The US Department of Education (DOE) is back on island to check up on the progress made by the Guam education Head Start program.

The fed's met with GDOE in a closed door meeting today, revealing their findings to education officials.

The Guam Department of Education’s Head Start program is seemingly at the end of its rope as the threat of losing its federal funding hangs in the balance.

“We are very close to losing head start funding if nothing is done,” said Angel Sablan, Guam Education Board member.

Sablan stated this at a recent GEB meeting.

Back in January, some GDOE school Head Start programs landed in hot water with the US Department of Education. The feds found violations of health, safety, and child rights.

Now, with slim chances of being granted another extension, GDOE now has 90 days to fix the issues USDOE had cited.

Sablan shared more,“We have 90 days to do something. And in 90 days, I don’t believe that the head start office will budge to extend again for deficiencies.”

Sablan pleaded with GDOE Head Start Director Catherine Schroeder to get fixes moving quickly, emphasizing he doesn’t want to lose funds over simple things.

“And if we’re gonna lose it, simply because we don’t want to move our dagaans to correct where we’re gonna put a playground, where we’re gonna put the fence, where we’re gonna put this or that, where’s the board—that’s a shame. A real darn shame,” Sablan said.

KUAM spoke with GDOE Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Swanson ahead of his close door meeting with Region 9 Head Start.

Swanson gave further clarification on that 90-day time frame. “That timeframe is looking like 90 days to come into compliance or fix the fifficiens? To at least have it under construction, as I understand it. So we’ll be working toward that. Most of that is replacing playgrounds that were damaged in the typhoon.”

The superintendent also added, part of that picture is maintenance, which is still underway at all GDOE campuses.

Still, he says he’s confident Head Start can get the work done within the 90 day timeframe.

The potential risk the Head Start program faces could leave them having to find funding elsewhere, instead of receiving automatic federal dollars it does now.