Monterey County Head Start staff brief Santa Rita board on early-learning slots and referrals

Annabel Garcia, head start early learning program director at the Monterey County Office of Education, and Rosie Sanchez, the program’s eligibility, recruitment, selection, enrollment and attendance (ERC) and family engagement coordinator, presented the county’s Head Start and early-learning services to the Santa Rita Union School District board.

Garcia described services “throughout Monterey County from South County all the way to North County and Salinas,” and said the program maintains two classrooms in the Santa Rita school and an additional site in La Jolla. She told trustees the program has shifted to begin services at age 3 to create a clearer transition into preschool and transitional kindergarten (TK).

Sanchez walked the board through the program folder provided to trustees and outlined the referral and application process, Spanish/English materials and the program’s eligibility screening. She said toddler services (18–36 months) are offered but have limited capacity — eight slots per toddler classroom — and that Head Start allows up to 10% of enrolled slots for families who are over the program’s income threshold.

“We don’t have boundaries,” Garcia said, describing flexibility that allows families to attend a center that works with their schedules. She also said the program includes family engagement activities and a policy council to encourage parent leadership.

Trustees and district staff thanked the presenters and noted the value of outreach materials for referral; one board member said the presentation will help district staff refer eligible families.

The MCOE presenters left a packet with English and Spanish materials listing sites, an application, child-history questions, and a housing questionnaire used to determine McKinney‑Vento eligibility.