Quincy leasing land to Migrant Head Start

Parents could learn English at new site

QUINCY — Preschool children of migrant farm workers living in George could get a head start on their education in Quincy without taking a bus.

Migrant Head Start is showing interest in leasing land for a new center at George Elementary School, situated on the border of Quincy and George. A similar program is already located on H Street in Quincy.

Supervisor of the Quincy Head Start program Imelda Mendoza estimated 20 to 30 students were bussed this year from George to Quincy for the seasonal program, which runs from May through October.

"It is at least 10 miles, if not even a little bit more," Mendoza said.

The Quincy School Board voted Tuesday to declare a portion of the property at George Elementary School surplus to facilitate the process. The lease would last 10 years.

Two portables and a playground would be established at the site. Mendoza said she is hoping to lease at least one acre for the program and serve 50 children. The goal is to begin operations by May 1, when work starts on the fields.

Migrant Head Start serves children, from four months old through five years old, with a free education, plus breakfast, lunch and snacks. It is a federally funded program offered full time, five days per week through the Washington State Migrant Council.

The schedule is tailored to the needs of workers and changes during the season. Parents decide on the most convenient schedule.

"We can open as early as four in the morning and close as late as 5 or 6 p.m.," Mendoza said.

Parents could have an opportunity to take English language courses at the George site or earn their General Equivalency Diploma (GED), if there is a demand for the services, Mendoza said. The programs are already offered at the Quincy site.

Quincy School District Superintendent Roger Fox said the portables would be available for the district to use when not in use by Migrant Head Start. Special education could use the portables to service preschool students with special needs, Fox said.

"It's good for them, it's good for us," he said.

Director of Program Development for the Washington State Migrant Council Cristina Klatovsky said the council is excited about the prospect of opening a child development center in George. The community of Quincy is growing, Klatovsky said.

"There are more and more families that now live in George," she added.

Mendoza said more children are commuting to the Quincy program from George than 16 years ago, when she started working at the Quincy site.

The cost of the lease is under negotiation, she said.