By Moneth G. Deposa
Variety News Staff

THE newly appointed director of the CNMI Head Start program, Josephine Tudela, said a minimum wage hike may reduce the number of children they serve.
“It will have a very significant impact on the Head Start program because we are working with poverty guidelines,” she said. “A lot of families may end up falling out of these guidelines and will no longer be qualified to avail themselves of the services for their children,” Tudela told Variety.
During a special meeting last week, the Board of Education announced the appointment of Tudela which is still subject to the approval of the Head Start Region 9 office.
Tudela succeeded Jeane Samari who resigned last year.
The local Head Start program receives $1.6 million in federal assistance every year, and serves 579 children from low-income families.
Tudela said they are now conducting research on the possible impact of a minimum wage hike on the local program.
“If that happens (a minimum wage hike) a lot of families will no longer qualify under the program,” she said.
Tudela, who has been with the Head Start Program since 2003, said her administration will focus on three priorities: the Fatherhood Initiatives, Spark Literacy and the “I’m Moving, I’m Learning” Initiative.
According to Tudela, the CNMI program gets only $2,500-$2,600 for the healthcare costs of each child under the program compared to the $7,000 received by the national program per child.
“Our per child (health) cost is so low…and this is the reason we have asked for an increase. But, unfortunately, the only way to get an increase is to reduce the number of our children…to roughly 400,” she said. “The problem is we have 579 kids and many are still on the waiting list.”