Title
Head Start Birth to Five Monthly Report - September 2020
Description
This report provides the Land Use and Livability Subcommittee, which serves as the City of Phoenix Head Start Birth to Five Governing Board, an updated summary of the financial and programmatic status of the Head Start Birth to Five program.
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 information with the Governing Board and Policy Council on the status of the program planning, policies and operations on a monthly basis. To comply 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.
Fiscal Expenditures
Attachment A shows year-to-date expenditures for the Fiscal Year 2020-2021. The report includes a break down of each Education Service Provider, the Policy Council, Child Care Partnerships, and administrative support budgets. Current year expenditures are in-line with the approved budget.
Enrollment Reports
The Office of Head Start requires programs to submit the total number of children enrolled on the last day of each month. At the end of September, enrollment was 2,235 out of 3,451 available slots.
Due to COVID-19, the Education Service Providers (ESP) offer distance learning only, except the Deer Valley Unified School District, which offers in-person and distance learning. For families without access to technology, several ESPs used C.A.R.E.S. Act funding to provide tablets and internet access. At the end of September, enrollment for preschool was 1,857 out of 2,963 slots. The vacancies are due to various reasons related to COVID-19, including some families waiting for in-person preschool.
The Early Head Start Home-Based program offers virtual home visits and socialization meetings. At the end of September, the number of slots filled was 259 out of 300. Most vacancies are due to children turning three and aging out of the program, with many children transitioning to Head Start preschool or a developmental preschool in their local school district.
Early Head Start Child Care Partners reported 119 out of 188 slots filled at the end of September. Parents are returning to work, which has increased enrollment; however, some families have elected to keep their children home due to concerns of being exposed to COVID-19.
Head Start Birth to Five staff continues recruiting to fill the vacant slots in all three program options.
School Attendance
The annual target for attendance set by the Office of Head Start is 85 percent. Attachment B indicates the year to date attendance through September is at 54 percent for the preschool program. The low percentage is due to the current pandemic. Some parents are not able to log their children onto the distance learning platform for a variety of reasons and prefer to wait until the children go back to school in-person. The Child Care Partnership year to date average was 39 percent. Some of the Child Care Partners are having difficulty finding staff who are willing to work due the pandemic.
Medical/Dental Exams
Head Start regulations require all children to have medical and dental exams each year. Through the end of September, a total of 1,449 medical and 1,323 dental exams were completed for a total of 2,772 exams, as illustrated in Attachment C.
Program Information Summaries
Please see Attachment D.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Inger Erickson and the Human Services Department.