Portage Learning Centers Head Start and Early Head Start
Garrettsville Community Center, 145 North Chestnut St, Lower Level, Lower Level, OH 44266
About
Portage Learning Centers Head Start and Early Head Start offers Head Start Preschool and Early Head Start programs that include education and cognitive development services, along with health, nutrition, and social services for enrolled children and their families. The programs are income-based and serve infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and pregnant women through both center-based and home-based options. Head Start and Early Head Start are federally funded programs that promote the school readiness of children from income-eligible families by enhancing their cognitive, social, and emotional development.
• Ages: Birth–5 years old
• Schedule: Main Office hours Monday–Thursday 8 am–4 pm; Friday 8 am–12 pm
• Price: Head Start Preschool is a no-cost preschool for income-eligible children ages three to five years old and not kindergarten eligible; Early Head Start is a no-cost early education program for infants, toddlers, and pregnant women.
Portage Learning Centers operates four Head Start centers in Kent, Ravenna, Streetsboro, and Atwater, serving 208 children in Head Start and 64 children and pregnant women in Early Head Start. Home-based opportunities are available for children ages 0 to 5 through Early Head Start and Head Start Preschool Home-Based Programs, and Early Head Start children and families are served in a home-based program as well as in center-based programs in Kent and Ravenna. Programs provide comprehensive services to enrolled children and their families, including health, nutrition, social services, education, and cognitive development, and families receiving SNAP benefits and homeless and foster children are automatically eligible for services. Head Start and Early Head Start are income-based programs, and income guidelines are based on family size.
To apply, families must provide twelve months of documented income, such as W2, 1040, 1099, paystubs, OWF, SSI, Social Security, Child Support, or Unemployment. Proof of age is required for child applicants through a birth certificate or birth record. Other required information includes the name, address, and phone number of two emergency contacts, any custody or guardianship paperwork if it applies, and the name of the child’s doctor and dentist.
Portage Private Industry Council, Inc., doing business as Portage Learning Centers, was incorporated in 1983, was awarded the State and Federal Head Start programs for Portage County in 1997, and was awarded the Federal Early Head Start program in 2010. The organization’s mission states that it is committed to empowering individuals and families to succeed by fostering dignity, self-worth, and personal goal achievement, and that through its Head Start Preschool and Early Head Start programs it prioritizes the family’s influence on child development while offering comprehensive services and community partnerships to support positive growth and maximize potential. All of Portage Learning Centers’ centers have received the Ohio Step Up to Quality Gold Award, and part of the funding for Head Start Preschool and Early Head Start comes from federal sources, including Grant Number 05CH013532 from the Office of Head Start within the Administration for Children and Families and funding from the USDA.
The leadership team includes Executive Director Sherry Pomeroy, PhD; Head Start Director Kathleen Milliken; Director of Fiscal Gerald Kline; Director of Education Michelle Cooley; Health Coordinator Lisa Murton; Maintenance staff member Alan Finn; Director of Family Engagement Diane Rogers; Early Head Start and Head Start Preschool Home-Based Program Supervisor and EHS Coordinator Iris Smith; Human Resource Specialist Erika McKibben; Transportation Coordinator Shari Farmer; Special Services Coordinator Kimberly Snyder; and site supervisors Jessica Boston (Atwater), Melissa Madaffer (Kent), Melissa Hamp (Ravenna), and Johnna Lohr-Gill (Streetsboro). Governance and advisory roles include Chairwoman and Program Planning Chairwoman Pam Danner; Vice Chairwoman, R&D Chairwoman, and Strategic Planning Chairwoman Rebecca Gorczyca; Treasurer and Finance Chairman Branden Burns; Personnel Chairwoman Marilyn Sessions; board members Mark Hettinger, Pamela Nation Calhoun, Penny Neiswanger, Rhonda Richardson, Dr. James Tinnin, Patricia Harper, Julie Burkhart, Trevena Kaminski, and Barbara Helmling; and Legal Counsel Jonathan P. Jennings. Policy Council representatives include Parent Representative and President Samantha Miller; Parent Representatives Racquel Henry, Sarah Denison, Adekunle Adeyemi Apongacach, and Linda; Parent Alternates Erica Stuchell, Sarah Pearce, and Lina Tissue; and Community Representatives Angela Carney (Vice President), Kaylee Lohr-Curtis, and Angela Smith.
