18 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 24-30, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com After an investigation reveals a pattern of nepotism in local Head Start administration, the program is getting back on track. By Sara Rubin Many parents might nominate their kid as an exemplary child in early childhood education programs, but if one now-11-year-old from Salinas is the poster child for Head Start, Adrina Carmona is the poster mom. Carmona had never thought much about the program until she tried to enroll her daughter in kindergarten, but her birthday meant she was too young. School officials suggested she consider Head Start in the interim. She got a spot for her daughter and quickly learned that part of the early childhood education program is not just about kids, but entire families. “They had mandatory meetings for parents,” Carmona says. “They meet with every parent and talk about your dreams, aspirations, goals: What do you want to do this year, and in the next five years? And how can we help you?” There was accountability built in, with a follow-up meeting midway through the school year to ask: Did you achieve your goals? Carmona’s might seem modest—she hoped to take a family vacation—but she was proud to report she’d fulfilled it, with a trip to San Diego. To Carmona, everything about Head Start, from intake to the followup, felt different than other government programs she had utilized, such as enrolling in Medi-Cal. “It was just such a different experience to feel like a whole human, instead of someone who struggles,” Carmona says. When Head Start, a federal early childhood education program for families who otherwise could not afford it, Buddy SYSTEM An excerpt of a redacted report produced by Christy White, Inc. for the Monterey County Office of Education regarding its Early Learning Program.
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