County also eyeing softball field upgrades
By B.C. Manion
Hillsborough County’s Head Start Program has moved into the former recreation center at Nye Park on Sunset Lane.
The program has been operating for the past couple of months and is enrolling children who will be ages 3 or 4 by Sept. 1.
Louis Finney Jr., who oversees Hillsborough’s Head Start/Early Head Start program, said most of the slots at this location have already been filled.
Children participating in the Head Start and voluntary prekindergarten programs must come from families who meet income eligibility guidelines, Finney said.
The program also gives a preference to children with disabilities.
Parents who have children in the program also must be working during the day, Finney said. The program operates year-round, except for brief breaks.
The program at Nye Park can accommodate a total of 69 children and operates from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The county is installing some fencing and new furniture to accommodate the program, Finney said. He added a that county survey showed there are children in the area who will benefit from the services.
“The parents are pretty excited about it,” Finney said.
In addition to launching a new Head Start program at the park, the county is also considering some improvements to two existing softball fields.
The county’s proposed budget, which the Hillsborough Commission will consider in September, calls for $275,000 for improvements to the softball fields, said Kemly Jimenez Green, community relations coordinator for Hillsborough County. If approved by commissioners, the money would become available beginning Oct. 1.
The renovation is intended to allow for expansion for the Lutz Leaguerettes girls softball program because the Oscar Cooler Sports Complex cannot handle additional demand, Green said.
For more information about Hillsborough County Head Start/ Early Head Start, call (813) 272-5140, or visit www.hillsboroughcounty.org/headstart.
