COVID-19 Outbreak Closes JeffCo Head Start Facility

BIRMINGHAM, AL — A COVID-19 outbreak at a Jefferson County Head Start Center has closed the facility indefinitely, and has parents scrambling to find childcare during the day. Just a few days into the start of the school year, the Head Start facility at the Festival in Crestwood South shut down indefinitely, according to WBRC.

"Due to a COVID outbreak amongst the teaching staff and multiple exposures, the center had to be closed for the safety of children and other staff members at our Festival Center location," a Jefferson County Committee for Economic Opportunity spokesperson told WBRC. "We are also experiencing a nationwide teacher shortage, preventing the children from this location from being able to attend a different location. DHR has a strict student-teacher ratio, which requires a certain number of students to be in each classroom. We’re currently seeking qualified teachers and teacher assistants at JCCEO"

Read more about how the closure of the JCCEO Head Start Center is affecting parents and kids on wbrc.com.