Back to the South Florida Bulls Newsfeed

Abuse allegations threaten Broward Head Start funding

Broward County's Head Start program could be in jeopardy after a federal review found a number of problems, including two allegations of child abuse.

A review of the pre-K program found the district had violations serious enough to threaten $15 million in federal funding. The problems involved allegations that a teacher assistant at Broadview Elementary in North Lauderdale spanked a 4-year-old boy and that a teacher at Quiet Waters Elementary in Deerfield Beach humiliated and pushed a 4-year-old boy.

The district "did not ensure staff used positive methods of child guidance and did not use corporal punishment, emotional or physical abuse, humiliation, unnecessary restraint and isolation," according to the review from the federal Administration for Children and Families, which runs the Head Start program.