Southwest Human Development 2020-2021, Moving Head Start Forward with Equity

Head Start and Early Head Start 2020–2021 Annual Report

Moving Head Start Forward with Equity through Innovation and High-Quality Practices

Innovation and High-Quality Practices HEAD START is the national early education program founded in 1965 to give children from at-risk backgrounds the skills they need to be successful in school and life. Based on a “whole child, whole family” model, Head Start takes a comprehensive, two-generation approach to supporting children, families and communities on their path to success. Health and school readiness are emphasized for children from age three to five while Early Head Start (EHS) focuses on the healthy development of infants and toddlers including prenatal care. These multi-generational, community-based programs engage parents as equal partners with their child’s teacher and provide a full range of family services from crisis intervention to goal-setting, job training, and education. As Arizona’s largest nonprofit dedicated to early childhood development, Southwest Human Development Head Start proudly operates 19 Head Start/ EHS centers and 7 Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships (EHS-CCP) centers in the City of Phoenix. Evolving

Positive Community Impact

through nearly 40 years of continuous assessment, improvement and innovation, our exemplary programs serve as national models for excellence in early childhood.

Added $21.9 million to the local economy Employed 370 Head Start/EHS staff Served 1,699 total children and pregnant women Provided comprehensive services to 1,313 families

Head Start 2020-21 Program Snapshot 1,097 Head Start children 582 EHS children, 20 pregnant women 46 foster children served 28 child welfare agency referrals 68 homeless children served

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2020 – 2021

Exemplary leadership in meeting critical needs OUR PROGRAM FOCUS ON INNOVATION AND PARTNERSHIPS has earned state and national recognition for exceptional educational and family engagement services to collaborations that take best practices, research, and evidence to scale. Maximizing resources and developing solutions that meet specific needs, Southwest Human Development has created a national model for moving people out of poverty by aligning them with life-changing resources and opportunities. Parents learn positive parenting skills and receive support in furthering their education, finding jobs, and creating healthy home environments.

Our Head Start preschool children learn the skills and develop the executive function they need to be successful, from math and reading confidence to self-regulation and resilience. Early Head Start supports healthy prenatal development and provides infants and toddlers with positive learning experiences that foster intellectual and social-emotional development. Together, these programs address the full spectrum of health, nutrition, safety, socialization and nurturing needs that enable learning. These services include early intervention for children with disabilities. Southwest Human Development leads the way in cultural and linguistic sensitivity through staff who are proficient in language(s) other than English, trainings with parents and staff, and collaborative efforts with public school partners to ensure a successful kindergarten transition for dual language learners.

Our Head Start program is also a key partner in supporting state and national priorities from workforce development for the under/unemployed to extended-hour quality child care for working families. Participation in advocacy programs on every government level has resulted in grant awards for Early Head Start Child Care Partnerships (EHS-CCP) that increase access to safe, reliable child care for low-income,

Grant Funding and Community Partner Donations Enabled Southwest Human Development to provide:

working families. When the COVID-19 global pandemic created sudden and dramatic economic instability and shut down in-person services in March of 2020, the response from Southwest Human Development was decisive, nimble and swift. Within a matter of days, Head Start families and those in the community who were in need of food could drive up for grab-and-go breakfasts and lunches.

23,500

grab-and-go breakfasts/lunches

13,900

diapers and wipes

Grant funding and generous community partner donations also enabled us to address the critical need for infant supplies like baby formula, diapers and wipes. Further supporting child, parent and family safety, we hosted a

800

cases of infant formula

series of COVID-19 testing events in collaboration with Maricopa County Department of Public Health. Test events were scheduled on Saturdays at a centralized location to maximize access for working parents, providing a crucial health and safety service in an area with high positivity

3,500

attended COVID-19 testing events

rates and few testing options.

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Advancing technological literacy and access SOUTHWEST HUMAN DEVELOPMENT has established a national reputation as a pioneer of highly effective web-based tools that drive professional growth and improve outcomes for children and families. Building on the success of our initial proprietary Construct™ Coaching professional development app, we have introduced Construct software models for teaching/child assessment, leadership, family engagement, home visiting, attendance, monitoring, health, enrollment, referral, recruiting, selection, and employees. When the pandemic disconnected our Head Start children and families from in-person services, we moved quickly to place the lifeline of a free tablet in every home that lacked digital access. In partnership with T-Mobile®, Southwest Human Development funded a Tablet Lending Program that ensured access to distance and digital services for Head Start children and families. Preloaded with a software management system that supported only appropriate vetted apps, the tablets offered internet resources for children and families along with access to the newly-created Construct Parent Portal suite of locally-designed software products. Zoom video conferencing personalized the experience by creating a direct link between parents, teachers, and family support specialists.

