The Rosemount Story

I still remember the excitement when we were notified in the summer of 1996 of our Early Head Start grant award. Our Rosemount Center was going to be one of the early "pioneers" in the new Early Head Start initiative.

We quickly convened our families, community partners, and staff to discuss the start-up plans and implementation phases. Like most new grantees, we were looking forward to providing services. All of our staff had infant/toddler CDAs, and we had a facility with space for infant/toddler areas, so we felt we were far ahead of the game. Our date to be fully operational was August 1997, and we felt we would be ready.

In November 1996, the revised Head Start Program Performance Standards were issued, which included regulations for infant/toddler care. We were in the midst of ordering our new furnishings and equipment for the existing classroom space when we became concerned that our space was not consistent with the standards. We were worried that we did not have space for cribs at 3 feet apart, or adequate plumbing to have separate areas for diapering and food preparation. I spent many hours communicating with our Federal Program Specialist and with specialists at our regional Quality Improvement Center (QIC) and Quality Improvement Center for Disabilities Services. I wanted to be sure I understood the intent of the regulations and how we could address them when we had very little money in the grant allocated for facility issues. At this point, the facilities became a major challenge in the start-up of our program.

In the spring of 1997, I participated in the West-Ed Infant/Toddler Intensive Training with the Early Head Start National Resource Center. There I learned about a process for designing infant/toddler space in a presentation by Louis Torelli of the organization Spaces for Children. After seeing the presentation, I knew that Rosemount Center needed help or we would not be able to meet the Federal regulations on facilities. I took immediate steps to consult with Louis about appropriate modifications to our space and to discuss budget changes with our Program Specialist. It was then May of 1997. We were confident that, if we could get on a fast track with architects and construction specialists, we could make the necessary changes and be fully operational by August.

We hired a project manager with experience in construction to serve as my advisor. He was instrumental in helping me understand all the issues involved, and he posed a major question: Had there been a "hazmat" (hazardous materials) study of the space? After some investigation, the answer was no: no study of the building had been done. We had to embark in a new direction.

The study revealed both lead and asbestos in some areas of our center. The good news was that it wasn't a problem unless we disturbed it. The bad news was that we were planning to disturb it to install new plumbing. Our plans to be fully operational by August seemed to evaporate as we brought various engineers to the table to discuss the best route for getting our space in order.

Although the abatement of asbestos and containment of lead took several months, we were able to complete our remodeling in time for our Federal Review in August 1998. During this two-year period I learned many important lessons and met many wonderful people who were there as partners to help us build a quality program. As I often tell others, I could not have done it without support from the Federal Team, our Program Specialist, QIC, DSQIC, and other consultants who provided direction or assisted in areas such as training, while I focused on facility issues. To me, this demonstrated tremendous commitment to building Early Head Start from all levels.

I cannot stress enough the importance of space design planning in the scope of start-up for an Early Head Start program. To provide quality services, you must have a space that provides an environment where infants and toddlers can learn in their daily routines, as well as one that supports staff in their role as responsive, nurturing caregivers for our infants, toddlers, and their families. The message along this journey was always clear: Early Head Start must provide quality services. The challenge to grantees is comprehensive planning–including facilities and space design.

Karen McKinney is the Early Head Start Director at Rosemount Head Start, T: 202-265-9885, E: McKinneyK@aol.com.