Child care program's days are numbered

It's hard to believe that anyone could miss a day filled with the clamor of 18 boisterous 2-year-olds. But Sharon Goff is afraid that her time of negotiating a balance between play time and nap time for the toddlers is nearing an end. Even worse, she's worried about where they will go.

Goff is director of Korner Kampus Day Care and Development Center in Cape Girardeau. Of the 22 children that come to her each day, 18 are there solely because of Early Head Start, a government-funded program that provides child care and planning for pregnant mothers and children up to 3 years old from low-income families. But at the end of June, the program is slated to be discontinued in Cape Girardeau County, leaving Goff searching for customers and these children's families searching for child care.

On March 22, the East Missouri Action Agency board of directors approved the termination of Early Head Start in the county when its five-year contract ends June 30.

"I think the program's been successful," said Renee Killian, who as director of Head Start for the agency oversees Early Head Start. "We hate to see it dismissed."

Early Head Start was introduced to the county in 1999 through the efforts of the East Missouri Action Agency, which provides early childhood development, nutrition and parent involvement to low-income families in Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Iron, Madison, Perry, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve and Washington counties.

One obstacle to continuing Early Head Start is the disparity between the small number of participants and the large amount of labor involved with the program's administration, Killian said. In Cape Girardeau County, there are currently 72 people -- 58 children and 14 pregnant mothers -- receiving care through the program.

Killian also noted problems with the local program's review from the Early Head Start regional board in Kansas City, Mo. The regional board questioned the amount of time it took to get infants enrolled and active in the program.

As the only East Missouri Action Agency county with an Early Head Start program, Cape Girardeau County was to be the pilot for possible expansion of the program in the region. This model was initiated by a combination of state and federal grants totaling about $550,000 annually over the five-year contract.

Korner Campus is one of six local day-care services that are partnering with the agency to administer Early Head Start. Killian said that these sites would provide a good foundation for another organization to build on.

"We feel that it's time for us to step aside and let someone else take it over," Killian said.

Nancy Jernigan, director of the United Way of Southeast Missouri, said that continuing the Early Head Start program would be worth considering.

"We certainly want to be aware of what the need is and what the impact will be on these kids," Jernigan said. She said the United Way wants to use the funds it has to help the most at-risk children and get as many of them on the right track as possible.

Goff feels her Early Head Start children fit that description.

"This will affect a lot of families in the area," Goff said. "Unless they can afford day care, these kids will not have a place to go."

trehagen@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137