OSWEGO, NY – Drenching rain fell on the city of Oswego last summer,
But nothing could have prepared OCO Director of Education Services Janice Scott for the extent of the damage the flooding caused in the Owego Head Start classroom.
“There was almost a foot of water on the floor and it was everywhere,” said Scott. “Water was in the classroom, the kitchen, and the storage rooms. The entire area was flooded. Fortunately it did not impact our children as school had ended a week prior.”
After an assessment of what needed to be done, work began to completely restore the first floor classrooms and the kitchen.
“Everything was gutted,” said Scott. “Floors were pulled up, the sheetrock on the walls and the carpeting on the posts were removed, even the furniture had to go.”
With Head Start scheduled to begin in September, there was still much work to do and the classrooms would not be ready.
Despite that challenge, Scott, the teachers, and staff members were determined to provide Head Start children the learning experience they deserve.
“Missing a day of school for our children means missing out on their education, healthy meals, and consistency in their day – which is so important at this age,” said Scott. “Oswego Head Start has 52 of the city’s most vulnerable children enrolled, 16 of which have class in the space that was flooded.”
From September 2019 to January 30, these 16 children were not able to come to Head Start.
Fortunately, the Office of Head Start allowed staff to create a local educational plan for these children.
“The teaching staff – Emily Colloca, Stephanie Johnson, and Dianna Bonaparte – and family specialist Kari Thomas were flexible, creative and dependable,” said Scott. “They prepared their lessons and made weekly visits to the children’s homes. In addition to allowing the teachers to come every week families brought their children to socialization opportunities, first to our upstairs classrooms, then to the Church of the Resurrection so they could start to bond as a group.”
While weekly home visits and group meetings substituted for the loss of the first floor classrooms the loss of the kitchen facilities made it impossible to prepare the 108 children’s meals and snacks needed each day for the children in the upper classrooms that were unaffected by the flood.
Thankfully Trinity United Methodist Church and St. Joseph’s Catholic Church welcomed the Head Start kitchen staff.
Each day Head Start kitchen staff members Kim Minard, Carolyn Noel, and Cindy Izyk prepared and brought over breakfast then went back to make lunch and snacks to bring back, and then took all the dishes back to the church at the end of the day.
“It took a concerted effort from many people to restore our facilities,” said Scott. “From the Office of Children and Family Services and the Oswego County Health Department that worked with us throughout the relocations, issuing permits and updating licenses as needed, to the many professionals that worked to make our Head Start Oswego location safe and welcoming again. At OCO we are always measuring outcomes and the outcome of this project is truly transformational.”
“I extend a heartfelt thank you to Paul Davis and Rockwell Environmental for assessing the damage and removing what was wet and moldy. B-Dry Systems the installation of a water removal system. Vail Construction, Scriba Electric, and House Works for the new drywall, flooring and carpet on the posts. Davis Cleaning for completely cleaning everything from top to bottom. Amedio’s Trucking for efficiently moving items throughout the transition, and Jamie Thomson for creating an even more inviting environment by painting bright, cheery Dr. Seuss characters on the walls that welcome all who enter,” Scott added.
OCO’s Head Start Pre-K Program runs throughout the school year and serves children from each of Oswego County’s nine school districts, at seven centers.
Head Start, which enrolls three and four-year-old children, provides comprehensive education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to children and their families.
The Head Start Pre-K Program, focuses primarily on low-income families, and is offered at no cost to families and is currently accepting applications for the 2020-2021 school year.
For more information on Head Start visit www.oco.org.
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