Amount Requested: - $2,600,000

Quincy Community Action Programs, Inc. (QCAP) operates one of the busiest Head Start, early education programs on the south shore.  The agency is seeking a federal appropriation to underwrite a portion the $6 million renovation of the former St. Joseph’s Elementary School in Quincy.  The school has been closed for three years and is in disrepair.  QCAP will renovate the school into a high quality Head Start Early Learning Center serving low-income and disadvantaged children from the communities of Quincy, Weymouth, Braintree, Milton, and Hull.  Through the project their program will also realize, for the first time, appropriate space for physical, occupational, and mental health therapy for children, an indoor gross motor area, and meeting space suitable for parent and staff meetings, on-site professional development opportunities and community collaboration.

For the past 15 years, QCAP has been seeking a permanent site in Quincy for its Head Start program.  For many years, their Head Start program has rented most of its space from public school systems in their service area. QCAP is currently has short term leases with the Braintree Public Schools (BPS) for 7 classrooms at 2 sites.  BPS cannot provide QCAP the space guarantee it needs to manage one of the largest Early Education and Care programs in the region beyond September 2010.  Studies have demonstrated the significant benefits of taxpayer support for the Head Start program.  While taxpayers provide operations support for the Head Start program, funding to assist with the renovation and modernization of Head Start facilities is long overdue.

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