Child Development Centers, Inc. (CDC) will have two classrooms at Elk Valley Elementary School in Girard School District when launching its Head Start program in Erie County this September.

CDC received formal award of the five-year, $40 million grant to operate the Head Start program in Erie. When CDC submitted its proposal to the federal government, it focused solely on the city of Erie, not surrounding areas.

However, since obtaining the grant, CDC has received permission from the federal government to use some of its 680 Head Start slots outside of the city limits to expand its service area in the county.

Elk Valley Elementary School has agreed to host two classrooms with a capacity of 20 children per room.

CDC is continuing to explore potential locations outside of the city, but none have been confirmed. Locations within the city limits have not been determined as the transition process from the previous grantee is in the beginning stages. Those sites will be announced in the coming weeks.

CDC will continue to work with federal Head Start representatives for the next several months to work out details in preparation for the beginning of the program.

All families interested in enrolling their children in the program can visit cdcenters.org/enroll-now. A CDC representative will contact families at a later date once the organization is ready to begin accepting children.

This article was published in the Venango Area Chamber of Commerce’s July 2019 VenangoWorks! Newsletter.