Clinton County Community Action Program Head Start
Mission Statement
In collaboration with our community, Head Start will provide a safe, high-quality environment that educates and empowers our children and families to be successful, self-advocates throughout their lives.
About Our Program
Clinton County Head Start is a comprehensive preschool program, offering services to income eligible children and their families. Clinton County Head Start is federally funded and serves all of Clinton County. Total enrollment for Head Start is 85.
Erdman Center for Early Learning: The Erdman Center for Early Learning is located within Clinton County Community Action Program at 789 N. Nelson Ave. in Wilmington. This center houses 4 classrooms and 68 children. Erdman is a 5 Star Center through the Step Up to Quality program (SUTQ). SUTQ is the state of Ohio's quality rating system through the Ohio Departments of Education and Job and Family Services. Transportation is provided to and from this center.
Erdman Center for Early Learning Site B: The Erdman Center Site B is located at 717 N. Nelson Ave., in our Aging Up facility. This center houses 1 classroom of 17 children. This classroom is an intergenerational classroom and participates actively with our seniors in various activities, and our seniors volunteer in the classroom and on the playground with the children. This was the third year for this center, and the collaboration with the seniors has been a wonderful benefit to both children and seniors. Transportation is provided to and from this center.
Both centers participate in the full range of Head Start services including height, weight, vision, hearing, nutrition, speech, lead, developmental and social/emotional screenings. Many family engagement activities are offered for families. Social services are provided and include a parent curriculum.
About Our Community
Clinton County Community Action Program is located in Ohio. According to the 2020 census the population of Clinton County is 42,040.
The county is primarily rural and includes the communities of Sabina, New Vienna, Martinsville, Blanchester, Lees Creek, Lynchburg, Clarksville, Port William and the City of Wilmington. Clinton County Head Start centers serve all these communities.
According to the Clinton County Health Assessment, 11.3% of Clinton County's children live at or below poverty level, 88.3% of Clinton County residents have a high school diploma or less, and of this percentage 11% have no high school diploma. (Community Health Needs Assessment 2023, co.clinton.oh.us)
The median income for the county is $54,683 and the racial breakdown is White (Non-Hispanic) (93.1%), Two or more races (Non-Hispanic) (2.56%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (1.89%), White (Hispanic) (0.776%), and Asian (Non-Hispanic) (0.624%). The estimated number of children under the age of 5 is 3,215, or 7.6%.
CCCAP Head Start Program Staff
The program employs 29 staff who fill the following roles: Child Development, Health, Nutrition, Disabilities, Transportation, Parent/Family Community Engagement and Program Design/Management. Work history verification, reference checks and criminal background checks must all be completed satisfactorily to be employed by CCCAP Head Start.
Of our staff members, 13 have an associate's degree or higher. One has a master's degree, 8 have a BA and 4 have their AA. Three staff have their FDC credential, 2 are enrolled in a BA program, 3 are enrolled in an AA program and 6 have their CDA credentials. 100% of our staff complete their First Aid/CPR, Communicable Disease, and Child Abuse training. All staff have annual evaluations and professional development plans completed. (Office of Head Start annual PIR report, Clinton County, Ohio)
Services Provided
CCCAP Head Start programs work to help families become lifelong learners and advocates by providing services and opportunities for participation in health referrals, nutrition, education, transportation, family educational services, disability services and mental health services with both onsite and offsite consultations, and parenting curriculum classes.
The program boasts a male initiative program called M.M.A.D. (Males Making A Difference); a HERO program that invites community members to "adopt" a Head Start child by volunteering time with them in their classroom; monthly art, movement and physical activities provided in partnership with Clinton-Massie schools; and monthly visits from the Wilmington librarian. We have our very own program therapy dog that visits the classrooms regularly and monthly goat therapy visits for the children, as well as multiple intergenerational activities with our Aging Up facility and intergenerational classroom throughout the year.
Child Assessment Data
During the 2025–26 school year, Teaching Strategies GOLD was used to assess the children. The results show that the student body made progress in all developmental domains. Data shows a surge of growth in the Physical area compared to the data in this area last school year. In all areas, the data reveals that the share of children below expectation decreased as meeting and exceeding expectations increased over the course of the year. This data helps us determine the direction of our School Readiness Goals.
