June 16, 2026
Members Present: Carl Powe, Angela Brown, Carl Telford, Chekeia Hunt, Rita Hunter, Tajae Smith, Joyce Smith, Rosalind Moss, Amy Gomez, Cathy Breazeale, Harriet Hunt
Members Absent: Jesla Hendrix, Terail Dorn, Diamond Neal, Thomasina Watson, Z'Quoia Blassingame, Neco Hester, Mikya Cowan, Cheyenne Beasley, Jordan Machen, Bobby Allison,
Excused Absence: Tomeika Bennett
Mini Training: Patrice Hawthorne introduced the Parent Ambassador Program as a new family engagement initiative designed to increase parent participation and strengthen relationships between families and the program. She explained that trained parent ambassadors would welcome families, promote parent activities and volunteer opportunities, share information about available resources, and encourage participation in family engagement events. Parent ambassadors will receive training on confidentiality, Head Start policies and procedures, and effective communication before assuming their roles. Patrice also shared plans to provide summer training for Family Advocates, Center Managers, classroom staff, and Parent Ambassadors to ensure consistent implementation across all centers.
The meeting was called to order by Carl Telford, Chair. A quorum was met.
The Policy Council meeting was called to order by Chairperson Carl Telford, who welcomed members and confirmed that a quorum was present. The Council approved the minutes from the previous meeting, with Rosalind serving as secretary in the absence of the elected secretary.
Prior to following the scheduled agenda, Mr. Telford made two separate proposals with the first being to Amend Article 8 (Meetings) to require that Policy Council meeting notices and packet information be distributed five business days before meetings instead of five calendar days. He explained that his reason for the first proposal was to allow members sufficient time to review packet information before meetings. Ms. Moss questioned whether there was actually a widespread problem. She asked was this was about one particular member or Policy Council members generally. She stated that she consistently receives information within the required timeframe and has adequate time to review it before meetings. Mr. Telford responded that the concern was general and that some members had expressed concerns, while also noting he wanted to preserve their anonymity. Ms. Cathy Breazeale, serving as the Board liaison, expressed concern that the meeting agenda had shifted away from scheduled business. The policy came prepared to follow the published agenda. Members' time is valuable. She questioned why bylaw amendments were being discussed before completing scheduled business. She suggested that proposed bylaw changes should be discussed before the meeting rather than during the meeting. Ms. Breazeale also commented that if someone does not receive meeting materials, they should notify staff rather than assume packets were not distributed. She stated that email delivery problems can occur and that members should reach out if information is missing instead of identifying members publicly. Ms. Brown clarified that the concern was not whether members eventually received the packet. Rather, the concern was when members received the packet. Ms. Brown suggested setting up a receipt of e-mail when packets are e-mailed to better monitor when members receive packets. Ms. Hawthorne agreed to set up her system to provide receipt of e-mail.
Ms. Vaughn expressed concerns about the feasibility of implementing the 5 business days change because of reporting timelines from management. She agreed to review the proposal further before bringing a recommendation back to the Council. Mr. Telford’s second proposal was to formally replace the personnel committee in the by-laws with the establishment of the Parent Leader Ambassador Program which Ms. Hawthorne introduced to the council. After hearing this proposal, several members and staff had concerns. Ms. Hawthorne and Ms. Botsoe explained that the Parent Ambassador program was a part of the program's day-to-day operations rather than requiring a bylaw amendment. Following the discussion, Rosalind Moss made a motion to leave the current language for the timeline to send out policy council packets unchanged for the present time and revisit the proposed revisions at the following month's meeting after additional review. Angela Brown seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Ms. Vaughn addressed concerns regarding meeting efficiency. She expressed that it was already approximately noon. The Council had spent a significant amount of time debating bylaws and procedures. This represented the third consecutive month in which extensive discussion focused on policies, procedures, and bylaws. The Council was not accomplishing regular business as efficiently as needed. Ms. Vaughn shared that management was finding it increasingly difficult to complete scheduled business because meetings frequently became focused on procedural discussions. She noted that during her nearly 33 years with the program she had not experienced continual monthly discussions about changing agendas, bylaws, and operational procedures. She emphasized that while every member should have an opportunity to speak, the Council also has a responsibility to conduct its regular business each month.
Mr. Telford moved to the agenda as outlined.
