CUDEN details ShareCare, Head Start and preschool allocations for southeast municipalities

At a May 22 hearing on House Resolution 204, Julissa Rivera Santiago of CUDEN read a memorial explicativo detailing how CUDEN delegates funds for early‑childhood and child‑care programs in the southeast region and described the ShareCare, EQUIP and stabilization programs used to support providers.

Rivera Santiago said the agency delegates funds directly to municipalities for municipal‑run centers and competitively selects private providers for 12‑month contracts. She presented FY23–24 disbursement totals for municipalities in the southeast region — examples cited included Cayey and Yabucoa — and enumerated awards to private entities such as Montessori House and other named centers. Rivera Santiago also explained the EQUIP quality‑improvement grants and the ShareCare stabilization funds intended to help providers maintain operations.

On provider payments, Rivera Santiago said CUDEN disburses funds after compliance reviews and quarterly reporting; legislators requested a detailed list of centers and payment status. The agency agreed to provide the requested payment data in a short term and to clarify distinctions between direct municipal delegations and private provider awards.

Rivera Santiago also described PDGB5 (the Puerto Rico Preschool Development Grant Birth‑to‑5) and two‑generation center initiatives, noting start‑up and operational delegations (for example, Maunabo received $500,000 to establish a two‑generation center). She emphasized that some Head Start funding is distributed directly by Head Start grantees and therefore does not pass through CUDEN.

The commission asked the agency to produce more granular documentation within five business days and scheduled further oversight work to reconcile the agency tables with on‑the‑ground payment practice. No formal vote or budget reallocation was decided at the hearing.