Staff from Early Childhood Options, an organization that runs Summit County’s publicly funded Head Start and Summit Pre-K programs, gave a presentation to the Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday, Sept. 23.

Executive director Catherine Schaaf told the commissioners about the budget situation for her organization’s county-funded programs and gave updates on those programs’ performance over the past quarter.

Schaaf said the pre-K and First Steps programs, which provide financial assistance for low-income families for preschool and child care, respectively, have received 400 applications for the 2025-2026 school year — a record amount.

“That’s an uptick from about — I think we had 370 (last year),” Schaaf said.

The organization rejected 30 applications, Schaaf said, which is more than prior years. Applicants are rejected because they do not meet the income or working requirements. Schaaf said reviewing applications is a time-consuming process.

“We’re diving in and getting really intimate with these folks and their financials,” Schaaf said. “(We are) doing, I think, our best to make sure that we’re being good stewards of awarding these dollars for tuition assistance.”

Commissioner Tamara Pogue asked why the organization saw more applications than in years past, and Schaaf said she was unsure. She said she has seen a trend of “slots” being open, or child care providers having room for more children.

“I really think we’re going to see, kind of, this change and shift of (there) not being as dire (a) need for child care,” Schaaf said. “I think if people really are willing to put in the effort to obtain child care, they can.”

A memo Schaaf wrote for the board states the organization also has a “record number” of applications that will require monthly reviews because of extenuating circumstances related to qualified situations like medical situations or new business ventures.

The First Steps program from September 2024 to August 2025 cost about $1.65 million, according to the memo. With 3% inflationary increases, it could cost $1.7 million this school year. The memo recommended using Right Start reserves to cover extra costs.

Pogue asked why the county would not use Strong Future reserves for that purpose. Schaaf said she was under the impression that those reserves should not be used in case the fund is not reauthorized. Pogue said she would prefer to use the Strong Future reserves before Right Start ones if possible.

Schaaf said the organization will work on annual reports throughout October, including ones about tuition assistance, provider updates and professional development. Right Start helps fund professional development efforts for child care professionals, and Early Childhood Options has a Menu of Quality Services that provides teachers with those resources.

The organization also has a professional development day scheduled for Sept. 26, and the memo states around 120 teachers have signed up to attend.

Schaaf introduced Jacquline Lujan, who is the new Head Start director. The Head Start program is an early childhood program for low-income families with children ages 0-5, and Lujan said it is in its second year of a five-year grant.

The program needs to apply for a continuation grant for that funding, but Schaaf and Lujan said the process has been streamlined.

“The continuation grant last year was a lot of work,” Schaaf said. “I’m happy to see these changes and hope that we see some kind of improvement.”