Title
Head Start Birth to Five Monthly Report - November - Districts 1, 3, 4, 5, 7 & 8
Description
This report provides the Community Services and Education Subcommittee, which serves as the City of Phoenix Head Start Birth to Five Governing Board, with an updated summary of the Head Start Birth to Five Program's financial and programmatic status.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY.
Report
Summary
The Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 requires each Head Start Grantee to share monthly information with the Governing Board and Policy Council on program planning, policies, and operations. In compliance with the Act, the Head Start program provides a monthly report on the following areas:
- Fiscal expenditures.
- Enrollment reports.
- School attendance.
- Medical/dental exams.
- Program information summaries.
- Nutrition.
- Child Incident Reports.
- Program Instructions or Information Memorandums.
Fiscal Expenditures
Attachment A shows year-to-date expenditures for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025-26. The report includes a breakdown of each Education Service Provider, Child Care Partnership, Policy Council, and the administrative support budget.
Enrollment Reports
The Office of Head Start requires programs to report the total number of children enrolled on the last day of each month. At the end of November, the total program enrollment was 2,194 out of 2,209 available slots, which is 99 percent.
Enrollment at the end of November for the Preschool Education Service Providers was 1,950 out of 1,957 slots filled, which is 99 percent.
The Early Head Start program, which includes home-based and center-based year-round programming, ended the month with 244 slots filled out of 252, representing 97 percent capacity. The home-based program ended the month with 44 slots filled out of 44 available slots, which is 100 percent. The center-based program filled 200 out of 208 slots, which is 96 percent. The Booker T. Washington Early Child Development Center received their licensing approval and officially opened their Early Head Start classroom on December 1, 2025.
Federal Impact on Head Start
Congress extended Federal FY 2024-25 funding levels through FY 2025-26. However, this extension will not include a cost-of-living adjustment.
Full Enrollment Initiative
Early Head Start (EHS) continues to participate in the initiative due to enrollment falling below 97 percent in previous months. In November, EHS met the minimum enrollment requirement of 97 percent. To have the chronically under enrolled designation removed, EHS must sustain at least 97 percent enrollment for six consecutive months.
School Attendance
The Office of Head Start sets an annual target for attendance of 85 percent. Attachment B indicates the year-to-date average attendance through the end of November. Head Start Preschool was 85 percent, and the Early Head Start Center-Based program was 75 percent.
Medical/Dental Exams
Head Start regulations require all children to receive annual medical and dental exams. By the end of November, 2,250 medical and 2,105 dental exams were completed, totaling 4,355 exams as shown in Attachment C. The low exam numbers are attributed to preschool programs not being in session during the month of July. The target goals have been updated to reflect the new enrollment numbers.
Program Information Summaries
Please see Attachment D.
Child Incident Reports
The Head Start Program Performance Standards require programs to submit reports related to any significant incidents affecting program participant health and safety. This includes injuries requiring hospitalization, emergency room treatment, or a doctor's visit. Additionally, significant incidents include inappropriate discipline, potential child abuse or maltreatment, lack of supervision, or unauthorized release of a child. No Child Incident Reports were submitted to the Office of Head Start in November.
Department of Child Safety Reports
All Head Start and Early Head Start staff are required to report suspected child abuse and neglect to protect children and help children and families connect to services. During the month of November, there were no reports made to the Department of Child Safety.
Program Instructions or Information Memorandums
Periodically, the Office of Head Start needs to provide information or programmatic updates to all Head Start Grantees. This is done through Program Instructions (PIs) and Information Memorandums (IMs). PIs provide information or recommendations from the United States Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families to States, Tribes, grantees, and others. This includes various issues of child welfare that usually result in guidance or policy changes. IMs provide up-to-date information but do not establish requirements or supersede existing laws or official guidance. In November, no PIs or IM's were released.
Locations
Alhambra Elementary School District, 4510 N. 37th Avenue
Cartwright Elementary School District, 5220 W. Indian School Road
Deer Valley Unified School District, 20402 N. 15th Avenue
Fowler Elementary School District, 1617 S. 67th Avenue
Isaac School District, 3348 W. McDowell Road
Laveen Elementary School District, 5601 W. Dobbins Road
Murphy Elementary School District, 3140 W. Buckeye Road
Pendergast Elementary School District, 3802 N. 91st Avenue
Phoenix Elementary School District, 1817 N. 7th Street
Riverside Elementary School District, 1414 S. 51st Avenue
Roosevelt Elementary School District, 6000 S. 7th Street
Skyrise School of Black Canyon, 10653 N. 25th Avenue
Skyrise School of Laveen, 755 S. 51st Avenue
Washington Elementary School District, 4650 W. Sweetwater Avenue
Wilson Elementary School District, 3025 E. Fillmore Street
Council Districts: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Gina Montes and the Human Services Department.