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In a new, state-of-the-art community center near 69th and Sangamon in Englewood, slots for early childhood programs are going begging.

By mid-August, only four of 34 slots in the half-day Head Start were spoken for, and only six of 20 slots in the full-day program. The center has applied for two Preschool for All classes, and needs to fill those as well.

"We are shocked that we are having trouble filling our slots," says Leon Denton, who oversees the child care programs and is waging a door-to-door campaign in the African-American community to find eligible children.

Last year was a stressful one for O'Keeffe Head Start teacher Jeanine Pelican. At home, she watched helplessly as a beloved family member battled a terminal illness. At school, she attempted to corral a classroom of 20 high-energy 4-year olds, many of whom exhibited behavioral problems and were difficult to teach.

"It was a very rough year for me," recalls Pelican, who has been teaching for 10 years, first at a Catholic school, then at child care centers, but for the last five years at O'Keeffe Elementary in South Shore.

Chicago Public Schools will be hit this year with a record number of principal vacancies. One in five school leaders—120 systemwide—have notified the district that they will step down from their jobs at the end of the year, CPS reported in mid-March.

That's already a 71 percent increase over last year, when about 70 principals stepped down. And the number could climb even higher, since principals have until April 15 to notify the district that they will be leaving.