“We have been in compliance ever since the program was established here,” she added.
At a special Board of Education meeting yesterday, members sought an update about the program’s “on-going monitoring” or OGM activities.
OGM tracks the progress of the program’s effectiveness in all areas.
“This has been an ongoing conversation with our leadership here at [the Public School System] and BOE. We have to be consistent in providing not only quality pre-school educational opportunities but in creating a positive and conducive environment as well,” Education Commissioner Rita A. Sablan said in a separate interview.
“With the monthly reports we received from the director [Palacios], we are able to provide the technical assistance and support to ensure that all of our centers meet federal and local requirements pertaining to health and safety standards,” Sablan added.
The Head Start program has 462 enrollees spread throughout its 10 centers on Saipan, Tinian and Rota.
An update released yesterday by Head Start disclosed that the program’s “facilities and playground standards” had consistently received good ratings, and that health and safety standards have also been “consistently followed and met.”
Every school year, the CNMI Bureau of Environmental Health inspects all the 10 centers facilities and its findings determine whether they are safe for preschoolers.
“This school year, we have once again been given the approval to open our facilities to our students,” said Palacios, citing BEH’s findings.
