POCATELLO — Among the many programs coping with cuts in federal funding because of a budget sequestration that began earlier this year is Pocatello’s Head Start program. As the school year for 3- to 5-year-olds from low-income families began, bus transportation to and from school was no longer available.

    For the families of the 186 children enrolled in Head Start at the Lincoln Early Education Center on Oakwood Drive, the lack of busing was yet another obstacle to helping their children get ahead.

    “We had a loss of $65,000 in funding and had to make up for it somewhere in the budget,” said Head Start Support Services manager Rick Betzer. “If it (the sequestration cuts) continues, we may lose a complete classroom.”

    Although the Head Start and Early Intervention programs that share the Lincoln Center are federally funded, Head Start operates under the umbrella of School District 25 and serves children in Pocatello and Chubbuck — children who live in poverty.

    “All our families are low income,” said Parent and Community Engagement manager Kaylin White.

    To be 100 percent eligible for Head Start, children must come from families with a gross household income of less than $23,550 for a family of four. All but one student at the Lincoln Center meets that 100 percent requirement.

    As a requirement of the federal program, Betzer must keep a record of the families enrolled in the program. This year, 10 of the children are from families considered homeless; 13 are receiving temporary assistance for needy families; 27 are eligible for Social Security; and 52 qualify for health services through the state’s Women, Infants and Children or WIC program.

    Even more telling are the actual income levels of their households. Seventy-six of the Head Start students are from households making less than $3,000 per year; another 28, less than $6,000; and another 22, less than $9,000.

    “These cuts hurt the least advantaged the most,” White said.

    White said the Head Start program not only provides educational opportunities to youngsters, it helps families with things like parenting classes, household budgeting workshops and support for adult education efforts.

    “One thing we love about Head Start is we work with the families,” White said.

    Students enrolled in Head Start receive a comprehensive curriculum that meets Idaho Early Learning guidelines, according to White. This includes classes that improve social, emotional and physical health as well as literacy, math and science.

    The goal is to help economically disadvantaged students succeed when they reach public school age. White said those goals sometimes become larger as families of the children also improve their situations.

    White has worked for Head Start in Pocatello for 11 years. The Head Start program in the Gate City dates back to 1965, making it one of the oldest in the nation.

    One family who enrolled a child in Head Start several years ago stands out in White’s mind. The father was raised in a violent household where his dad was the leader of a gang.

    “His wife signed up their daughter, and then pressured her husband to take a parenting class,” White said. “He learned things he simply didn’t know about being a good dad.”

    The father put the knowledge to work and completed his GED. Both parents are now attending college and their daughter and son, who completed Head Start are outstanding students.

    “Their children both are reading above grade level,” White said. “They both also won bikes for having perfect attendance. Learning is a way of life for the entire family now.”

    Betzer, with 13 years of experience with Head Start, said it’s the change in entire families that makes the Head Start program so valuable.

    “We see families where, at the beginning of the year, they have trouble making appointments and by the end of the year they’re take-charge parents,” Betzer said.    

    The two educational programs at the Lincoln Center have 38 staff members, including 10 certified teachers in Head Start and aides who must have at least an associate degree. Head Start learning takes place in 10 separate classrooms.

    Betzer said he wants to keep those 10 Head Start classrooms functioning, and he’s worried continued federal cutbacks will eliminate learning opportunities for the most vulnerable members of the community.

    “We need to look at how this is really affecting people in Idaho — people in the nation,” Betzer said.