| Domain | Fall: Below | Fall: Meeting | Fall: Exceeding | Spring: Below | Spring: Meeting | Spring: Exceeding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social-Emotional | 71% | 29% | 0% | 65% | 32% | 3% |
| Physical | 82% | 18% | 0% | 57% | 40% | 3% |
| Language | 82% | 18% | 0% | 52% | 48% | 0% |
| Cognitive | 100% | 0% | 0% | 64% | 32% | 4% |
| Literacy | 100% | 0% | 0% | 81% | 19% | 0% |
| Mathematics | 96% | 4% | 0% | 71% | 29% | 0% |
"Play is the brain's favorite way to learn!" — Diane Ackerman
Enrollment Data
| Data collected | Head Start numbers |
|---|---|
| Number of funded slots | 85 |
| Number of children served during program year | 102 |
| Number of families served | 89 |
| Number of children enrolled as receiving public assistance (SSI/TANF/OWF) | 65 |
| Number of children enrolled as homeless | 16 |
| Number of children with disabilities receiving special services | 24 |
| Number of children enrolled as foster children | 7 |
| Number of children enrolled as income eligible | 94 |
| Number of children enrolled as over-income | 8 |
| Number of children enrolled at 100–130% of poverty level | 0 |
Student enrollment: The average monthly enrollment for the program during the 2025–26 school year was 85, except in May. The program served 102 children, including 8 over income. The funded enrollment for the program is 85. The program maintained full enrollment all year with a waiting list.
Kindergarten Preparation
The program screens children at entry to measure current developmental levels. Using these levels, teachers meet with families, and individual goals are set for both the classroom and the home. Children are assessed throughout the year to monitor developmental levels, and individual goals are monitored and reviewed. As goals are met, new progressive goals are set. The overarching goal for all children is to be kindergarten ready. Home visits and parent-teacher conferences are held twice a year to ensure families are informed of progress and have the chance to discuss any areas of concern. At the end of the school year, activities are sent home for the summer months to further promote kindergarten readiness.
The program and schools partner to allow children to visit their respective schools. The lead teacher and bus driver take the children to the school, where they receive a tour and spend some time in the classrooms with the teacher and kindergarteners.
Health and Nutrition Services
The Program Information Report shows that 100% of our children were up to date on physicals and 94% were up to date on immunizations or on a catch-up schedule by the end of the program year.
100% of our children received their dental determination. In addition, 88% of children received a dental exam, which included preventive services.
Growth assessments were completed for 99 children. Of those children, 21% were identified as overweight or obese. This percentage has continued to decrease over the past three years as the program has increased physical activity opportunities, child nutrition education, and family nutrition activities.
Program Leadership
We encourage our families to participate in our Policy Council, Parent Meetings and Governing Board to build self-advocacy and civic responsibility skills. We also encourage our community members to participate in all the same boards to promote an understanding and appreciation for families in poverty and what it means and looks like, as well as a deeper understanding of Head Start and our mission with our children and families. This is also a chance for our community members to act as role models for our families in the civic arena.
Governing Board
- Randy Riley
- Mary Moyer
- Monte Anderson
- Jamie Roe
- Chad Beam
- R. Scott Miller
- Joan Burge
- Benjamin Collins
- Staci Winner
- Cindy Sutton
- Don Wells
- Kenna Edwards
- John Johnson
Policy Council
- Renee Lewis, Parent/President
- Amber Taylor, Community
- Jamie Roe, Community
- Kristen Unversaw, Community
- Heather Wilson, Parent
- Brook Ayers, Parent
- Katelyn Ledbetter, Parent
- Stephanie Maher, Parent
- Madison Wasicek, Parent
- Haly Rahmlow, Parent
- Amanda Melleby, Parent
- Cathy Fife, Community
Parent Involvement
Our mission is to build stronger children and families by helping our parents appreciate the very important role they play in their children's lives. To do this we offer many opportunities for participation throughout the year: Policy Council, Governing Board, parent meetings, Kinship meetings, M.M.A.D. (Males Making A Difference), parent curriculum classes, classroom volunteers, and a variety of parent/child engagement opportunities throughout the year.
Budget Information
The 2025–2026 budget was for a total of $1,492,608, with $16,285 of that being Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA) funding from Health and Human Services, Office of Head Start, and $62,110.75 in USDA funding.
| Expense | Share of budget |
|---|---|
| Salaries | 58% |
| Fringe benefits | 19% |
| Classroom supplies | 0.01% |
| Gas, vehicle maintenance, insurance, and new buses | 1% |
| Other: items such as paper and cleaning products, travel, phone service, liability and bonding insurance, kitchen supplies, painting classrooms, waxing classroom floors, mulch for the playground, computer system repair, trainings, and office supplies | 20% |
| Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA) | 2% |
Because we make people, our salaries and fringe benefits will always make up 60–80% of our budget.
Program Operations
Monitoring is an ongoing process. Every year the program completes a Self-Assessment of strengths, opportunities, and weaknesses. These findings generate an Action Plan and inform the Program and School Readiness Goals. This report is available upon request.
Additionally, the program is subject to the annual Uniform Guidance Audit and the Head Start Tri-Annual Federal Review and Monitoring System. The program passed the annual audit with no findings.