Early childhood education program, Head Start, partners with Springfield Technical Community College

Head Start, an early childhood education program in western Massachusetts, is partnering with Springfield Technical Community College to expand affordable child care for marginalized families on the college's campus.

Head Start, which serves low-income families in Springfield, Chicopee, and Holyoke, will have a few classrooms at STCC dedicated to giving pre-K to kindergarten kids educational opportunities before they enter grade school.

CEO of Head Start, Nicole Blais, said the partnership is especially exciting because it gives STCC students in the college’s early childhood education program direct access to teach children.

“We're really making sure that people understand that early education and care is a profession and that the staff and the teachers behind the door aren't babysitting. There's actual wonderful learning happening,” Blais said. “Our goal is to make sure that children are ready for school success.”

Head Start is funded through the state Department of Early Education and Care. Blais said they secured contracts with the state to be able to run a full day’s worth of childhood education programs for the year.

John Cook, president of STCC, added there is a workforce shortage of qualified educators right now and that’s a big consideration for the college.

“[To] have a lab school right here on campus means our students in our early ed programs can spend time in those Head Start classrooms,” Cook said. “They then become the future teachers that Head Start hires [and] bringing that integration, really taking the guesswork out of it, is also a really important consideration.”

There are currently 28 slots open for preschoolers and kindergartners.

Blais said the hope is to open another classroom once they have the staffing to accommodate more kids.