Dear Editor,
The Government of the Virgin Islands has embraced the Obama Administration’s effort to improve the quality of early childhood education so that children are prepared to succeed in school and beyond. Through countless efforts by the Governor’s Children and Families Council, chaired by First Lady Cecile de Jongh, and its Early Childhood and Advisory Committee (ECAC), parents, educators, childcare providers, program facilitators, and other professionals have been working across government agencies and non-governmental organizations toward this end.
The Department of Human Services, DHS, a member of the ECAC, has been in the forefront of the early learning movement. The Department has spearheaded groundbreaking new initiatives such as the Quality Rating Improvement System which positioned the Virgin Islands as the first U.S. territory to administer this type of rating system for early childhood education and care. The Department also revised the territory’s rules and regulations for child care facilities to comply with growing national health and safety standards and research on early learning and development. In the fall, we will embark on a teacher training program to improve the quality of care and education of young children that meets national standards and incorporates local priorities. Many working families receive subsidies to ensure access to child care.
The Virgin Islands Head Start Program which is administered through DHS, has for the past forty-eight (48) years provided quality early education to low income families utilizing federal standards. The recently published results of a joint Department of Interior and Department of Health and Human Services Offices of the Inspector General audit found that auditors could not determine whether the neediest children in the Virgin Islands received priority when DHS filled Head Start slots between September 1, 2009, and August 31, 2010.
To clarify a misunderstanding – all children enrolled in the VI Head Start program were eligible according to federal guidelines. No one was improperly enrolled. The year-long audit found that all who were enrolled were truly eligible and that our documentation procedures needed to improve to ensure that the most needy have first priority. This we have done backed by new procedures and training that were put in place immediately. No one was improperly enrolled. The demand for the program and the number of children eligible in the territory far exceeds capacity and funding provided by the federal government and the local match, which is the true tragedy. Unfortunately, it means that the program maintains an extensive waiting list and not all children who qualify have the opportunity to experience this high quality early childhood education program.
Kindergarten entry testing utilizing the Learning Accomplishment Profile – 3rd edition (LAP-3) indicates that many children entering kindergarten in the Virgin Islands begin school already delayed in development, particularly in language and cognition. Research tells us it is very difficult to catch up. This is why our investments to date and future investments in high quality early childhood care and education are critical to ensure that our children are prepared to succeed in school and beyond. As a new initiative, the Head Start program is partnering with the Department of Education to improve children’s language development by providing backpacks of activities and books for children to take home to promote parent-child interaction as well as providing additional teacher training.
The DHS realizes that there is and will always be work to be done to improve systems and processes. The Head Start program has changed and improved in line with local early childhood initiatives and national performance standards since 2010. DHS staff are invested and diligent about serving our children, especially the neediest children in our community, as we know first-hand the consequences of neglect and ramifications of apathy in our community.
Chris Finch, commissioner
Department of Human Services
