Staff Letter
June 2, 2022
Dear Early Head Start Staff:
Charleston County First Steps will no longer receive federal funding to provide Early Head Start services in Charleston County, SC, after July 31, 2022. Beginning on August 1, 2022, Community Development Institute Head Start (CDI HS) will begin providing Early Head Start services in this area on an interim basis.
For more information on interim management, please see the CDI HS website: www.cdiheadstart.org
We are hopeful that CDI HS will be able to serve Early Head Start children with minimal disruption of services to children and families. We have a team arriving in your local community to work in the following key areas to begin operations as soon as possible:
- Staffing
- Facilities (including licensing)
- Vendors (having vendor agreements in place, including food)
- Insurance (secure all of the legal insurances required)
The role of CDI HS is to provide services to children and families until a replacement grantee is selected by the federal Office of Head Start. This could be several months or longer. CDI HS has nothing to do with the selection of a replacement grantee.
You are invited to meet with representatives from CDI HS and the Office of Head Start Regional Office on Tuesday, June 7 at 9:30 a.m. at 4975 Lacross Road, Suite 105, North Charleston, SC 29406. This meeting will provide information about the interim process and how to apply for employment with CDI HS. For any other questions, please leave a message at 888-400-2954, and a team member will return your call promptly.
Sincerely,
Diane Miller, Emma McCoy, Jessica Hartfield-Turner
NIM Site Manager NIM Lead Site Manager Startup Lead
Parent Letter:
June 2, 2022
Dear Parents:
Charleston County First Steps will no longer receive federal funding to provide Early Head Start services in Charleston County, SC, after July 31, 2022. Beginning on August 1, 2022 Community Development Institute Head Start (CDI HS) will begin providing Early Head Start services in this area on an interim basis.
We are hopeful that CDI HS will be able to operate Early Head Start services with minimal disruption of services to children and families. We have a team arriving in your local community to work in the following key areas to begin operations as soon as possible:
- Staffing
- Facilities (including licensing)
- Vendors (having vendor agreements in place, including food)
- Insurance (secure all of the legal insurances required)
The role of CDI HS is to provide services to children and families until a replacement grantee is selected by the federal Office of Head Start. This could be several months or longer. CDI HS has nothing to do with the selection of a replacement grantee.
You may call 888-400-2954 toll-free or visit https://www.cdiheadstart.org/charlestoncounty/ for the most up-to-date information regarding Head Start interim management services in your area. If you would like to leave a message, please follow the prompts and one of our team members will respond to you as soon as possible. You may also contact your program staff who will be receiving more information as they participate in the upcoming process.
Part of the process will include you electing parent members to the CDI HS Policy Council within the first 30-45 days of CDI HS operations. The Policy Council structure will be provided prior to the election process and you will be receiving a guide to Parent Committees titled The Parent Voice. From August 1, 2022 until the election of the regular Policy Council an interim/temporary PC will be formed.
Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time. You can be assured that we will do our best to deliver quality Early Head Start services with as minimal amount of disruption as possible. We are looking forward to working with you.
Sincerely,
Diane Miller Emma McCoy Jessica Hartfield-Turner
NIM Site Manager NIM Lead Site Manager Startup Lead