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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2019
Local Government Meetings
A classroom used for physical activities as well as eating is set up in the Early Head Start building
Patti Masters, head director Early Start Education; Chanda Hillman, Tri County Head Start CEO; Rev. John Peter Ambrose, St. Mary of the Lake; Jan Conrad, Noelle Krawiec, buildling director, and Mandy Orlando, Head Start director
DEMOCRACY REQUIRES TRANSPARENCY
New Buffalo Times CITY OF NEW BUFFALO CITY COUNCIL Meets on the 3rd Monday of each month at 6:30PM Monday, December 16, 2019 DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (DDA) MEETING Meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month at 8AM Thursday, December 12, 2019 CITY OF NEW BUFFALO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETINGS Meets on the first 1st Tuesday Quarterly at 7PM NEW BUFFALO TOWNSHIP NEW BUFFALO TOWNSHIP BOARD Meets on the 3rd Monday of each month at 7PM Monday, December 16, 2019 NEW BUFFALO TOWNSHIP PLANNING COMMISSION Meets on the 1st Tuesday of each month at 6:30PM CHIKAMING TOWNSHIP CHIKAMING TOWNSHIP BOARD Meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month at 6:30PM Thursday, December 12, 2019 CHIKAMING TOWNSHIP PLANNING COMMISSION Meets on the 1st Wednesday of each month at 6:30PM THREE OAKS THREE OAKS TOWNSHIP BOARD Meets on the 2nd Monday of each month at 7PM VILLAGE OF THREE OAKS BOARD Meets on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 7PM GRAND BEACH VILLAGE OF GRAND BEACH COUNCIL Meets on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 7:30PM MICHIANA VILLAGE OF MICHIANA COUNCIL Meets on the 2nd Friday of each month at 1PM
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Early Head Start debuts in former St. Mary of the Lake Catholic School BY FRANCESCA SAGALA
formerly abandoned longstanding school has been given new life with the opening of two new Early Head Start classrooms. The classrooms are located in the bottom floor of the former St. Mary of the Lake Catholic School, which closed its doors in the summer of 2017, at 704 W. Merchant Street in New Buffalo. The teachers and community members celebrated the opening of the new classrooms at a ribbon-cutting Monday, Dec. 2. According to an official press release, the program “provides comprehensive services to the entire family and a classroom experience that supports children educationally, socially, and emotionally.” “Tri-County Head Start serves 908 children from birth to age five and pregnant women in both Home-Based and Center-Based programs throughout Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties,” the press release states. Classes officially began at the New Buffalo campus for children and families Monday, Nov. 18. The New Buffalo campus currently serve 12 children ages birth to three, with plans for future expansion. “We have 20 locations throughout the area and 44 classrooms - serving children both in center-based and home-based programming., Chanda Hillman, CEO and executive director of Tri-County Head Start, said of Tri-County Head Start of Berrien, Van Buren and Cass counties. “Our eventual plans are to open a three-year-old classroom here as well of 15,” she added of the New Buffalo campus. Hillman added that a community needs assessment had indicated that a Head Start location in New Buffalo would be appreciated. The Tri-County Head Start has held a Head Start grant since 1972. Throughout that time, the program has served more than 30,000 children in the community. “It’s an academically focused preschool, so we do curriculum bases even for infants and all of it is individually based on the child’s learning,” Hillman said of the program. “We also do things with families - we have the amazing family advocate who helps connect families with resources throughout the community, they also help with goals and achieve goals. If a family is looking for housing, they’ll help the family find housing,” Hillman added. Head Start locations also have an entire health services team and health consultants, who come in and do vision and hearing screenings. Currently, the New Buffalo campus has four teachers a center director who also serves as the family advocate, and a food services person. Recently, it was also announced that the YMCA of Southwest Michigan is pursuing an agreement with St. Mary’s of the Lake Catholic Church and other community
groups to open a YMCA community center in the former parochial school building. According to a recent press release, the Y will manage the development of a day care center. A fundraising campaign will kick off in early 2020 with the goal of raising $1.6 million to “fully implement the community-based YMCA center.” Future plans for the new facility include health and wellness initiatives, fitness classes, a workout facility, and a gymnasium for sports programs. The Y has engaged Katie Maroney, owner of Equilibrium Fitness in New Buffalo and Three Oaks, in “plans to develop the community health and fitness initiative,” Mark D. Weber, CEO, YMCA of Southwest Michigan, said in a press release. Zech Hoyt, director of Child Development for the YMCA of Southwest Michigan, said he’s pleased that Early Head Start has “pioneered” getting the building opened again. He said a future goal is to use the rest of the educational space on the bottom floor (there are eight classrooms and Early Head Start is utilizing four) for infant and toddler care. “It’s similar to what they’re doing so we want to provide more infant toddler care for community along with many other programmatic things we do with youth,” he said. “As a greater YMCA, we have an interest in using the rest of the facility to provide what we typically do through the YMCA, whether it’s fitness, community, physical workout - all the pieces that create a community center,” Hoyt added. Hoyt also thanked St. Mary of the Lake Catholic Church, particularly the Rev. John Peter, for being a “massive partner” in the efforts to see the building utilized.
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oelle Krawiec, director of the Early Head Start in New Buffalo and its designated family advocate, said she looks forward to the possible partnership with the YMCA and has talked with Maroney on bringing in people to do art, music and fitness activities with the children. Krawiec added that she would also like to see the New Buffalo program expand. Currently, there’s a Head Start location that take three- and four-year-old children (and five-year-old children, depending on the age cutoff) at Trinity Lutheran Church in Sawyer. She would like to see a classroom for three-year-old children, so that children can move down the hallway for one more year before joining the pre-kindergarten students at New Buffalo Elementary School. True to its name, the Early Head Start gives children an early head start on the basic wonders of learning. “Babies and one to three-year olds already have the seeds planted in their head that school is exciting and its happy and it’s fun and they’re loved they’re loved here and taken care of,” she said.