Previous incidents leave Kootenai Head Start in disarray

Head Start programs are meant to prepare pre-school children and assist parents in their well being at no cost, but a series of incidents over the last five years at Kootenai Valley Head Start have left it in disarray.

From physical harm involving two students to a number of teachers on staff without proper credentials, the facility, located in the old Plummer School in Libby, is now under control by federal officials.

While some young people are still expected to attend the Head Start program this fall, a lack of qualified personnel seems likely to limit how many will be able to participate.

School began Wednesday, Sept. 4. 

Former CEO and Executive Director Chelsea Franke said her daughter and others who were enrolled last year were able to enroll this year, but it was unclear when, or if, new students would be allowed to enroll.

The situation first came to light following a July 3 post on the Kootenai Valley Head Start’s Facebook page.

In part, it read, “To our incredible families and community: It is with heavy hearts that we share some difficult news — Kootenai Valley Head Start (KVHS) will not be operating the Head Start program for the upcoming 2025–2026 school year.

“Earlier this year, we reapplied for our grant after a noncompliance incident that took place in 2023 required us to go through the competitive funding process. Although we poured our hearts into the application, our program was not selected to continue.”

After losing its grant to operate, the federal Office of Head Start arranged for Community Development Institute in Denver to take over.

While some locals have expressed reservations over an outside agency running things for at least the next school year, it was the multiple incidents that left KVHS in the position to re-compete for grant funding that covers the cost of teachers, other staff and facilities.

Franke, who was the most recent CEO and Director of Kootenai Head Start up until about a month ago, said she is not giving up on seeing the program return to local control.

“I’m using this as a learning opportunity,” Franke said. “It’s been a little rocky start, but I’m hopeful for the future.”

Franke said the teachers who were involved in the physically abusive incidents with children are no longer working at the school.

“There are some cultural things that needed to be changed,” Franke said. “Some of the ways people discipline kids are no longer acceptable.”

Peggy Rayome also shared her feelings about the program. She was the Executive Director when a 2022 incident occurred. She retired in June 2024. Rayome worked at Head Start for 29 years, including 17 as its director.

“I put my heart and soul into it and I’d never want to see it go down,” Rayome said. “There are so many rules that need to be followed and it takes a lot of time and dedication, but it’s worth it because it’s so critical for our young people and their families.”

According to reports addressing the physically abusive incidents neither director became aware of them until weeks after they occurred. The failures to report the incidents were part of the deficiency determination.

In an email from federal Administration for Children and Families Office of Communications, the Designation Renewal System (DRS), as required in statute, sets forth seven quality conditions that determine if a local Head Start grant competition is required. 

Kootenai Valley Head Start Inc. met the condition of receiving two or more deficiencies, defined as a systemic or substantial material failure of an agency in an area of performance, during a Head Start program grant period. The Kootenai Valley Head Start, Inc. grant period was from February 2020 to July 2025.

The most recent incident, according to a Program Performance Summary Report from the Office of Head Start’s Administration for Children and Families, dated July 7, 2025, involved a lead teacher at the Libby Center used physically abusive behavior with a 4-year-old child.

“On March 20, 2025, a lead teacher repeatedly grabbed and yanked a child by the arm, pulling the child in close proximity to their face to speak to the child in a raised voice. The lead teacher also roughly lifted the child onto their lap before holding the child for approximately 15 seconds upside down,” the report said. “The lead teacher turned the child right side up and restrained the child against their body for approximately 20 seconds, during which the child was struggling. The lead teacher then placed the child against the wall, blocking them with their desk chair while they made a phone call. The lead teacher then led the child to the corner for a time-out.

“At that time, the second classroom teacher entered the room and the lead teacher indicated they needed to step away from the classroom. The second teacher did not immediately interact with the child in the corner, nor remove them from their time-out.”

According to Head Start regulations, such an incident must be reported within seven day to the ACF Regional Office.

But it was only after an anonymous complaint on May 23, 2025, two months later, to the regional office, that the incident came to light.

In the first incident, according to a Program Performance Summary Report dated Nov. 11, 2023, on Nov. 7, 2022, a teacher held a 5-year-old child down and instructed another child to bite them while in the indoor play area of the Plummer Center. The child being held down had bitten the other child. The child's grandparent reported the incident to program staff in November 2022.

According to the report, the Head Start director stated that the teacher involved was trained in the Head Start Program Performance Standards and Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports. However, the teacher did not use positive redirection strategies.

In a follow-up communication, the Head Start director stated a report of the incident was not made to the ACF Regional Office until December 12, 2022.

The recipient implemented personnel actions for the teacher for not following the program's Code of Conduct.

The grant recipient did not ensure all staff refrained from using unacceptable discipline methods with children; therefore, it was not in compliance with the regulation.

But the report also indicated the leadership at the school worked to correct the situation, including revising its standards of conduct, training and increased monitoring and classroom support.

“The Head Start director (Rayome) stated the program began to implement restructuring of teaching staff to ensure new staff were paired with and supported by more experienced staff,” the report said. “This area of deficiency is corrected.”

In addition, two reports dated June 28, 2021, and Jan. 11, 2023, illustrated the challenges the school has had in finding teachers with the minimum qualification of an associate’s degree in child development or early childhood education or equivalent coursework.

The 2021 report said three of the six Head Start teachers didn’t meet minimum requirements. But they all had plans to complete associate degrees by the fall of 2023.

In the 2023 report, two of six teachers didn’t meet minimum requirements. But they all had plans to complete associate degrees by 2024 and 2026.

Also, Franke did not have a Bachelor’s degree when she was hired to be the Executive Director. But there is a condition that allows someone hired for the job to get a Bachelor’s degree within a stipulated time frame.

Franke, who earned an Associate’s degree earlier this year, said she would have her Bachelor’s in Communication by the end of this year.

Two local board members, president Mike Califf and vice chair Angie Pankey also spoke about the situation.

Califf, who has been the board president since the beginning of 2024, said board members and staff felt sandbagged by the agency’s decision to end its grant.

“It was a shame this happened in Chelsea’s first year, but we’re going to put forth the effort in the new grant process and we’ll provide her with that support,” Califf said. “It means a lot to have Head Start to make sure the kids are taken care of and we’re positive we can get it (grant funding) back.”

He also explained the board’s reason for hiring Franke.

“She fit the bill. She has experience in budget management, younger child development and running a business,” Califf said.

He said the board interviewed six “viable” candidates, including two who were part of Kootenai Valley Head Start.

For Pankey, she said Franke seemed to be well organized.

“At that point, we had been looking for someone to run it for over a year,” Pankey said. “She was willing to learn and willing to go to school.”

In terms of the incidents that led to determinations of deficiency, Pankey said the 2022 incident put the facility in a position of having to re-compete for its grant. She said the one in 2025 was not a breaking point, but it just added to the situation.

Pankey said she believed the Denver office received 40 applications, but since many of the applicants didn’t have a degree, they weren’t being hired.

“There’s a lot of scrutiny right now because of what’s happening in (Washington) D.C. and Denver doesn’t want to hire uncertified teachers.”

Following a directive from Pres. Donald Trump, the federal Health and Human Services closed half of its 10 field offices, including Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, New York City and Boston.

While questions remain, Franke said she remains optimistic about regaining the grant to run Kootenai Valley Head Start and return it to local control.

“We are already preparing to apply again later this year, with the hope of returning to serve our community in the 2026–2027 school year,” Franke said. “This program has always been about the children and families we serve — and that hasn’t changed.”