Along with rapid-fire development of programs and tools to meet immediate needs, our technology team focused on innovative solutions for the health and safety issues that families would be facing when their children returned to center-based classes. Adding a distanced facial recognition feature to the e-sign in by construct app made it possible for the responsible parent or guardian to safely drop off and pick up their child by following a few simple prompts. In addition to developing this new feature, our programmers created video interfaces that instructed staff on its use and enabled teachers and family support specialists to assist parents in creating and using an account.

Statewide leadership in digital innovation and economic mobility The 2020-21 academic year continued the rollout of Southwest Human Development’s proprietary e-sign by construct software, the state-approved app that validates attendance for children of families who are making child care subsidy co-pays.

Further innovation in partnership with Wells Fargo created the web-based E-Bill Express app that enables these families to make electronic payments. Prior to this breakthrough, parents had to write checks or buy money orders and complete a documentation process that required up to 120 days to process. These apps are fostering financial and technological literacy and providing economic mobility support for families participating in blended-funding experiences. More importantly, accelerating the compensation cycle for providers is a significant step in expansion of full-day, high-quality care options in Southwest Human Development Early Head Start and EHS-CCP centers.

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Delivering quality at-home curriculum experiences during COVID-19 AS PART OF OUR DEEPENING COMMITMENT TO EARLY COMMUNICATIONLANGUAGE AND LITERACY, Southwest Human Development Head Start had already developed a highly successful campaign to boost public library use and increase availability of materials for at-home learning experiences. When the pandemic response closed public libraries or dramatically limited services, we provided parents with digital tutorials that walked them through the process of obtaining an e-library card, checking out digital materials, and using the library curbside service. We also scripted and animated a book to help parents prepare their children for a successful transition back to a classroom setting. Simple, engaging illustrations covered health and safety changes including curbside drop-offs and pick-ups, wearing masks, hand-washing, social distancing, differences in learning activities, and the new snack protocol. Printed in English and Spanish, Lizard Lee Goes to School was mailed to all Head Start and Early Head Start families and included in the first Curriculum Kit for the 2020-21 academic year. The book was also produced in an easily shared digital version and earned national recognition for its popularity with Head Start organizations across the country.

As a recognized leader in promoting wellness initiatives and health literacy, Southwest Human Development Head Start publishes a monthly Juicy News flyer and provides new enrollees with the resource-filled newsletter of New Beginnings. Along with guidance on healthy nutrition, exercise, and models of nurturing relationships, our programs include progressive wellness initiatives such as yoga and mindfulness training for children, families, and staff. When the pandemic disconnected children and families from in-person services, the Juicy News flyer became the digital “Juicy” Recipe Book, filled with healthy ideas for snacks and family meals.

The newly created Parent Portal app featured a new, comprehensive weekly Home School Connections e-newsletter that included links to on-demand videos and e-resources for quick, relevant answers to crucial questions. Available in English and Spanish, each issue provided timely health and safety guidelines and instructions, support for at-home parent/child connections and parenting skills, and home-based educational activities that tied into their child’s weekly lesson plan. More than 50 pages of information covered topics from child and personal development to health/nutrition and wellness, social-emotional, community resources, and technology tips.

Lizard Lee Goes to School in English and Spanish via Book Creator with audio option: Lizard Lee Goes to School https://read.bookcreator. com/yrbg1M6LqcOLTeBOa0ib8jjJzAH3/3Luf5q5hQDOUMBYglAitbw Lizard Lee Va a la Escuela https://read.bookcreator.com/yrbg1M6LqcOLTeBOa0ib8jjJzAH3/ nRoMgs3ZQ2Ou_4I9jn4png

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“Juicy” Recipe Book

Libro “Juicy” de Recetas Southwest Human Development Early Head Start Early Head Start Child Care Partnerships Head Start 1

