Williamstown Headstart At St. Matthews Community Center

I want to heed other parents so please read. If your child has any emotional or behavioral issues or you think they may I would not suggest this center. Videos of my sons behavior were shown around throughout not only the center but Gateway itself,videos that were never shared with me, his mother very unsettling. I was informed of this by a Gateway associate that called me after much prompting and contact with the vice president, Bonnie. My son told me he heard them talking about him like he couldn’t hear or something which makes sense to me why he did not take to the staff really at all. They are very on top of going through the motions to maintain funding but not as much on top of ensuring the child’s development and acclimation into the classroom, remember we are talking about 3 year olds. Personalized plans being implemented after less than a week of attendance and less than a week of implementation this center began advocating for removal from the classroom based upon behaviors I was not shown to make it easier on the staff. Advocating for my son I felt like a problem parent that wouldn’t comply with their care plan for him as opposed to working with me to move forward his success. Mental health makes contact with you to say they made contact and when you respond you never hear anything back. The goal is to fill seats and if the seat your child fills is more difficult they will remove your child n replace them with an easier to manage seat filler. Individuals holding higher positions within Gateway are only concerned with their job security as well. As I emailed Bonnie the Vice President and was met w a lackadaisical dismissive response with me having to prompt her again to receive a call from an individual I had never heard of or made contact with, to which I was told there was to be a meeting that never took place with no callback after that point. All in all this location is simply a job for these individuals. These people are not heartfelt educators who have a genuine desire to reach teach and mold young minds. If your a child exhibits anything other than falling in line with making their day flow how they want it to they will push your child out. The family support environment head start used to be when I was young is definitely a thing of the past. I hope this is just this center not the program as a whole. If you’re a working parent looking for support this isn’t the place to go and you will be borderline bullied into doing what they want you to do for your child. And passively admonished for having to work. Additionally please expect random uninvited unwelcome visits to your home with letters addressed to incorrect names with no mention or apology extended for the persistent inadequacy of not even knowing who they are interacting with because they could care less.

Great teachers, awsome staff and very nice atmosphere.