Despite recent rumors suggesting otherwise, the Indiana County Head Start schools located in Indiana Borough, Homer City, and Cherryhill Township are not closing. However, significant changes are on the way for the longtime early childhood education program.
Jessica Dinger, Director of the Indiana County Head Start, confirmed that the three Head Start locations—which have served local pre-K children and qualifying families for decades—will remain open, but will now operate under the management of Early Learning Connections, a Butler-based agency.
At full capacity, the three sites serve approximately 177 children. Dinger emphasized that families enrolled in the program should see no disruption in services.
She said families can be confident that the Head Start Program will continue to meet a standard of excellence
When asked about the reasoning behind the change, Dinger said she was not at liberty to discuss the details. She indicated that the decision came from the federal level, specifically from the Philadelphia regional office that oversees Head Start programs.
She added that families who have already enrolled their children for the upcoming school year can expect to be contacted directly by Early Learning Connections.
Meanwhile, employees of Indiana County Head Start were notified immediately after the announcement came from the Philadelphia office. All current staff will be officially terminated but can re-apply for positions with the new operating agency.
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