Tri-Town Head Start Recruiting New Students

JOHNSTON – Tri-Town Community Action Agency CEO Joseph DeSantis announced this week that the agency’s Head Start program is recruiting new students for spots at its four local sites.

“We’re continuing our efforts to identify more children who can benefit from this high-quality early education program,” DeSantis explained. “Since we recruit on a rolling basis, parents should take this opportunity to start the application process.”

Head Start is a free program for children from families who meet federal income guidelines – a family of three with annual income of $20,160 would qualify, for example – or other qualifications.

“Aside from wages, we screen families for homelessness, recent loss of residence, Supplemental Security Income, and other factors that may still qualify their children for Head Start,” explained Family and Community Outreach Specialist Barbara Chadwick. “Even if someone thinks they may not qualify under the income guidelines, I always encourage them to call us so that we can do a full review of their circumstances.”

Tri-Town runs Head Start centers at its main office, 1126 Hartford Ave., Johnston; 79 Waterman Ave. and 2204 Mineral Spring Ave. in North Providence; and 185 Main St. in Burrillville. All centers are accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and rated by the Bright Stars Quality Rating and Improvement System, Chadwick noted.

In addition to the host communities, the local program also serves Smithfield, North Smithfield, Foster, Glocester, and Scituate.

Currently, Tri-Town has an enrollment target of 134 preschool students in Head Start and 58 children from birth to 5 and expectant mothers in the Early Head Start program, Chadwick explained.

To start the application process, contact Tri-Town Community Action Head Start at (401) 519-1979 or Barbara Chadwick at bchadwick@tri-town.org. More information, including the Parents Handbook and annual report, is available on the Tri-Town website, www.tri-town.org