Title
Head Start Birth to Five Monthly Report - April - 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 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 April, the total program enrollment was 2,208 out of 2,209 available slots, for a 99 percent enrollment rate.
Enrollment at the end of April for the Preschool Education Service Providers was 1,957 out of 1,957 slots, or 100 percent.
The Early Head Start program, which includes home-based and center-based year-round programming, ended the month with 251 slots filled out of 252, representing 99 percent capacity. The Early Head Start program continues to gradually transition more slots into a center-based format. In April, the Booker T. Washington Child Development Center opened a new classroom. The home-based program ended the month with 36 of 36 available slots filled, for an 100 percent rate. The center-based program filled 215 out of 216 slots, representing a 99 percent.
Full Enrollment Initiative
Early Head Start (EHS) continues to participate in the Full Enrollment Initiative because enrollment fell below 97 percent in October 2025. As of November 2025, EHS has met the minimum enrollment requirement of 97 percent. To have the chronically under-enrolled designation removed, EHS must maintain an enrollment rate of at least 97 percent for a total of six consecutive months. As of today, the program has not received a letter confirming that the Early Head Start program is back in compliance. Typically, programs receive notice within three to six months of achieving this goal.
School Attendance
The Office of Head Start sets an annual attendance target of 85 percent. Attachment B indicates the year-to-date average attendance through the end of April. Head Start Preschool was 87 percent, and the Early Head Start Center-Based program was 76 percent.
Classroom Closures
Head Start programs are required to report classroom closures to the Office of Head Start within seven calendar days of the event. In April, six classrooms were closed.
The Sahuaro Elementary site, operated by the Washington Elementary School District, as well as the Marcos De Niza site, managed by the Greater Phoenix Urban League, and the Southwest School site, managed by the Booker T. Washington Child Development Center, all closed due to staffing shortages. Additionally, the Skyrise School of Laveen site, operated by KinderCare, closed two classrooms due to a lack of running water. The Maie Bartlett Heard Elementary site, also operated by the Booker T. Washington Child Development Center, will remain closed for the rest of the year due to ongoing staffing shortages. Some children have been transferred to other classrooms, and with less than 30 days left in the school year, the remaining vacancies do not need to be filled.
Medical/Dental Exams
Head Start regulations require all children to receive annual medical and dental exams. By the end of April, 2,535 medical and 2,376 dental exams were completed, totaling 4,911 exams as shown in Attachment C.
Program Information Summaries
Please see Attachment D.
Child Incident Reports
The Head Start Program Performance Standards require programs to submit reports of any significant incidents affecting the health and safety of program participants within 7 days of the incident. 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 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. In April, no reports were submitted 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 child welfare issues that often lead to guidance or policy changes. IMs provide up-to-date information but do not establish requirements or supersede existing laws or official guidance. In April, no PIs or IMs 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.