Employees in a program at these Columbus schools must get the COVID vaccine
President Joe Biden’s expanded mandate for certain Americans to get the COVID-19 vaccine affects people who work in a program at some Columbus schools.
That program is called Head Start, which provides free preschool education and development services to children, from birth through 5 years old, in low-income families.
Enrichment Services Program, the nonprofit organization that receives the federal grant to administer Head Start for nine counties in the Columbus area, has 194 Head Start employees, including 100 instructional staff, for 634 children at its six sites, ESP chief executive officer Belva Dorsey told the Ledger-Enquirer.
Biden’s mandate requires all Head Start employees to be vaccinated by January, Dorsey said.
“I understand the importance of the mandate,” she said in an email. “Birth to 5 is a very critical time in a child’s life. Children need to participate in a high-quality early childhood program during this time when brain growth is occurring the most. This mandate will allow us to serve children safely in Early Head Start (birth to 2 years old) and Head Start (3-5 years old) centers. It will help ESP create a safe learning environment for children, families and staff.”
ESP will help its employees get the COVID vaccine, Dorsey said.
“We are in the process of organizing employee vaccine drives and holding town halls to address any questions,” she said. “We want our employees to know we are listening and that getting vaccinated is safe, effective and the right thing to do to protect our children, families and community.”
ESP communications and development coordinator Keona Swindler told the L-E these are the six Head Start sites in Columbus where employees must get the COVID vaccine:
- Benning Hills Child Development Center, 190 Munson Drive
- Boxwood Child Development Center, 1700 Boxwood Place
- Child Development Center, 2701 11th Ave.
- Edgewood Child Development Center, 3835 Forrest Road
- Generational Kids Academy, 4352 Valley Road
- Muscogee Child Development Center, 3900 Baker Plaza Drive.
