Two months after the Monticello Area Community Action Agency (MACAA) board relinquished its federal Early Head Start and Head Start grant last January, MACAA closed its doors to hundreds of families and dozens of workers. The closing came after MACAA was cited for three federal deficiency conditions, which is the worst mark a Head Start provider can receive.

The March 31 closure of nine facilities that MACAA once operated in the City of Charlottesville, and Albemarle, Fluvanna, Louisa and Nelson counties meant that some families had to scramble to find affordable and safe alternatives for their preschool children. Since then, while many families have successfully placed their children in early childhood programs, others have not been as fortunate.

After MACAA’s closure, the Department of Health and Human Services employed the Community Development Institute of Head Start, or CDI, to temporarily run the child care providers’ remaining centers until a new organization takes over the previous MACAA Head Start locations.

So far, CDI has only opened four of the nine centers: Agnor Hurt in Charlottesville, Crozet in Albemarle County, and Tye River and Rockfish in Nelson County, according to the Administration for Children and Families’ Office of Communications in Washington, D.C.

Going forward, CDI Head Start plans to serve 136 Head Start preschool children and 44 Early Head Start infants and toddlers, the agency said in an email to Charlottesville Tomorrow. However, due to difficulty in finding qualified staff and safe facilities, only 34 children are being served at this time, the email stated.

Head Start is just one of a few free early childhood education programs that are available for families. For instance, Charlottesville City Schools, Albemarle County Public Schools, Nelson County Public Schools and Fluvanna County Public Schools each have Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) programs for students. The program serves 3-and 4-year-old children who are not in a Head Start program, although they may qualify for such programs.

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United Way of Greater Charlottesville manages Go2Grow, a website that helps families find free or low-cost child care in 21 cities and counties in central Virginia, including the city of Charlottesville and Albemarle County. The organization simply receives the child care applications and sends them to the providers for which the applicant qualifies.

If you are looking to place your child into a Virginia Preschool Initiative or Early Childhood Special Education seat, you can apply directly on the Go2Grow website. If you want to place your child into a Head Start classroom, you can reach out to your desired center on the CDI website.

To qualify for VPI, students’ families must have a family income at or below 200 percent of federal poverty guidelines, be experiencing homelessness, have a parent or guardian who dropped out of school, or have a child with a disability that is within the criteria of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, according to the Virginia Department of Education.

Other programs include Bright Stars, which is exclusive to Albemarle schools and serves 4-year-old children who are considered “at risk for developmental or educational challenges,” according to Albemarle schools’ website. In addition, United Way of Greater Charlottesville’s Mixed Delivery program offers free or reduced-cost preschool seats for qualifying families, the United Way website states.

Limited space, waitlists may delay child care enrollments

Since MACAA’s closing, eight students have been placed in City Schools’ early child education classrooms, said Amanda Korman, a City Schools spokesperson. As of Nov. 21, City Schools had 19 open seats for 4 and 5-year old students, she said.

But that’s not the case for all school divisions. For Albemarle schools, 31 families remain on the waitlist, Lisa Molinaro, a preschool lead coach for Albemarle schools, said on Nov. 21.

The same goes for Nelson schools. Kim Douglas, director of instruction and innovation for the school system, said Nelson families could not enroll their children into the VPI program at Nelson County Public Schools (NCPS) because it was at capacity. Historically, MACAA ran two classrooms in NCPS’ Tye River and Rockfish River elementary schools, said Douglas. CDI has since reopened the two classrooms at the two elementary schools, but Douglas said the nonprofit has only enrolled 21 students. 

Meanwhile, Fluvanna lost one Head Start location when MACAA closed. That meant 20 MACAA seats were taken away, said Gemma Soares, director of elementary instruction and federal programs for Fluvanna schools. Although the school system worked to place students into its VPI classroom, “fewer than 10” Head Start students were enrolled in Fluvanna for the 2024-2025 school year.

Charlottesville Tomorrow reporter Tamica Jean-Charles recently spoke with public school officials in the city and Albemarle, Fluvanna, Louisa and Nelson counties to provide our readers information about affordable, available and safe child care options. If you have questions or concerns about available child care in your community, feel free to email Tamica at tjeancharles [AT] cvilletomorrow [DOT] org.

Charlottesville City Schools

  • As of Dec. 17, there were 19 open seats in City Schools. Five seats were open for 4-year-old children, and 14 were open for 3-year-old children in the school division’s early childhood program, Amanda Korman, a spokesperson for City Schools, said on Dec. 17.
  • Overall, City Schools has 237 total preschool seats, a number that is determined every two years by the Virginia Department of Education in its biennial budget. The budget designates 142 seats for 4-year-old students, and 95 seats for 3-year-olds, said Korman.
  • When MACAA closed, City Schools enrolled as many Head Start students as it could. The school system placed eight students into classrooms in April, said Korman. As of Dec. 6, there are no Head Start classrooms in the City of Charlottesville, said a spokesperson from the Administration of Children and Families, which oversees the Office of Head Start.  
  • Here is where families can apply for Charlottesville’s Early Education & Care Programs.

