As of Monday, Feb. 3, the Calcasieu Parish School Board is now the new provider for the Head Start Program in Beauregard Parish. Beauregard Head Start will be added as an additional Early Childhood site supported by Calcasieu Parish.
The Beauregard Head Start Program needed to transition from its current provider, and the Office of Head Start requires any interim provider to already offer Head Start services, which limited available providers. With Beauregard being a neighboring community, the Calcasieu Parish School Board staff believes the transition can occur seamlessly and without impacting any Head Start students being served here in Calcasieu.
“When approached by the Office of Head Start asking that Calcasieu be the interim provider for our neighboring parish, our first thought was making sure that the students continue to be served,” said Calcasieu Parish School Board Superintendent Karl Bruchhaus. “Through communications with the current provider, applicable vendors, and the Beauregard Parish School Board, we have been able to work through logistical issues, while continuing to provide the same level of services to the children we already serve in Calcasieu.”
Calcasieu Parish Early Childhood Director Dr. Michelle Joubert agrees that the main concern is the education of the children, no matter their physical location.
“At the heart of this transition are the eligible children for the Head Start program,” said Dr. Joubert. “By design, Head Start seeks to increase student success once students enter regular educational classrooms.
