Policy Council and the Windham Southeast School District Board share the governance of EES’ Head Start and Early Head Start programming. Policy Council membership is composed of at least 51% current parents in the program and 49% community representatives.
The Windham Southeast School District Board is the designated Head Start/Early Head Start grantee for Early Education Services, (EES) which provides services to Windham County Families. In accordance with federal Head Start regulations, WSESD is responsible for the governance of EES, in partnership with Policy Council. Five community members serve on the WSESD Board, with one member also serving on EES’ Policy Council. This appointed Policy Council set ensures solid communication and positive working relationships with the two groups. You can read more about the WSESD at www.wsesu.org
Each Parent Committee elects one voting and one alternate Policy Council representative. Community Representatives include one School Board Member and community members who bring a specific area of expertise to the Council. We particularly seek community representatives from the legal, financial and early childhood professions. Membership is for one year (November–October). Representatives can be re-elected and are able to serve up to 3 one-year terms, which do not have to be in succession. Meetings are currently held the 4th Wednesday of each month.
Currently, our Policy Council is composed of the following members:
Are you an EES parent or interested community member who would like to make important decisions about the operation of our programs?
If so, you can volunteer to serve on EES’ Policy Council as a voting member of the board to make decisions that guide our program services. Policy Council is comprised of 51% current or past Head Start parents and 49% community representatives, and it shares governance responsibilities with the Windham Southeast School District School Board. Policy Council members make important decisions about budgeting, hiring recommendations, policies and much more. Meetings are conducted for up to 2 hours each month, currently on Zoom. Please reach out to your Family Support Specialist or Deb Gass (dgass@wsesdvt.org) if you are interested in taking a seat on Policy Council!
