LAKEPORT, Calif. — After receiving approval in mid-June for a plan to move its Early Head Start program to a new location, Lake Family Resource Center said it is changing course and exploring other options.

At its June 11 meeting, the Lakeport Planning Commission approved the application by Lake Family Resource Center, or LFRC, to temporarily relocate its Early Head Start child development center to Clear Lake Baptist Church, located at 555 N. Forbes St.

Last year, LFRC’s Lakeport headquarters moved to its new location at the former Ruzicka Associates building on Parallel Drive from the Vista Point Shopping Center, now owned by the Lake County Tribal Health Consortium.

At that point, LFRC was still exploring options for where to relocate Early Head Start, which was set to remain at Vista Point through June 30.

After discussing LFRC’s plan on June 11, the commission voted to approve it.

Executive Director Lisa Morrow told Lake County News that they appreciated the commission’s approval.

“That was a big step, and we really appreciate the support from the City and the folks who helped move it forward,” Morrow said in an email.

However, in the weeks since the approval, Morrow said LFRC is now looking at taking another approach.

“Unfortunately, after digging deeper into the renovation costs at the church site, it just wasn’t feasible to bring it up to ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] and child care licensing standards — it’s simply too expensive,” Morrow wrote. “So now we’re pivoting to a new plan: temporarily relocating Early Head Start to our offices at 2495 Parallel Drive. That space will also need some work to meet licensing requirements and align with the use permit that was approved back in November 2024, but it’s a more manageable option.”

Morrow said the new plan still allowed them to remain on track to be out of the Lakeport Boulevard site by June 30. The last day of on-site child development services there was June 19.

She said Early Head Start is anticipated to be operating in temporary status on Parallel Drive for about 24 months. 

That site will also eventually be home to LFRC’s new, permanent child development center once LFRC’s federal application for Head Start funding for the project is approved, Morrow said.

If all goes well, Morrow said construction for the new Head Start child development center will take about 18 to 24 months.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, and on Bluesky, @erlarson.bsky.social. Find Lake County News on the following platforms: Facebook, @LakeCoNews; X, @LakeCoNews; Threads, @lakeconews, and on Bluesky, @lakeconews.bsky.social.