Albemarle County Public Schools

  • ACPS felt the impact of MACAA’s absence when reviewing its applications at the start of the 2024-25 school year. The school division lost 45 seats when MACAA closed its four Albemarle classrooms at Crozet, Agnor (formerly Agnor-Hurt), Greer and Hollymead elementary schools. Only two — Crozet and Agnor — are currently operating. 
  • In a Dec. 6 email, officials in the Office of Communications for the Administration for Children and Families said that CDI Head Start has secured an additional facility at Greer Elementary School “and is actively recruiting for qualified staff needed to open it.”
  • As of Dec. 18, CDI had one seat left at the Agnor (formerly Agnor-Hurt) Elementary School location, said Lisa Molinaro, preschool lead coach for Albemarle Schools.
  • As of Nov. 21, CDI only filled six of the 18 seats that Crozet serves, said Molinaro. When Charlottesville Tomorrow asked CDI why so few students are being served, the reporter was redirected to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration of Children and Families. A Dec. 6 email from the media department for the ACF states that when enrollments are lower than expected, “significant factors include a lack of facilities and qualified staff to serve children in the service area.”
  • Molinaro said CDI is expected to expand its Greer Elementary School classroom Jan. 7. Families who are on the waitlist for a Bright Stars classroom have been forwarded to CDI, Molinaro said. 
  • Albemarle schools currently works with the Virginia Preschool Initiative, which it uses for its Bright Stars program, and also has select Early Childhood Special Education program classrooms for students with special needs. In total, Albemarle County Schools oversees 246 seats. 
  • County schools typically work with Head Start as well, but since CDI took it over, the school system no longer works directly with them, said Molinaro. Each program has varying criteria, but families who live in the county can apply for the program that best fits their profile by applying through United Way’s Go2Grow website, according to Molinaro. 
  • For Albemarle’s Bright Star’s classroom, county schools are at capacity in 10 of the 12 classrooms it operates. One seat is available at Scottsville Elementary School and another at Mountain View Elementary School, said Molinaro. 
  • As of Dec. 20, 20 families remain on the waitlist for Albemarle schools, said Molinaro.
  • Here is where families can apply for Albemarle County’s Early Education & Care Programs.

Nelson County Public Schools 

  • Historically, MACAA ran two classrooms in Nelson County Public Schools’ two elementary schools, Tye River and Rockfish River Elementary School, said Kim Douglas, director of instruction and innovation for the school system. When MACAA closed, Nelson families were unable to enroll their children into the VPI program at NCPS as it was at capacity. 
  • As of Dec. 9, seven students were enrolled in Rockfish River and 14 students were at Tye River. 
  • “There is limited childcare available in Nelson County for birth to 4 year olds and therefore this caused stress for the families of the MACAA program,” Douglas said in a statement to Charlottesville Tomorrow. 
  • Families seeking to enroll their kids at a Nelson County Virginia Preschool Initiative classroom may be placed on a waitlist. There are two VPI classrooms at each of the elementary schools, and they are both nearing capacity, said Douglas. As of Dec. 9, 18 students are enrolled at Rockfish and 19 students are at Tye River. Each classroom has a capacity of 20 students. There was a waitlist of five for students who don’t qualify for VPI, whereas there was no list for families who do. 
  • Here is where families can apply for Nelson County’s Early Education & Care Programs.

Fluvanna County Public Schools

  • Before it closed, MACAA served eight students in its lone classroom in Fluvanna. That classroom has not reopened.
  • Now, Fluvanna has three VPI classrooms, and two ECSE classrooms in Central Elementary School. Each classroom fits eight to 18 students, said Gemma Soares, director of elementary instruction and federal programs for Fluvanna schools.
  • Fluvanna schools enrolled 66 students as of the 2024-2025 school year, said Soares. As of Dec. 20, there are 40 students on the waitlist. 
  • Here is where families can apply for Fluvanna County’s Early Education & Care Programs.

Louisa County Public Schools

  • The Louisa location — the only Head Start location in the county — remains closed. A Dec. 6 email from media officials for the Administration for Children and Families said that CDI Head Start “is working to identify locations in which to provide services in Fluvanna and Louisa counties.”
  • Louisa schools offers 100 seats at its VPI classrooms for 4 year-olds.
  • As of Dec. 20, the district had a waitlist with roughly 20 children, said Justin Griggs, assistant superintendent for instruction for Louisa County Public Schools.
  • Here is where families can find information about Louisa County’s Early Education & Childcare Programs.

As a community reporter at Charlottesville Tomorrow from 2021 to 2025, Tamica aimed to connect families with resources that could help them thrive.