"Sometimes, something positive really can come out of a difficult situation. We believe the recent troubles at Navajo Head Start could prove to be such a situation.

Federal funding for the Nation's Head Start program was suspended May 2 by the Administration for Children and Families. The organization's failure to perform background checks on its employees was cited as the primary reason for the suspension.

In a letter notifying Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. of the suspension, ACF officials stated that of the 106 Head Start employees whose fingerprint cards indicated criminal records, 51 had records "involving offenses such as first-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, domestic abuse, assault, child abuse, DUI, and violent crimes."

For the past several months, the Navajo government has been working on a plan that would convince the ACF to lift the suspension, thereby allowing for the reopening of at least some of the Head Start centers on the Nation."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Troubles at Head Start a real opportunity for Nation (The Farmington Daily Times 7/13)

Relevant Links:
Navajo Nation - http://www.navajo.org
Head Start - http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/hsb

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Editorial: Background checks needed for employees (5/15)
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