KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Knoxville officials said that a project to give children the tools they need to academically succeed was discussed for a while before they broke ground on a new Head Start facility last year.
They said kids who go through this program will enter Beaumont Elementary School with the tools they need for overall academic success.
"We do feel like what happens now in the birth to three (years old) and three to five (years old) age group is going to be impactful for these children once they hit high school,” said Renee Hauge, the director of the Knoxville Head Start program.
She said Western Heights' new facility is not far from people who live nearby, making it easier for parents to enroll children in it.
“Some of our families can walk across the street and be here at the head start facility,” she said.
It is a part of a federally funded project transforming the entire Western Heights neighborhood. With money from the City of Knoxville and HUD, nearly $70 million is being invested in the area.
A portion of those funds was used for education.
“It's about a $5.5 million project, about a 20,000-square-foot building,” said Ben Bentley, the president of Knoxville's Community Development Corporation.
He said the KCDC is leasing the building to the Community Action Committee, which will operate the facility. Bentley said they worked closely with the nearby elementary school to meet the needs of families in the area.
“We had a third conversation with Beaumont Elementary School. It became clear talking to teachers and folks in that school that there was a need for greater kindergarten readiness,” he said.
Bentley says this is one of their most significant projects thus far.
“Not many people get to embark on projects that they know can do so much to change people's lives potentially," Bentley said.