Pca Head Start - Clarkston

I put in our application for my 2 sons in Feb for the upcoming fall school year. I followed up regularly many times with several different people, both in person and by phone. I never got very helpful information about where on the wait list they were or how our income affected this process (we are not poverty level, but also are unable to afford private pre-k tuition, as they didn't get into the public school lottery). Two weeks after the school year began, we got a phone call saying we were off the wait list and the boys could begin school in the morning! We were all so excited. The boys had a great first day at Head Start and couldn't wait to go back. Then I got a phone call that evening saying they were taken off the wait list due to a staff member's mistake and they were not actually accepted in the program and are not allowed to return. This carelessness has affected so much of our day to day lives, childcare planning, and work schedule planning. After speaking to several more people, it turns out that we fall between the 138-250% income bracket (I'm not even sure what that means), but basically that we never had a realistic chance of getting in. SOMEONE should have told us this back in February or in one of my many follow-up inquiries, but I was told very plainly that income doesn't matter, that our application was being processed, and given reassurance that this was possible for our family. During my boys' ONE full day of school, it seemed like a good program. However, the staff who takes and processes applications, seems to be uninformed, unorganized, and careless. I would never want to take a school spot from a disabled or homesless child, but my children are people too and we came to depend on this organization for their education, and were accepted into this organization. With one phone call, it was taken away from us. I'm glad organizations like this exist for families who need it, but we needed it too. Maybe the application process should be updated and the staff retrained so that other families don't experience the uncertainty, confusion, and let down that we did. As this was a human error, perhaps now they should now make it right and err on the side that is best for my boys who have already had their first day of school. :( I went the next day to get my kids things since they wouldn’t be returning (change of clothes, etc.), and two different sets of parents in two different Lexuses were there picking up children. So not only the process and requirements confusing, but maybe the income requirements are not as well checked out as the public is led to believe. I found this disturbing.

This organization help poor and needy people of Atlanta to get enroll their kids for head start.. refuges , disable child's are priority , also without lawful status gets helped to enroll their kids .. appreciate and great respect for such organization helping the society to grow. ** tax payers and lawful wealthy residents do not apply here **

Do not waste your time. I went through the pregnancy program and was told my child would be placed after the pregnancy and he was not this was a waste of time. Collette Johnson lied to me about this program.

Very caring & great people, they helped me get my baby into early headstart!!

I went inside to do paper work. They have a decently sized wait area with vending machines.