Approval of Minutes:
The minutes from last month's meeting were reviewed by the Policy Council (See Attachment). After discussion, Chekeia Hunt made a motion to accept the minutes as presented. Rosalind Moss seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Approval of Personnel Report:
The personnel report was then presented by Tara Cannon, Director of Human Resources and Melissa Botsoe, Information Coordinator II. The council was informed that there are no new hires for approval. After discussion, Chekeia Hunt made a motion to approve the report as presented. Angela Brown seconded the motion. Motion carried. Melissa Botsoe informed the council that there was one termination. Angela Brown made a motion to approve the termination report as presented. Rosalind Moss seconded the motion. Motion carried.
serve a three-month introductory probationary period before obtaining regular appointment status. Substitutes are on an as-needed basis.
NO PERSONNEL REPORT PRESENTED FOR JUNE 2026
SHARE Head Start Termination Report June 16, 2026
Month: June; Number of Terminations: 1
Approval of Policy Council By-laws Updates:
The Council engaged in a thorough discussion regarding proposed revisions to the Policy Council Bylaws to ensure continued compliance with the Head Start Performance Standards and strengthen governance practices. Patrice Hawthorne reviewed the proposed changes, including the requirement that at least 51 percent of Policy Council officers be current Head Start or Early Head Start parents and the addition of language requiring the use of an independent arbitrator should an impasse occur between the Policy Council and the Governing Board. Ms. Hawthorne and Ms. Vaughn informed the council that the personnel committee had been removed from the by-laws following prior discussions regarding necessity and interest. Following discussion, Chekeia Hunt made a motion to approve the revised bylaws for presentation to the Governing Board for final approval. Rosalind Moss seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Child Abuse & Neglect Policy Updates:
Shannon Vaughn presented revisions to the Child Abuse and Neglect Policy following a recent Report of Alleged Neglect (RAN) issued by the Office of Head Start. She informed the Council that the program must submit a Corrective Action Plan within thirty days to address findings related to delayed reporting and inappropriate staff disciplinary actions. The revised policy strengthens reporting procedures by requiring staff to provide immediate verbal notification of suspected incidents followed by written documentation. Management also discussed updating policy materials, creating more user-friendly informational flyers, incorporating QR codes for reporting access, and providing additional staff training to ensure full compliance with federal requirements. Management will complete and submit the required Corrective Action Plan to the Office of Head Start, finalize revisions to the Child Abuse and Neglect Policy, and provide staff training on the updated reporting procedures. After discussion, Rosalind Moss made a motion to approve the Child Abuse and neglect policies as presented. Chekeia Hunt seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Director’s Report:
Ms. Vaughn provided the director’s report. She informed that council that the Education Department presented child assessment data demonstrating that children continue to make healthy developmental progress across all learning domains. Council members were informed that ongoing classroom instruction, assessment practices, and individualized supports continue to contribute to positive child outcomes. Patrice Hawthorne provided a family engagement update highlighting continued efforts to increase parent participation across the program. She reported positive participation in recent after-hours family engagement events, including a successful Entrepreneurship Fair and STEM Showcase activities that resulted in exceptionally high family attendance at several centers. Patrice emphasized that the Parent Ambassador Program will serve as an additional strategy to improve communication with families and encourage greater participation in educational and leadership opportunities. Rosalind Moss made a motion to accept the director’s report as presented. Carl Powe seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Budget Review:
The budget review was provided by June Hayden, Finance. She indicated that program expenditures are on track at approximately 91.67% of the annual operating budget. 96.16% spent for HS and 80.34 % spent for EHS. A combined spent of 90.10%. In-kind collected is at 81.60%. Management also reported that efforts continue to ensure the program meets its required non-federal share through ongoing monitoring of in-kind contributions. After discussion, Chekeia Hunt made a motion to accept the budget review as presented. Rosalind Moss seconded the motion. Motion carried.
During announcements, Carl Telford shared that he had been selected to present on Parent and Family Engagement at an upcoming conference in San Diego. Patrice Hawthorne will ensure that Policy Council meeting materials are distributed in a timely manner, analyze fourth-quarter family services and participation data for presentation at the next meeting, and work with Cynthia Langley to implement the Parent Ambassador Program.
There being no further business, Angela Brown made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Chekeia Hunt seconded. The meeting was adjourned.
