Parents Get Bad News on Head Start

Parents in Bristol found out that starting Monday, two Head Start classrooms will close due to the lack of a state budget. The two surviving Head Start classes will be located in the Bristol Community Organization headquarters at 55 South St., and the other two classrooms on Lake Avenue will be shuttered, at least for now. The decision of which children get to remain in the two federally funded classes that will open on time and which ones were placed in the state funded classes and won’t be going to school on Monday is based on a point system used by Head Start. Children are allotted points based on whether they’re part of a one or two-parent home, Perron said, or whether they’re being raised by foster parents. Family income, the child’s age, social development mental and physical health, as well as whether the parent is working, going to school or in a training program are also weighted. All of it is by formula. When state-funded Head Start classes resume, Morrow said, parents will be notified by letter, and will call everyone forwhom the agency has phone numbers.