Construction to expand Harris County Department of Education’s Early Head Start program is making progress.

Three existing Head Start campuses—Humble, Barrett Station and La Porte—will be outfitted with new or renovated facilities to accommodate the youngest learners in Harris County. The Early Head Start program, which serves infants and toddlers under the age of 3, is tailored to provide intensive, comprehensive child development and family support. The Early Head Start program is also a program that allows infants and toddlers under the age of 3 to seamlessly transition into the Head Start program, which serves 3- to 5-year-olds.

At the Humble campus, Head Start classrooms are currently housed in 2 existing pre-manufactured buildings on the property of the Journey of Faith United Methodist Church. Under the Early Head Start expansion, an additional pre-manufactured structure will be assembled specifically to accommodate 4 Early Head Start classrooms.

Currently, two classrooms in the Journey of Faith United Methodist Church are being used to accommodate Early Head Start students. Once construction is complete, the new modular building will accommodate 32 Early Head Start students. Architectural firm English & Associates is currently in the schematic design phase of this project. Construction is anticipated to begin in early 2022.

Harris County Precinct 2 has partnered with HCDE to expand the Barrett Station campus and create Early Head Start facilities. Precinct 2 generously donated $350,000 to HCDE to complete this project, allowing HCDE to fill a gap in the Crosby community. The funds supplement a grant that the Department received for the construction of this facility.

The existing Barret Station campus, which is located on the Riley Chambers Community Campus property, currently houses one modular building for Head Start classrooms. Under the expansion, an additional pre-manufactured building with four classrooms dedicated for Early Head Start will be added onto the community campus’s property. The new building will accommodate 32 Early Head Start students. For the start of the 2021-2022 school year, Barrett Station’s Early Head Start classrooms will be located at the Rock of Ages Church, located less than a mile away.

Renovations at the La Porte campus, which began in February 2021, are approximately 90% complete. The property has two structures that previously only housed Head Start classrooms. Under the Early Head Start expansion, the main building has been repurposed for 4 Early Head Start classrooms, and the modular building has been repurposed to accommodate 2 Head Start classrooms.

Renovations on the property include updated air conditioning, electrical, fire alarm, video camera, and burglar alarm systems. New furniture has been purchased, and enhancements to the existing playground will be made this fall. The anticipated completion date for the La Porte campus is Aug. 16.

With the construction and renovation of the Humble, Barrett Station and La Porte Early Head Start campuses, HCDE will now have five locations in Harris County offering Early Head Start programming.