Citing “grant compliance risks” and “reputational and legal concerns,” Evanston/Skokie School District 65 is reevaluating its 10-year early childhood education partnership with the Infant Welfare Society of Evanston.
Since 2015, the two local institutions have jointly received federal grant funding for Early Head Start, with District 65 as the primary recipient and the society as a “subrecipient” approved to provide early childhood services. The annual grant provides funds for 55 spots in the society’s programs, which is in addition to the Early Head Start programs that District 65 provides in-house to about 160 kids.
But district officials told the school board on Monday that they’re concerned about their ability to comply with federal grant requirements because the welfare society’s program has been under-enrolled in recent years and because of funding disputes between the two agencies.
In a memo to the school board, a group of administrators led by Charmekia McCoy, chief of academics and schools management, highlighted that 43 of the 55 Infant Welfare Society slots were filled as of November 2024, and only 38 were filled a year before that. They also claimed the welfare society was submitting required medical paperwork for students late or not at all.
Additionally, the memo mentioned past disputes over funding and grant payments between District 65 and the welfare society. Last fall, the society had complained about not receiving $400,000 in payments it was owed by District 65, according to the memo.
“While IWSE did provide approximately $400K in services on behalf of D65, for five months during July, August, September, October, and November of 2024, and IWSE had not received payment, D65 was not withholding or delaying IWSEs payments,” the memo said.
“IWSE only submitted 2 of 5 months of billings to D65 in the approximate amount of $146,000, which were submitted after D65s Vendor Payment due date. … IWSE was not paid for these 2 months because IWSE did not submit billings by the due date. IWSE had not submitted the remaining 3 of 5 months of billings in the approximate amount of $219,238. IWSE was not paid for these 3 months of billings because IWSE did not submit the billings to D65.”
So, based on the memo, District 65 is acknowledging that it did not pay the welfare society for $400,000 worth of services because the society did not correctly bill the district.
McCoy, along with Director of Early Childhood Narishea Parham and Quality Assurance Manager Katrina Jones, presented the board with three options for moving forward:
- Extend the grant partnership for another five-year cycle, with an annual renewal option.
- Extend the grant partnership for one year, with the expectation that it will end after the 2025-26 school year.
- End the grant partnership at the end of the current school year.
Grant funding at risk
District 65 Superintendent Angel Turner also said that a major factor in this decision is the federal administration under President Donald Trump, which is already pulling grant funding for a wide variety of purposes.
During initial discussion Monday night, school board President Sergio Hernandez said the third proposal — ending the partnership at the end of this school year — was “not an option.” Several other board members echoed that sentiment, acknowledging “risks” associated with the subrecipient model and a lack of district control over the entire operation, while also arguing that they owe the welfare society plenty of advanced warning and time to adjust their programs as needed based on this decision.
Hernandez said he would support the second option — extend the partnership a year — “because of some of the federal funding challenges we have.” The district is also attempting to expand its early childhood education services over the next several years, which includes providing more flexibility to families by offering more full-day care programs.
Decision delayed till next meeting
Ultimately, the board decided to delay a final decision until its next meeting later this month, directing Turner and her administration to come up with a few potential plans for keeping the grant partnership in place for a year or two while providing a long off-ramp for families and the welfare society.
The Infant Welfare Society of Evanston operates the Teen Baby Nursery in support of teen parents, the Baby Toddler Nursery, which is the oldest independent infant-to-toddler-care facility in the state, and the Family Support Program for more than 60 families a year.
“We’ve been, astoundingly, in the community for 112 years, a century,” said Diana Newton, the society’s director of development and communications. “We were the first licensed 0-3 child care facility in the state of Illinois and one of the first in the country, so we’ve always been ahead of the curve.”
The RoundTable reached out to Stephen Vick, the society’s executive director, with questions about how an end to this grant partnership could impact the organization. He said the contract the agency has with District 65 prevents him from talking to the press.
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