I am writing this article in hope that as Fayette County citizens you will read and address this problem. My concerns are based on facts.

I feel like our Headstart programs here are wasting our tax money. The centers are not teaching the children properly and effectively. Attendance has dropped tremendously. The children that go onto kindergarten are not prepared for the change.

I know this for a fact because my child attended Fayette County Headstart for two years, then went on to a Fayette elementary school. He did not know his A-B-Cs. He could not write his name nor could he recognize all his numbers.

Now I know as parents we have to do our part, too, but what is a headstart? Are our children getting a headstart? No, they are not.

Therefore, I think that a change needs to be made. The Fayette County Headstart program is wasting money by utilizing three buildings. Two are schools and the third one is for the director and her staff. The schools are at Bradford Square and Carnegie Place.

Carnegie attendance is never full and hasn't been since it opened. In fact it is operating three classes. They had four last year. What is going wrong? Why do we then need two schools and a building for the director?

The teachers have had to distribute flyers for the school's registration and have even gone door to door to tell about the program. There are children in the schools that don't live in Fayette County. This is how desperate they are to get children in the program. Each year attendance gets lower and lower. The teaching staff has had four teachers to leave just this year. What is going on with the teachers?

Now that we have the pre-k federally funded program offered in the elementary schools and in the day care centers, we do not need the Headstart program. We need to let our tax dollars go toward something worthwhile.

There is need for a Headstart for our kids, but they are not getting it at Fayette County Headstart. So let's make a change to assure our kids a better early educational program.

Please get concerned about this situation because it is costing us. And it is not benefiting our children. I can say the program does benefit some of the kids that have a learning, speech, or hearing disability but what about the kids that need to be taught the basics?

I know for a fact that 50 percent of the kids that leave Headstart are not ready for kindergarten. Who is this program really benefiting?

Changes need to be made to assure our children much needed preparation for their future schooling. The program is sinking and it's time to let it go under.