Waco ISD opens Early Head Start Center to help students who are parents

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - Waco ISD partnered with the Economic Opportunities Advancement Corporation in Waco to open the Brazos Early Head Start Center in the former Brazos High School building, helping Waco ISD students who have children finish their education.

"We're providing childcare and educational-based services for these parents so that they can have their kiddos in school, focusing on school readiness and getting prepared to enter the public school systems while for our parents, they're allowed to focus on their education and get their diplomas and succeed academically," Lauryn Morton, the site manager and child and family advocate for the Center and Process Early Head Start Center.

Early Head Start is a federally funded program that provides health, nutritional and educational services to children for free, based on income.

Waco has six Early Head Start centers. Brazos Early Head Start is for Waco ISD families. The school district had a state-licensed childcare facility before, but it as only able to serve up to eight children. Now, the center can serve up to 24 children between 6 weeks and 3 years old.

"This is exactly what we needed in Waco ISD, being that Brazos High School was closing, and we did have our own state-licensed childcare facility," Director of Credit Recovery Systems and Brazos Early Head Start District Liasson, Daphanie Latchison, said. "That was a huge game changer."

The center is also focused on preparing children to be ready to start school.

"We're super focused on that school readiness, again, making sure that our little biddies are prepared once they enter the school systems," Morton said.

Meanwhile, the child's parents are able to go to school and finish their education.

"You don't have to alter your life by switching your work schedule in order to babysit this new baby," Latchison said. "We now have an actual resource to where both the mother and the baby will be educated during the day and then return home at the end of the day, at the expense of the district."

The center opened in October and now serves seven children. Morton said she has already seen positive results.

"It's been a really incredible experience," she said. "It's also been nice, too, because I really feel like I'm making connections with those teen parents. Everyone in the program has been so kind, even our parents are donating back to the organization in ways that I just really wasn't anticipating. That's been really impactful to see how much they care about this community that we've started building."

Waco ISD students who graduate and go to McLennan Community College or go into the workforce can continue bringing their children to the head start center until the child is three.

The center currently has openings for students' children. Students can apply on the EOAC Waco website.

The Brazos Early Head Start Center is located inside the former Brazos High School, which was a credit recovery school for Waco and University high school students.

The district closed the high school at the end of the 2024 school year in the summer due to dwindling enrollment after the school started night classes for credit recovery during the pandemic.

The credit recovery program has now been integrated into Waco and University high schools.

"Students actually get to stay in their domain," Latchison said. "With some students, they need that separate environment, but it's separate but inclusive. To really corral around those young people that are needing to recover credits and then accelerate towards graduation, it's honestly going wonderful."

The district is working on providing transportation for Waco ISD students who are parents to make the center more accessible.