“Juicy” Recipe Book https://we.tl/t-QLsCCMM1iu March V. 16

Working Together for School Success

HOME & SCHOOL CONNECTION

In This Issue

Child Development 2-8

Personal Development 21-22

Health, Nutrition & Wellness 9-17 Community Resources 18-20

Social Emotional 23-36

Technology & Announcements 27-50

Home & School Connection newsletters in English and Spanish https://we.tl/t-Gr8Du1uZ8D

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Supporting high-quality child outcomes at home during COVID-19 THROUGHOUT THE COVID-19 GLOBAL HEALTH CRISIS, every Head Start/EHS and EHS-CCP service and activity that had previously been delivered in person required a safe, socially-distanced protocol. The world of digital information and resources that Southwest Human Development Head Start developed for the initial shutdown continued to support families who chose in-home learning over a return to the classroom. From the foundation of a shared Curriculum Kit with guidance and support for themed material, virtual teachers utilized a curriculum app in working directly with children and parents on lesson plans that integrated classroom goals with suggested at-home activities. Staff relied on Construct Home Visit-Family Engagement software to assess each child’s progress and Zoom conference sessions to guide parents as respected educational partners. Parents had immediate access to all joint home visit notes, including “virtual visit” results and future goals. Ongoing one-on-one consultations for parents and staff enriched the educational experience but it also evolved the professional skills of teachers as collaborators and parent coaches. Parents who would have been contributing their federal in-kind share through classroom volunteer work were able to track and log in-home teaching hours through the Parent Portal.

For many families, the COVID-19 crisis resulted in a sudden rise of financial insecurity, home-life balance disruption, safety concerns, anxiety, and stress levels. To address the need for trauma-informed practices that support safety, empowerment and healing, every Curriculum Kit and Home & School Connection newsletter included a social-emotional component and provided mental health information, videos and resources.

Both classroom and virtual teachers used sad-to-happy faces or mirrors in helping children and toddlers check in with, talk about, and manage their feelings. Parents received additional resources that addressed developmental, physical and emotional needs along with encouragement to monitor stress levels and guidance on self-care. Although Smart Support mental health professionals always play an integral role in our Head Start services, their availability for virtual consultations and in-person meetings became a critical resource through a sustained period of upheaval and uncertainty. This multi-faceted, technology-enabled, highly-integrated approach resulted in outstanding outcomes for children, families and staff.

Parents as Head Start leaders Parent engagement and leadership has always been a cornerstone of Head Start program success, and the 2020-21 academic year was no exception. Bringing together elected Head Start parents and community members, the Policy Council serves as the decision-making body that ensures compliant, quality programs. Along with the work of program governance at virtual monthly meetings, the Council provided essential COVID-19 crisis support that included researching the latest community resources available to support children, parents and families. Council leaders provide valuable program stewardship by communicating to staff what is most needed by the communities our programs serve.

Parent Center Committee meetings for each site expand the opportunities for parents to lead, network, and share information with a family support specialist serving as a facilitator and guide.

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Redesigned classrooms emphasized individualized learning stations and activities that separated children and maximized one-on-one interactions with teachers. Dividing the large group space of a traditional classroom into smaller hubs created an environment where children could play, learn and discover within a naturally-distanced setting that retained all the joy of early childhood experiences.

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Supporting high-quality outcomes at school during COVID-19 SOUTHWEST HUMAN DEVELOPMENT HEAD START led the field as early as April of 2020 by prototyping a model classroom for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers that could support the health, safety and wellness of children and staff during the COVID-19 crisis. For the ultimate assurance of a safe environment, we relied on guidelines and recommendations from the most trusted sources including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Arizona Department of Health Services, Maricopa County Department of Public Health, American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Office of Head Start.

To hold fidelity to the curriculum and continue to provide high-quality educational experiences, teachers had the creative challenge of embedding intentional learning into newly-created classroom learning hubs that supported safe play experiences. Changes included a temporary reduction in class size, an increase in staff support, and redirection of financial resources into materials and equipment.

Redesigned classrooms emphasized individualized learning stations and activities that separated children and maximized one-on-one interactions with teachers. Dividing the large group space of a traditional classroom into smaller hubs created an environment where children could play, learn and discover within a naturally-distanced setting that retained all the joy of early childhood experiences. Multiple spaces were available for activities like dramatic play, artistic fun, building with blocks, and reading books. The need to clean and/or disinfect every surface required the removal of objects like pillows and stuffed animals that could not be sanitized. Because these soft, soothing textures support a child’s sense of comfort and emotional safety and enhance their ability to learn, staff collaborated on easily-cleaned replacements that still provided a positive sensory experience.

