MADISON, Fla. — A childcare group says the Madison County School District is trying to evict them from their Head Start facility at Madison County Central School. The district says the group's claims are "false".
North Florida Child Development operates childcare centers and programs in Crawfordville, Greenville and Madison. They say the school district sent them a letter on Oct. 7 saying they had to vacate their Head Start facility by Nov. 3.
They say the eviction dispute centers around a $51,675 transportation service charge from the 2024-2025 Memorandum of Understanding between NFCD and the district. NFCD says they paid that charge, but needed the Office of Head Start to "provide clarification on the federal interest and appropriate procedures." They say that could not happen due to the government shutdown.
Following the delay, NFCD asked for the district to delay the planned eviction. But they say they received a letter on Oct. 24 saying the district would proceed.
In a statement, NFCD wrote, "While neighboring counties such as Jefferson and Leon rally around their local Head Start agencies to provide local support during the government shutdown, Madison County School District seems determined to facilitate the demise of its local head start program."
NFCD says the decision would impact 37 children and families and 10 staff members in Madison County.
They added saying, "The ongoing federal government shutdown has stalled critical operations for early childhood programs nationwide. Without appropriations, the Office of Head Start cannot process funding or provide guidance to grantees and school districts."
The Madison County School District responded to NFCD on Facebook, saying, "The claim that Madison County School District is 'evicting' NFCD and knowingly leaving 37 children and families without vital early learning services is false."
Their post says the made a motion to vacate in September before the shutdown began. They say the eviction involves that non-payment from the 2024-2025 school year. But they add the district did not enter an agreement with NFCD for the 2025-2026 school year which would have allowed them to use the district's facilities.
The district says they're working to continue Head Start programs directly. And they say they've reached out to NFCD to get the contact information of the families who currently utilize their Head Start programs. They say NFCD has denied that request.
They say they've also hosted two open houses to help parents enroll their children into the district's Head Start program directly.
They added, "We want to assure our community that the recent government shutdown has no bearing on this current situation. This is a local matter concerning adherence to facility use agreements."
The district says if parents want more information about this matter or Head Start, they can contact Rhonda Richardson (850-973-5103) at Madison County Central School by calling 850-973-5103. They can also call the Madison County School District administrative office at 850-973-1530.
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