachers contacting me today that are paid through federal programs saying ‘How’s this affect me?’ and I just can’t answer their questions,” Skidmore said. “There are still a lot of unknowns, but what we do know is that it is creating some panic, some confusion and chaos in the lives of our working families.”

Initial analysis indicates that programs like Title I, which distributes its funds months ahead of school semesters, would not be immediately affected by the freeze, but Skidmore said the fate of the federally funded school meal programs like the National Free Lunch Program are also unclear at this time.

“We also know that our students are fed with federal funds in our schools, so that’s a concern at this time as well,” she said.

Title I aims to close educational achievement gaps by allocating federal funds to schools with a high percentage of low-income students. More than half of West Virginia schools qualified for Title I funding in the 2021-22 school year, and the state received more than $60 million from the program.

The Head Start program, which provides early education and comprehensive services to children and families in greatest need, provided more than $80 million to West Virginia in fiscal year 2024.

Federal agencies that provide Federal financial assistance now have until Feb. 7 to complete a spreadsheet asking questions such as:

Does this program provide Federal funding to nongovernmental organizations supporting or providing services, either directly or indirectly, to removable or illegal aliens?
Does this program promote gender ideology?
Does this program promote or support in any way abortion or other related activities identified in the Hyde Amendment?
Does this program support any activities that must not be supported based on executive orders issued on or after January 20, 2025 (including executive orders released following the dissemination of this spreadsheet)?

Raleigh County Early Childhood Program Gets $1.3 Million In Federal Funds

The United States Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday it would provide more than $1.3 million to Raleigh County’s Head Start early childhood education program.

Families in Raleigh County may soon have more access to early childhood education resources.

That’s because the United States Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday it would provide more than $1.3 million to the southern county’s Head Start program.

Head Start is a federally funded program that provides education, health and nutrition resources to youth, as well as parental resources to their caretakers.

Head Start programs operate across the United States with federal funding but are typically managed on the county or local level. Children can participate in the program for free until age 5.

Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., said in a Tuesday press release that the new funding would help ensure all children in the Mountain State, “no matter their background,” have access to a “quality education.”

The new funds mark a continued effort on the federal level to support early childhood education programs in West Virginia. Last month, another Head Start program in Mercer County was granted $4.7 million in federal dollars.

Mercer County Early Childhood Program Receives $4.7 Million In Federal Funds

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday it will grant $4.737 million to Community Action of South Eastern West Virginia for its Head Start program in Mercer County.

Parents of young children in Mercer County may soon have access to additional resources thanks to a new round of federal funding.

The United States Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday it will grant $4.7 million to Community Action of South Eastern West Virginia for its Head Start program in Mercer County.

Head Start is a federally funded program that provides early childhood education, nutrition and health resources across the United States. Its services are administered by state and local agencies.

The program is free for youth up to age 5, as well as their families. Head Start also offers services to support parents of young children.

In a press release Wednesday, Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., said the funding marked an important investment in the children of West Virginia.

“No matter their background, every child in the Mountain State deserves access to a quality education,” he said.

Head Start W.Va. Worry Ahead Of Probable Government Shutdown

Hundreds of families in West Virginia could lose the support of Head Start if the government shuts down.

Federally funded programs are bracing for a potential government shutdown if Congress cannot reach a budget solution this week.

One of those programs is West Virginia Head Start, a child-development program for children of income-eligible families to connect them with services that support health and success in school.

Approximately 722 children and families would lose access to resources if the shutdown lasts a long time, according to Lori Milam, executive director of West Virginia Head Start.

“If it’s a short shutdown, I think our programs are equipped to handle that and have plans in place for that, should it happen,” she said. “However, if it’s any amount of a long period, they would lose access very quickly. It would hurt our staff, which we’re struggling to hire and keep, as it is right now.”

In a warning, the White House estimated 10,000 children would lose access to Head Start programs across the country as the shutdown would prevent the Department of Health and Human Services from awarding grants.

“Oh, it’d be horrible,” Milam said. ”We are universal pre-K in West Virginia, so we collaborate in the school systems. We have staff in the school systems, which we know that the school systems are struggling as well to have staff. If we can’t provide the services, there’s probably no room in the school systems for them to provide their educational services, but they lose the comprehensive services that Head Start provides.”

Two W.Va. Head Start Programs Receive Federal Funds

Millions of federal dollars will help early childhood education and development in the Mountain State.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded close to $13 million for two Head Start programs in West Virginia.

Head Start supports early childhood education and emotional development from birth to age 5, as well as providing health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and families.

Close to $8 million will go to the Southwestern Community Action Council which services Wayne, Lincoln, Cabell, and Mason Counties.

The remaining amount – more than $5 million dollars – will go to the Community Action of South Eastern West Virginia, which services Mercer, Summers, and Monroe counties.