GLENDALE : Head Start Offers At-Home Program

An Orange County agency that agreed last month to temporarily run Head Start in Glendale brought the preschool program back to its feet Monday by offering home instruction to 150 children, officials said.

“Orange County Head Start is excited to get the Glendale program up and operational” for low-income families, said Cinda Muckenthaler, program manager.

Head Start in Glendale was originally scheduled to begin the 1993-94 school year Sept. 13 under the management of Child and Family Services of Echo Park. But just two weeks before the start of classes, the agency became embroiled in parental and staff complaints about mismanagement.

The grant was turned over to Orange County Head Start in mid-September. Since then, Orange County Head Start officials have been waiting for the state to approve permit applications that would allow classes at the main site at 525 S. Pacific Ave.

“We’re hoping to have the center base open by December,” Muckenthaler said.

Meanwhile, Orange County Head Start has hired seven teachers and 13 teachers’ aides to begin this week a home instruction program for preschool-age children, Muckenthaler said.

Each of the 150 enrolled students will be visited once a week and will receive 1 1/2 hours of instruction, as required by the federal government, she said. Teachers and staff were expected to visit 60 homes Monday.

Eugenia Watts said her 4-year-old son, Kevin, is looking forward to his first lesson of the fall when a teacher is scheduled to come to her home Thursday.

“I’m happy that it’s getting started,” said Watts, 27, whose child was enrolled in Head Start last year. “He’s pretty excited. He can’t wait.”

Muckenthaler said staff can still enroll another 88 children into the local Head Start program. Anyone interested should call the Pacific Avenue site at (818) 241-7971.