HOUSTON – Parents in northwest Harris County are filled with anxiety and questions after learning a program they rely on for childcare will no longer be able to assist them at the end of the month.
The Early REACH program emailed parents on New Year’s Eve, informing them that the Little Explorers Academy childcare facility in Klein was not selected to be a part of the next phase of funding by the program.
“I’m just very anxious. I’m very distraught. I’m very hurt. I hurt for my children,” parent Ashlyn McClain said.
Little Explorers has been providing working parents with children’s care and pre-schooling. The parents who have relied on the program now have 30 days to find a new home for their children.
“It has become more than childcare to me. It’s like a community,” parent Jasmine Senegal said.
The Early REACH program consists of Harris County and two additional partners, the United Way of Houston and Baker Ripley, according to its website. It is funded by federal recovery dollars post-COVID 19 and designed to help families while also putting more dollars back into their community.
“They’re devastated,” said DeAna Kindt, Owner of Little Explorers Academy regarding what she has been hearing from parents. “These are their children. They deserve to have a say in where their children go to school.”
On Thursday, parents went to Commissioners Court in a desperate attempt to get the county to understand what they told KPRC 2 Investigates.
“My kids are in a program right now. They learn, they learn about the values of one. They’re learning and they’re thriving,” McClain said.
Senegal is concerned of the impact change will have on her son.
“It’s definitely going to put a strain on our family, trying to transition him to a new school, with new children and a new staff,” said the mother-of-one.
KPRC 2 Investigates attempted to speak with officials tied to the program at Commissioners Court, but they walked away from once our cameras were turned on in search of answers. While they remained silent, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo did not.
“Obviously I don’t like hearing that families are being thrown out of a childcare program without much notice and without the transition support. We’re getting to the bottom of it. I haven’t heard about this transition issue until today at Commissioners’ Court. It’s something that I want to address,” said Hidalgo.
What deeply bothered Kindt, was the email informing her that Little Explorers Academy did not get selected for the next phase. It had no reason listed as to why such a decision was made.
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On Thursday evening, Harris County’s Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity provided one in a lengthy letter to KPRC 2.
“Childcare facilities that fall below a renewal evaluation score of 50 (out of 100 total points possible) were not eligible to continue as Early REACH providers. Of the 25 centers enrolled in Early REACH in 2024, 4 childcare centers fell below the 50-point threshold and were not renewed. Criterion for evaluation includes program and contractual compliance measures, such as a minimum wage compliance,” the letter stated.
“No scoring process has been disclosed to me. And no, I was never told about a grading criterion for the schools to remain in the program,” Kindt said in response what the county wrote.
“Little Explorers Academy is ranked as a 4-Star Texas Rising Star School, this is the highest certification in the state,” Kindt said, adding that the school is a candidate for accreditation through the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
The bottom line for Kindt, is that she believes her academy is being retaliated against for questions over funding and operations she posed over the last year.
“There is no reason that our contract was not renewed to serve these children and families,” said Kindt.
