Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
Michele Rivest said that she understands that the proposal is to develop two central <br />preschool sites in the County. Chair Brown said that it is not in the proposal stage yet <br />They just want the information to think about making a proposal. <br />Michele Rivest said that location is the first consideration. Most parents would say that <br />they would like their preschool program to be located near their homes and where they <br />work. Parents feel comfortable with programs in the school systems. <br />She said that transportation for a central site would be a big issue. The CHCCS does <br />not provide any transportation for its pre-k program, and OCS does provide <br />transportation through Head Start monies. In the southern part of the county, parents <br />have to find ways to transport children. Transportation is very expensive because small <br />children cannot travel on buses, etc. It is a very complex issue. <br />The administrator issue is important and who would be in charge of the program. <br />Chair Brown asked who the administrator is right now and Michele Rivest said that in the <br />CHCCS system, the school system is the administrator. For OCS, Chapel Hill Training <br />Outreach is the administrator. <br />Regarding Funder Preferences, she said that Head Start really prefers community-based <br />programming. Chair Brown asked what is considered a neighborhood. Michele Rivest <br />said that in the OCS they looked at the population statistics (how many children <br />receiving free/reduced lunch, poor under federal poverty guidelines, etc.). They want to <br />make sure that the administrator of the program can reach the high-risk children. <br />Michele Rivest said that with the More at Four programs, someone would have to be it <br />communication with the Governor's office. She made reference to co-location of other <br />services and said that apre-school would not be isolated but would be in proximity to <br />other services. <br />Regarding future needs, they would like to have an expansion of early childhood <br />education. There are many children who are not being served who really need the <br />services. The other need is affordability. The reason the Head Start and More at Four <br />programs work so well is that they do not charge fees to the families. They do receive <br />some childcare subsidies, but it is usually not enough. She thinks that it is great that the <br />Board of County Commissioners is even looking at this issue of preschool education. <br />She said that they are happy to provide any information. <br />Chair Brown asked Michele Rivest to go over what a center could possibly be. Michele <br />Rivest said that County staff did the cost projections. She made reference to the memo <br />from May 16t" and said that these are building requirements only and not program <br />requirements. She said that the estimate uses 18 children per classroom for ages 3-5. <br />There would need to be bathroom space, kitchen facilities, an indoor play area, an <br />outdoor playground, and a staff lounge/meeting room. There are also sanitation <br />requirements. <br />Chair Brown asked about the advantages of establishing a center and Michele Rivest <br />said that it would address some of the gaps in the community. They have not increased <br />capacity in a long time and facility cost is one of the biggest obstacles. She said that co- <br />