Government

Summer Head Start Program Employees Have Yet to be Paid; D.H.S. Calls Delay Unacceptable But Provides No Timeframe for Payment

Head Start teachers and support staff who worked through the summer in a federally-funded program that sought to enhance the skills of children transitioning from Head Start to Kindergarten, as well as children with disabilities, have not been paid, the V.I. Dept. of Human Services, which runs the Head Start program locally, confirmed to the Consortium after teachers contacted the publication. At least one educator who worked the summer program expressed extreme frustration, stating that the Covid-19 pandemic had stressed her finances and that she needed every dollar to stay afloat. The program in question was developed as a support to children transitioning from Head Start to Kindergarten who, because of the pandemic, were at home and could not interact physically. D.H.S. said it saw the program as an "enrichment opportunity for the VI" separate from the regular Head Start Program grant. "The differences in funding types presented multiple unforeseen challenges to disbursement of ...