South County Community Action Head Start Recruiting New Students

South County 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 Lori Ann Heiner, SCCAA Head Start Director. “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.”

South County Community Action runs Head Start centers at its main office, 1935 Kingstown Road, Wakefield; 415 Tower Hill Road, North Kingstown; 4350 South County Trail, Charlestown, and 34 Pond St., Westerly.

In addition to the host communities, the local program also serves Narragansett, Exeter, Richmond, Hopkinton, and Block Island.

Currently, South County Community Action Head Start has an enrollment target of 74 preschool students in Head Start, Heiner explained.

To start the application process, contact South County Community Action Head Start at (401) 789-3016, x 2307 or Erica Adams at eadams@sccainc.org. More information, including the Parents Handbook and annual report, is available on the South County Community Action website, www.sccainc.org