Title
Head Start Birth to Five Program 2024-2025 School Readiness Outcomes and Program Information Reports - 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 the results of the 2024-2025 School Readiness Outcomes and the Program Information Report.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY.
Report
Summary
School Readiness Outcomes
Head Start Program Performance Standards require the City of Phoenix, as the Head Start Grantee, to provide its governing board data on health, program operations, family engagement, family services, and children's educational outcomes annually. The school-readiness data focuses on two areas: child outcomes and family outcomes.
Child Outcomes
School Readiness data is collected and analyzed three times per year using Teaching Strategies Gold, which measures children's progress in all developmental areas. The first reporting period occurs at the end of the first six weeks of the school year, the second in the middle of the school year, and the third at the end of the school year. The School Readiness Outcomes data is used by Head Start Birth to Five staff to determine the professional development needs of the Education Service Providers and Child Care Partners instructional staff who create learning experiences that meet and enhance children's developmental needs.
Attachments A and B illustrate the growth of infants and toddlers (from birth to age two) enrolled in the Early Head Start Center-Based and Home-Based programs. Demonstrating progress in this age group is challenging because children age out during the program year and new children enter. This turnover can give the impression that developmental growth is slow or not sequential. For instance, in the Early Head Start Center-Based program (Attachment A), 77 percent of the children were within their expected age range at the first reporting period in the Cognitive domain. This percentage increased in the second reporting period but decreased in the third. A similar pattern is observed in the Early Head Start Home-Based program as well as demonstrated in (Attachment B).
Attachment C illustrates consistent developmental growth among preschool children (ages three to five) throughout the school year. Although there is some turnover in preschool programs, it is not as significant as that seen in Early Head Start programs. The most notable gains in development occurred in math and literacy, while the smallest improvements were observed in physical development. This suggests that children enter preschool with good physical skills, such as running, jumping, and grasping small objects. However, while children are exposed to math and literacy concepts before entering preschool, their skills in these areas have not yet been fully developed.
Family Outcomes
The strength and stability of families are essential to advancing School Readiness for children. Data related to family outcomes is based on a family's vulnerable area(s), identified through the Family Outcomes Profile. The Family Outcomes Profile rates a family's strength and stability on a scale from one (In Crisis) to ten (Empowered/Thriving). Caseworkers work with families to develop Family Partnership Agreements that contain goals focused on improving identified vulnerable areas.
Attachment D and E presents the progress of families enrolled in the Early Head Start Center-Based (Attachment D) and Home-Based (Attachment E) programs. The most significant improvement was observed in the area of Child or Other Dependent Care in both groups. At the beginning of the program year (July) in the Center-Based program (Attachment D), the average score was 5 (Safe), which increased to an average score of 6.8 (Stable-Building Capacity) by the end of the year. The results are similar with the families in the Home-Based program (Attachment E).
Attachment F illustrates the progress made by families in preschool. The area with the most significant improvement is Parenting. Families in this area began with an average score of 6.9 (Safe) and increased to 7.4 (Stable). This achievement resulted from the various parenting education trainings offered throughout the year.
Program Information Report
The Office of Head Start requires the City of Phoenix, as the Head Start Grantee, to submit a Program Information Report annually. This report provides comprehensive data on the services provided to families, staff qualifications, information relevant to children's health, and family demographics in the Early Head Start and Head Start programs. The data collected is used to make informed programmatic decisions. Attachment G identifies 2024-2025 data for the Head Start Birth to Five Program, in Arizona, and nationally.
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.