Title
Head Start Birth to Five Monthly Report - July 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 information with the Governing Board and Policy Council on program planning, policies and operations monthly. 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 Fiscal Year 2021-22. The report includes a breakdown of each Education Service Provider, the Policy Council, Child Care Partnerships and administrative support budgets. July marks the first month of the fiscal year and the current year's spend is 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 July, enrollment was 334 out of 3,451 available slots.
For the 2,963 preschool slots, the Education Service Providers are on summer break, except for the Booker T. Washington Child Development Center. Six children attended the first four days of the month to complete the summer program.
The Early Head Start Home-Based program continues to connect virtually with families for home visits and bi-weekly socialization meetings. At the end of July, 215 slots were filled out of 300. Some vacancies are due to children turning three and aging out of the program. Many of these children transition to Head Start preschool or a developmental preschool in their local school district.
Early Head Start-Child Care Partners provide in-person childcare. At the end of July, 113 out of 188 slots were filled. Cactus Kids Preschool closed for two weeks in July due to staff testing positive for COVID-19. Many families continue to keep their children home or find alternative childcare options due to concerns about exposure to the virus. Some parents chose to leave their children at home with older siblings who are on summer break.
The Head Start Birth to Five staff continues to enroll new families for the upcoming 2021-22 school year.
School Attendance
The annual target for attendance set by the Office of Head Start is 85 percent. Attachment B indicates year-to-date attendance through the end of July. The preschool program is not in session during July. As such, there is no year-to-date average. The Child Care Partnership year-to-date average was 39 percent at the end of July, which is below the target of 85 percent. The low percentage is due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Medical/Dental Exams
Head Start regulations require all children to have medical and dental exams each year. Through the end of July, 294 medical and 278 dental exams were completed for a total of 572 exams, as illustrated in Attachment C. The numbers are below average due to the coronavirus pandemic. Many families are delaying doctor or dentist visits due to concerns about exposure to the virus.
Program Information Summaries
Please see Attachment D for program information summaries.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Gina Montes and the Human Services Department.