California county uses funding for early education

SALINAS, Calif. (CBS, KYMA/KECY) - Monterey County’s Early Learning Program is planning on using the over $11 million to help with hiring, facility costs, and the services they provide.

While it is a welcome source of funding, the county superintendent says they’d like to see more to help in other ways. For many families, early learning has been played a vital role in their child’s development.

“It's definitely that was a good entrance into exposure, what it's like to be part of the school learning," said Erica Ruiz, a mother.

Ruiz said her son, Gabriel, recently finished his first year of transitional kindergarten (TK) and says it’s been incredibly important in the years after the pandemic.

“They definitely need exposure to other children and learning how to play and share and all of those things are vital," Ruiz expressed.

"Head Start"

Monterey County’s Office of Education was recently awarded over $11 million in federal funding to help with their “Head Start” program.

“Our program, it really gives them the leg up and that early Introduction to Teaching and Learning," said Dr. Deneen Guss, Monterey County Superintendent of Schools.

Dr. Guss points out that staffing levels are currently in a good place, but retaining staff continues to be a challenge.

“Educators realize that they can have a better salary, if they go into the TK-12 world. But we really need the best and the brightest with our littles as well. And so the way to really improve that is to improve or increase the salaries of our early learning educators," Guss shared.

While this issue isn’t unique to Monterey County, she’d like to see additional head start funding, whether from state or federal sources to make it happen.

Going a long way

The Office of Education is hoping that would go a long way towards helping little ones, like six-year-old Fernanda, who loves everything her teacher taught her.

“She was good. And she teach us everything. Yes. She was the best teacher ever," Fernanda remarked.

The Office of RAducation also points out their Early Education Program operates in 24 areas across the county, serving about 650 children.