Representatives from the Head Start national office visited the Coolwood Head Start site on Sept. 5, meeting with Harris County Department of Education (HCDE) leadership as the facility nears completion and praising them for the vision in what could be the future of early childcare.
Devin Jones, a disaster recovery program specialist with Head Start’s Program Operations Division, and OHS Facilities Consultant Bruce Chandler visited the center Thursday morning. Coolwood Head Start was originally expected reopen for the first day of classes, however the building was impacted during Hurricane Beryl in July. High winds ripped off the new roof, causing water damage to walls, floors and new furniture. HCDE’s Facilities division and construction crews have been working nonstop to repair damage and prepare the building for students.
HCDE’s Head Start Senior Director Venetia Peacock and Director of Construction Joe Carreon led Jones and Chandler around Coolwood. The reviews were positive, including the notion of HCDE leadership building a new facility in an industry known to repurpose buildings and spaces.
“It’s a fantastic facility,” Jones said. “The design is great, and I love to see the classrooms set up to be modular if they need to change them or adapt them because it’s all about the forward thinking. So, it’s how can we plan for the future and make it multipurpose later on?
“I’ve walked into so many Head Starts over the years that are cramped or dark, and this is going to be the exact opposite of that in terms of the spaciousness.”