Title
Head Start Birth to Five Monthly Report - April - Districts 1, 3, 4, 5, 7 & 8
Description
This report provides the Economic Development and Housing 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) 2024-25. 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 April, the total program enrollment was 2,203 out of 2,209 available slots, or 99 percent.
At the end of April, enrollment for the Preschool Education Service Providers was 1,957 slots filled out of 1,957, or 100 percent.
The Early Head Start program, which includes home-based and center-based year-round programming, ended the month with 246 slots filled out of 252, or 97 percent. The home-based program exceeded its capacity, filling 111 out of 64 available slots, or 173 percent. In contrast, the center-based program filled 135 out of 188 slots, or 71 percent. The home-based program continues to enroll families to maintain full enrollment while the Greater Phoenix Urban League and Booker T. Washington Child Development Center prepare center-based classrooms to open in June and July 2025.
Federal Impact on Head Start
Congress extended Federal FY 2024-25 funding levels through next year. However, this extension will not include a cost-of-living adjustment.
On April 1, five Office of Head Start regional offices, Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle were closed as part of the Administrations plans to reduce the size of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The City of Phoenix's Head Start Birth to Five Program, which reported to the San Francisco Office, Region IX, has been reassigned to a different office. On May 1, 2025, the Office of Head Start Regional Realignment was shared. The City of Phoenix Head Start Birth to Five program will now report to the new Southwest Region, based out of Dallas, Texas.
The President's Budget was released on May 2, 2025. As is customary during a transition year, this initial proposal does not outline specific program-level funding details, including allocations for Head Start. The Head Start program remains on the list of programs to be retained.
Full Enrollment Initiative
The Full Enrollment Initiative for the Head Start Birth to Five Program concluded on April 4, 2025. In April, additional families were enrolled in the home-based program, maintaining full enrollment.
School Attendance
The annual target for attendance set by the Office of Head Start is 85 percent. Attachment B indicates the year-to-date average attendance through the end of April. Head Start Preschool was 76 percent. The Early Head Start Center-Based program was 45 percent.
Medical/Dental Exams
Head Start regulations require all children have medical and dental exams annually. At the end of April, 2,472 medical and 2,232 dental exams were completed, totaling 4,704 exams. This is illustrated in Attachment C. The target goals have been updated to reflect the new enrollment number.
Program Information Summaries
Please see Attachment D.
Child Incident Reports
The Head Start Program Performance Standards require programs submit reports related to any significant incidents affecting program participant health and safety. This includes injuries requiring hospitalization, emergency room treatment, or doctor's visit. Additionally, significant incidents include inappropriate discipline, potential child abuse or maltreatment, lack of supervision, or unauthorized release of a child. There were no Child Incident Reports submitted to the Office of Head Start in April.
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 April, four reports were 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 U.S. 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 of official guidance. In April, there were no PI's and one IM released. The IM was released on April 29, 2025, promoting parent choice to select the early care and education providers that best meet their family's needs for their children, and recognizes that Head Start serves as the foundation for school readiness by preparing young children for academic and social success. See Attachment E.
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
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.