Parent feedback shared by the program includes a comment from Jazmine Fahlsing describing a “Great Early Start at Atwater” and stating that Ms. Boston is “amazing” and that her child attended the Atwater location for two years before kindergarten. Another Streetsboro parent describes Transportation Coordinator Shari Farmer as having a “heart of gold,” and Kristal Ruggles states that “Johnna is amazing.”
Last updated July 2, 2026.
• Ages: Birth–5 years old
• Schedule: Main Office hours Monday–Thursday 8 am–4 pm; Friday 8 am–12 pm
• Price: Head Start Preschool is a no-cost preschool for income-eligible children ages three to five years old and not kindergarten eligible; Early Head Start is a no-cost early education program for infants, toddlers, and pregnant women.
Portage Learning Centers operates four Head Start centers in Kent, Ravenna, Streetsboro, and Atwater, serving 208 children in Head Start and 64 children and pregnant women in Early Head Start. Home-based opportunities are available for children ages 0 to 5 through Early Head Start and Head Start Preschool Home-Based Programs, and Early Head Start children and families are served in a home-based program as well as in center-based programs in Kent and Ravenna. Programs provide comprehensive services to enrolled children and their families, including health, nutrition, social services, education, and cognitive development, and families receiving SNAP benefits and homeless and foster children are automatically eligible for services. Head Start and Early Head Start are income-based programs, and income guidelines are based on family size.
To apply, families must provide twelve months of documented income, such as W2, 1040, 1099, paystubs, OWF, SSI, Social Security, Child Support, or Unemployment. Proof of age is required for child applicants through a birth certificate or birth record. Other required information includes the name, address, and phone number of two emergency contacts, any custody or guardianship paperwork if it applies, and the name of the child’s doctor and dentist.
Portage Private Industry Council, Inc., doing business as Portage Learning Centers, was incorporated in 1983, was awarded the State and Federal Head Start programs for Portage County in 1997, and was awarded the Federal Early Head Start program in 2010. The organization’s mission states that it is committed to empowering individuals and families to succeed by fostering dignity, self-worth, and personal goal achievement, and that through its Head Start Preschool and Early Head Start programs it prioritizes the family’s influence on child development while offering comprehensive services and community partnerships to support positive growth and maximize potential. All of Portage Learning Centers’ centers have received the Ohio Step Up to Quality Gold Award, and part of the funding for Head Start Preschool and Early Head Start comes from federal sources, including Grant Number 05CH013532 from the Office of Head Start within the Administration for Children and Families and funding from the USDA.
The leadership team includes Executive Director Sherry Pomeroy, PhD; Head Start Director Kathleen Milliken; Director of Fiscal Gerald Kline; Director of Education Michelle Cooley; Health Coordinator Lisa Murton; Maintenance staff member Alan Finn; Director of Family Engagement Diane Rogers; Early Head Start and Head Start Preschool Home-Based Program Supervisor and EHS Coordinator Iris Smith; Human Resource Specialist Erika McKibben; Transportation Coordinator Shari Farmer; Special Services Coordinator Kimberly Snyder; and site supervisors Jessica Boston (Atwater), Melissa Madaffer (Kent), Melissa Hamp (Ravenna), and Johnna Lohr-Gill (Streetsboro). Governance and advisory roles include Chairwoman and Program Planning Chairwoman Pam Danner; Vice Chairwoman, R&D Chairwoman, and Strategic Planning Chairwoman Rebecca Gorczyca; Treasurer and Finance Chairman Branden Burns; Personnel Chairwoman Marilyn Sessions; board members Mark Hettinger, Pamela Nation Calhoun, Penny Neiswanger, Rhonda Richardson, Dr. James Tinnin, Patricia Harper, Julie Burkhart, Trevena Kaminski, and Barbara Helmling; and Legal Counsel Jonathan P. Jennings. Policy Council representatives include Parent Representative and President Samantha Miller; Parent Representatives Racquel Henry, Sarah Denison, Adekunle Adeyemi Apongacach, and Linda; Parent Alternates Erica Stuchell, Sarah Pearce, and Lina Tissue; and Community Representatives Angela Carney (Vice President), Kaylee Lohr-Curtis, and Angela Smith.
Parent feedback shared by the program includes a comment from Jazmine Fahlsing describing a “Great Early Start at Atwater” and stating that Ms. Boston is “amazing” and that her child attended the Atwater location for two years before kindergarten. Another Streetsboro parent describes Transportation Coordinator Shari Farmer as having a “heart of gold,” and Kristal Ruggles states that “Johnna is amazing.”
Last updated July 2, 2026.
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