Head Start / Early Head Start Program Annual Report
Federal Regulation requires that each Head Start agency makes available to the public a report that discloses the program information for the most recently concluded fiscal year. For Pro Action, the most recently completed federal year is FY2008 which covers the 08-09 program year.
(1) Funding
See Chart 1 below for sources of
funding to support the Head Start / Early Head Start program. The One-Time program improvement funds were
made available to help support efforts to increase staff qualifications.
No private funds were used to
support HS/EHS in FY 2008.
Chart
1
|
Type
of Fund |
Amount
available to Head Start |
Amount
available to Early Head Start |
|
Federal
Base |
$2,543,923 |
$382,766 |
|
Federal T/TA |
$
25,054 |
$
9,429 |
|
Federal
One-time – T/TA |
$
9,000 |
0 |
|
Federal
Building Renovation |
$
125,793 |
|
|
In-kind
contributions |
$
730,582* |
|
|
CACFP |
$116,438 |
0 |
*HS
and EHS combined
(2) Proposed Budget and Budgetary expenditures
Chart
2
|
Budget
period 5/1/08 – 4/30/09 |
Approved
Budget |
Expenditures |
|
Personnel |
$1,349,156 |
$1,337,564 |
|
Fringe
Benefits |
$479,434 |
$485,467 |
|
Travel |
$4950 |
$4061 |
|
Equipment |
$8917 |
$8917 |
|
Supplies |
$56,857 |
$55,955 |
|
Contractual |
$491465 |
$479,496 |
|
Facilities/Renovation |
$152,793 |
$27,000 |
|
Other
|
$358,126 |
$338,081 |
|
Indirect
Costs |
$194,267 |
$170,423 |
|
Totals |
$3,095,965 |
$2,906,964 |
An
unobligated balance of Federal Funds of $189,001 was available at the end of
the 08-09 budget year.
A major portion of these funds, $125,793.00, had been allocated for
renovation of the building purchased in Hornell for Head Start and Early Head
Start classroom space. Final approval of
the renovation plans by the Office of Head Start did not come until after the
end of the budget year, therefore these funds were not spent. The unused renovation funds were made
available for the 09-10 budget year. The renovation is currently underway.
(3) Enrollment and other Program Data for the
08-09 Program Year
Chart 3 contains summary data for
Head Start (Grantee and Delegate) and Early Head Start (Infants/Toddlers
and Pregnant women) unless otherwise noted.
Chart
3
|
Total
number served |
412 |
|
%
served under income guidelines |
94% |
|
#
of families served |
385 |
|
Avg.
monthly enrollment |
100% |
|
%
of enrolled children that are up-to-date on a schedule of age-appropriate
health care according to NYS EPSDT schedule* |
95% |
|
%
of enrolled children that received dental exams (preschool level only)** |
93% |
|
Total
# of volunteers |
739 |
|
Current
or former parent volunteers |
492 |
|
Total
Grantee volunteer hours |
4417 |
|
%
of families with male involvement |
50% |
*
Lead screenings and hematocrits are often incomplete
at enrollment. Program staff work with parents and the
Public Health Nursing programs in both Steuben and Yates counties throughout
the program year to complete as many of these screenings as possible.
**The
number of children receiving dental exams has increased due to the generosity
of local dentists who provide free dental exams either in their dental office
on in the Head Start classrooms.
(4)
Parent Involvement
Parent Involvement remains a high
priority in the Head Start / Early Head Start programs. Parents were actively involved in
parent-teacher conferences, home visits, program committees, Policy Council,
parent group activities, parent drop in days, and classroom volunteer
activities.
Parents in the HS grantee classrooms
can monitor their child's progress via the web-based Creative Curriculum Child Assessement tool.
The program continues to encourage
male involvement.
(5)
Ensuring Kindergarten Readiness
During the 08-09 school year, the Head Start program placed an increased emphasis on
classroom early literacy activities through the implementation of various pre-k
structured reading programs. See Chart 4
below which demonstrates the gains made in early literacy activities in 08-09,
as compared to 07-08 data. The
percentages of children in 08-09 scoring at kindergarten readiness levels as
documented in the child outcomes assessment tool, CreativeCurriculum.net,
increased significantly over the percentages noted from the 07-08 school
year.
The actual reading program implemented
in each Head Start classroom varies from school district to school
district. By aligning the Head Start
reading and writing programs with each school district's program, children are
ensured a smoother transition into kindergarten.
To further enhance children's growth
and development, the program's curriculum ensures all areas of development
(literacy, math, science, social-emotional, physical, etc.) have been aligned
with the NYS Pre-k learning standards as well as the Head Start standards.
Chart
4
Note: Outcomes are based on year end data for
children eligible for kindergarten.
|
Developmental
area |
Pro-gram
year |
Per
cent demonstrating kindergarten readiness |
|
|
07-08 |
86% |
|
Literacy |
08-09 |
97% |
|
Phonological
Awareness |
07-08 08-09 |
77% 94% |
|
Identifies
at least 10 letters of the alphabet |
07-08 08-09 |
72% 95% |
|
Early
Writing |
07-08 08-09 |
79% 97% |
(6)
Staff Notes
21/25 Head Start
teacher positions are filled with teachers who are NYS certified. 5 teachers received their permanent
certification during the 08-09 program year.
The program continues to support
Teaching Assistants and support staff in their efforts to obtain and/or renew
their CDA credentials.
All Early Head Start family
educators are Parents as Teachers certified.
(7)
Federal Review and Audit Results
The most recent federal review of
the Head Start / Early Head Start program was completed in December 2007 with
no deficiencies noted.
The agency's audit report found Pro
Action to be in compliance.