Title
Head Start Birth to Five Monthly Report - September - 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 (FY) 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 September, the total program enrollment was 2,142 out of 2,209 available slots, which is 97 percent.
For the Head Start Preschool program, all Education Service Providers have now begun the school year. At the end of September, 1,898 out of 1,957 slots were filled, which is 97 percent.
The Early Head Start program, which includes home-based and center-based year-round programming, ended the month with 244 slots filled out of 252, representing 97 percent capacity. The home-based program ended the month with 44 slots filled out of 44 available slots, equating to 100 percent. The center-based program filled 200 out of 208 slots, which is 96 percent. Greater Phoenix Urban League opened two classrooms at Byron Barry Preschool in September. The two classrooms at Cartwright Early Childhood Center are still under construction. The Booker T. Washington Early Child Development Center opened one classroom on their campus in September, and the second classroom is scheduled to open by the end of October. Both Education Service Providers are conducting home visits for children enrolled in unopened classrooms.
Federal Impact on Head Start
Congress extended Federal FY 2024-25 funding levels through FY 2025-26. However, this extension will not include a cost-of-living adjustment.
On July 10, 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a statement designating Head Start as a "federal public benefit" under Title IV of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. This new interpretation, published in the Federal Register on July 14, 2025, went into effect immediately, but the enforcement has been delayed due to legal actions taken in certain states.
On October 1, 2025, the United States federal government went into a shutdown. Head Start programs have been assured that reimbursements will continue to be paid though the Payment Management System during the shutdown. The Head Start Birth to Five Program requests monthly draws on the 10th of each month.
Full Enrollment Initiative
Early Head Start continues to participate in the initiative due to enrollment below 97 percent in previous months. In September, Early Head Start met the minimum enrollment requirement of 97 percent. This percentage or higher will need to be maintained through February 2026 for Early Head Start to be released from the initiative.
School Attendance
The Office of Head Start sets an annual target for attendance of 85 percent. Attachment B indicates the year-to-date average attendance through the end of September. Head Start Preschool was 82 percent, and the Early Head Start Center-Based program was 68 percent.
Medical/Dental Exams
Head Start regulations require all children to have medical and dental exams annually. At the end of September, 1,895 medical and 1,740 dental exams were completed, totaling 3,635 exams. This is illustrated in Attachment C. The low numbers are due to the fact that preschool programs were not in session during the month of July. The target goals have been updated to reflect the new enrollment number.
Program Information Summaries
Please see Attachment D.
Child Incident Reports
The Head Start Program Performance Standards require programs to submit reports related to any significant incidents affecting program participant health and safety. 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 September.
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. During the month of September, there were no reports made 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 issues of child welfare that usually result in guidance or policy changes. IMs provide up-to-date information but do not establish requirements or supersede existing laws or official guidance. In September, no PIs were released. However, an IM was issued on September 26, clarifying policy guidance regarding vacant slots in Head Start programs, particularly focusing on vacant slots due to chronic absenteeism. Please refer to Attachment E for more details.
Locations
Alhambra Elementary School District, 4510 N. 37th Avenue
Black Canyon KinderCare, 10653 N. 25th 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
Laveen KinderCare, 755 S. 51st Avenue
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
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.