Title
Head Start Birth to Five Monthly Report - October 2021
Description
This report provides the Community and Cultural Investment Subcommittee, which serves as the City of Phoenix Head Start Birth to Five Governing Board, 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; and
- Program information summaries.
Fiscal Expenditures
Attachment A shows year-to-date expenditures for the Fiscal Year 2021-22. The report includes a breakdown 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 October, enrollment was 2,323 out of 3,451 available slots.
All Education Service Providers are providing in-person instruction. At the end of October, enrollment for preschool was 1,978 slots filled out of 2,963. Some preschool classrooms remain unopened due to teacher shortages. The Education Service Providers are actively recruiting to fill these staffing vacancies, which will assist in gaining full enrollment. A total of three classrooms from two different Education Service Providers were closed during October due to quarantine.
The Early Head Start Home-Based program provides services year-round and continues to connect virtually with families for home visits and biweekly socialization meetings. Staff is beginning to conduct in-person home visits; in October, 35 children and families had in-person home visits. At the end of October, 213 slots were filled out of 300. Some vacancies are due to children turning three and aging out of the program. Many children continue to be income-eligible and transition to Head Start preschool. Children with significant special education needs transition to a developmental preschool in their school district. The pandemic also impacts enrollment, as some parents opt to keep their children home as they are not comfortable with in-person preschool due to exposure to COVID-19.
The Early Head Start-Child Care Partners provide year-round in-person childcare. At the end of October, 132 out of 188 slots were filled. Many families continue to keep their children home or find alternative childcare options due to concerns about exposure to COVID-19. Cactus Kids Preschool was closed for four days due to staff and children testing positive for COVID-19.
The Head Start Birth to Five program is experiencing the same enrollment challenges as other grantees across the nation due to the pandemic. Some families are waiting to enroll their children when the COVID-19 transmission numbers decline while others opt to wait for the next school year. During the first week of October, three paid advertisements were posted to Facebook and Twitter, focusing on significantly under-enrolled zip codes. Advertising was also placed on the Nextdoor app in the same zip codes.
School Attendance
The annual target for attendance set by the Office of Head Start is 85 percent. Attachment B indicates that year-to-date attendance through the end of October is 49 percent for the preschool program. The Child Care Partners average was 42 percent at the end of October. The low percentage is due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Medical/Dental Exams
Head Start regulations require all children to have medical and dental exams each year. Through the end of October, 689 medical and 703 dental exams were completed for a total of 1,392 exams, as illustrated in Attachment C. The numbers are below average due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many families are delaying doctor or dentist visits due to concerns about exposure to the virus.
Program Information Summaries
Please see Attachment D.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Gina Montes and the Human Services Department.