Boulder County Head Start ends 2024–25 nearly fully enrolled, plans $1.56M funding application; one federal finding remains open

On June 17, 2025, Boulder County commissioners received the Head Start monthly report from Akane Ogren, division manager for Boulder County Head Start, who said the program ended the 2024–25 school year with 109 of 110 enrollment slots filled, averaged 85% attendance for the year and provided $4,040,742.70 in total meal service for the school year.

The report matters locally because Head Start serves prekindergarten children and families across Boulder County; federal funding and corrective-action status could affect classroom staffing, health screenings and program operations.

Ogren told commissioners that 56 children graduated to kindergarten at the end of the school year and the program considers “fully enrolled” to be 106 or more slots filled. She said Head Start is currently enrolling for 2025–26 and had 105 of 110 slots filled at the time of the report. Summer work includes a two-week preservice and monthly professional development, CLASS assessment training, rewriting position descriptions to align with Head Start performance standards, and revised policies and procedures that will be presented to the commissioners and the policy council before the school year starts.

On staffing, Ogren reported six open positions: three center director positions, one combined health services coordinator (merging the early childhood mental health consultant role with the former health/safety/nutrition coordinator), one teacher and one teaching assistant. She said center director recruitment was active and that internal advancement opportunities were being used to fill roles.

Ongoing federal monitoring was a focus. Ogren said a finding from the FA2 review remains open; the period of correction ended May 17, 2025, and a federal/regional monitoring team conducted interviews and document review on May 27. The outstanding items relate to medical and dental screening documentation and tracking. Ogren reported the program contracted with Adventure Dental (adding dental services to an existing vision-screening partner) to provide two dental screening visits, once in fall and once in spring. "So that was a success," Ogren said about arranging the dental screenings. The program is awaiting a final federal determination, which Ogren said she expects sometime this summer.

On finances and grants, Ogren said commissioners should expect a request at the June 24 business meeting to approve submission of a Head Start application for $1,561,229. She said the full amount is split into two buckets and that training and technical assistance funds total $18,892; the transcripted amount for the program-operations split was unclear in the meeting packet and is not specified in the record. Ogren said the current grant extension is in place while the application is filed and that a notice of funding opportunity for the next five-year cycle is expected in the fall; the program intends to apply for the five-year grant when it opens.

Commissioners asked whether the remaining monitoring items would affect the opportunity for future competitive funding; Ogren said the corrective actions and noncompliance were described in the 2025 competitive grant application and will be carried forward into the 2026 application with transparency about corrective work completed.

The Head Start presentation noted the difference between CACFP (Child and Adult Care Food Program) reimbursements and actual meal costs from Boulder Valley School District and that average monthly meal cost to the program was about $4,000.

Next steps recorded in the meeting: staff will present an application-approval request to the board at the June 24 business meeting and will pursue the five-year funding opportunity when it opens. No formal board action on the Head Start grant application or staffing decisions was taken at the June 17 meeting.