Whitehall Resource in Danger: How Can You Help Save Head Start?

On Thursday, April 10, at the Whitehall CTAC meeting, it was announced that the Rocky Mountain Development Council was considering the closure of Whitehall’s Rocky Head Start, located at 405 W Legion in Whitehall.

In their letter, RMDC stated:

“We want to begin by expressing how much we care about your children, families, and this community. We recognize and deeply appreciate the hard work you put into supporting your children’s learning, and we are grateful for the opportunity to partner with you in this important work.

“We also want to be transparent with you. Our program is currently facing significant funding challenges due to changes at the federal level. These changes are impacting Head Start programs across the country and are not the result of anything our local program, staff, or families have done wrong.

“As part of our ongoing efforts to evaluate our program structure, funding priorities, and coplainace with Head Start Performance Standards, we have met with our board and policy council, and we are moving forward with a recommendation to bring the issue to the full board and policy council at the end of April. After careful review, we are recommending the closure of the Whitehall Head Start classroom, starting with the 2025-2026 program year.

“This decision has not been made lightly. The Whitehall site has provided meaningful support to children and families over the years, and we deeply value the contributions of the staff and community. However, after careful consideration, we believe this course is necessary to ensure we are fulfilling our mission to serve children and families with the greatest need while maintaining fiscal responsibility and program integrity.”

The letter goes on to state reasons for the proposed closure, which include high over-income enrollment, lack of a sustained waitlist, low enrollment projections, better fit with district services, staffing challenges, high operational costs, available capacity in Helena, and better use of funds by reallocating resources.

Several Head Start families, both current and alumni, are working to save Whitehall’s Head Start Program. A meeting was held Tuesday, April 15th at the Whitehall Community Library, which the Whitehall Ledger will report on.

Rocky Head Start Director Ashley Pena-Larsen said in the letter, “We recognize that this situyation may bring up a range of emotions - frustration, sadness, and uncertainty - and we are here to support you. We will continue to keep you informed and connected throughout this process. If you have any questions or want to talk, please feel free to reach out to me directly at apena@rmdc.net or call/text 406-475-5006.”

A GoFundMe has been established with the goal of raising $2,500. Proponents of saving Head Start are asking for donations, but also for stories of support of how Head Start helped your family, neighbor, or loved ones.

Letters of support may be addressed to Sadie Gooch at sadiejaney@gmail.com. If you would like to reach out and voice your concerns about losing this vital Whitehall resource, both Marta Bertoglio (marta.bertoglio@ legmt.gov) and Becky Beard (becky.beard@legmt.gov) are also accepting emails of support.