HEAD START VALLEY SITE STILL CLOSED OFFICIALS WORKING TO OPEN PACOIMA PRESCHOOL CENTER.

Byline: Rachel Uranga Staff Writer

A week after 1,400 children were temporarily locked out of 26 Head Start preschool sites in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys, only one center, owned by the city, remained closed Monday, shutting out 100 children.

Officials at the Administration for Children, Youth and Families, which runs the county's Head Start program, said the Martin Luther King Head Start center in Pacoima would open soon, but could not provide details.

City housing officials who oversee the property said they had signed off on key lease contracts needed to reopen classroom doors, where some children were turned away Monday.

Meanwhile, Deputy ACF Commissioner Frank Fuentes and county officials are scheduled to appear today before a City Council committee to explain why so many children were locked out of their classrooms.

For nearly a month, federal Head Start officials had assured parents there would be no disruption as the program previously run by the San Fernando-based Latin American Civic Association was turned over to a federally appointed group, Colorado-based Community Development Institute.

But last week, all 26 of the sites were forced to close after CDI failed to obtain lease agreements needed to use the centers.

Federal officials blamed the association for acting too slowly in turning over contracts while the association blamed federal officials for not providing enough time for a smooth turnover.

City officials jumped into the fray last week, saying the only losers are kids.

``Somebody dropped the ball. It was not seamless. We need to find out who it was, why it happened. We have to be sure it's not going to happen again,'' said Councilman Tony Cardenas, who along with Council President Alex Padilla asked federal officials to explain what happened.

``(Federal officials) made a promise and they didn't keep it.''

On Monday at the Martin Luther King site in Pacoima, staffers agreed.

``A lot of parents are really worried. They say, how come it is only this site?'' said one staff member Monday who assured children that the temporary closure was only a ``vacation.''

The staffer, who now works for the Community Development Institute, declined to be identified because the company asked employees not to speak to the press.

The center, located inside the San Fernando Valley's only housing project, serves dozens of families, most of whom live in public housing where the average annual household income is $18,496.

``A lot of children say, 'Mommy, they don't want to take me at school.' I tell the child it is just a vacation,'' the staff member said. ``We are working on the paperwork. We want you to come back.''

Rachel Uranga, [phone]

rachel.uranga(at)dailynews.com