State and national curriculum leadership outhwest Human Development continued our research collaboration with Arizona State S University (ASU) to validate our locally-designed curriculum: Constructs for children and families and the Construct Teaching Birth to Five ongoing assessment tool grounded in the Head Start Outcomes Early Learning Framework. The latter web-based app will provide realtime child assessment data for individualized instruction and high-quality teaching practices that improve parent-teacher communication for the individualization of children’s school readiness goals. Working closely with ASU professionals, we are integrating the evidencebased approaches of ECHOS (Early Childhood Hands-On Science), Literary Express, Centers for Social Emotional Foundations of Early Learning, and Big Math for Little Kids to render the highest possible outcomes and support teachers and families to build skills and to assess learnings. The validation of these measures will provide functional, research-based curriculum and ongoing assessment tools for Southwest Human Development Head Start/ EHS and EHS-CCP programs and for the field in the future.

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Serving as beacons of health and wellness connections THROUGHOUT THE COVID-19 CRISIS, Southwest Human Development served as a trusted source of information at a time of confusion, anxiety and uncertainty. Our Tablet Lending Program provided parents and families with digital access to constantly refreshed information and links to the most reliable state, county, and national resources. Content included videos and other on-demand resources that promoted health literacy and offered guidance on everything from self-care to using SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program) and acquiring groceries online. Our weekly Home & School Connection newsletter provided accurate facts on COVID symptoms, testing, and vaccination and links to expanded information on health, nutrition, self-care and mental health. The newsletter also served as an effective tool for staff in supporting and empowering parents to safely meet their family’s medical, oral, mental health, and nutritional needs. Families whose children were returning to the classroom received free masks, thermometers, video instructions in four languages for taking a child’s temperature, and support in completing their own health checks.

Within the first 30 days of a child’s enrollment in a Head Start program, a family support specialist completes a one-on-one family consultation that promotes health literacy and emphasizes nutrition and wellness. During the 2020-21 academic year, staff trainings expanded to cover the latest COVID-19 guidelines, constantly-refreshed lists of community resources, and social stories created to help children and families normalize the changes ahead. Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, staff, nurses, service providers, and families worked together as a team to support challenged and challenging children. Every Head Start and Early Head Start enrollee receives a comprehensive developmental screening within the first 45 days. Those who are diagnosed with developmental delays/concerns including social-emotional or disabilities receive support from a full range of quality service providers including mental health consultants, health and nutrition managers, disability coordinators, and professional development coaches.

As the academic year progressed and the Home & School Connection newsletter transitioned from weekly to monthly, staff continued weekly follow-ups to assure parents of their availability for one-on-one consultations. This ongoing personalized support was comprehensive in scope, covering any concerns or issues the family might be facing from children and relationships to work, financial insecurity, changing circumstances, mental health, and COVID-19 health and safety.

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https://we.tl/t-bOLLGRJ0Kr

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Excelling in professional development coaching SOUTHWEST HUMAN DEVELOPMENT HEAD START continues to invest in the professionalism of child/family staff with our Embedded Professional Development-Consultation and Coaching model.

Incorporating real-world experiences and successes into research-based expectations for coaches and leaders, our proprietary coaching models and accompanying Construct Coaching software drive high-quality practices for improved child and family outcomes. Based on the same software platform to maximize efficiency, each Construct model is tailored to support the specific practices of preschool teachers, caregivers for infants and toddlers, and social workers/home visitors who interact with and support families. Coaches observe the professional moving through daily interactions, routines, and practices in a home or classroom setting then provide real-time feedback to support more consistent quality and fluidity of practices. When COVID-19 health and safety challenges made inperson observation impossible, Southwest Human Development quickly responded by introducing our workforce to the cloud-based solution of Swivl. This innovative yet simple instructional tool enables educational professionals to create videos of themselves engaging in their work. The resulting videos can be easily shared with coaches for continuity of real-world observations and assurance of an uninterrupted collaborative cycle of feedback, critical reflection, and planning sessions.

Southwest Human Development leadership in job-embedded workforce development through coaching with efficient technology-enabled innovation, exceptional level of continual improvement, and benchmark-setting achievements continue to pave the way for breakthroughs in efficient program delivery. The success of our high-quality professional development, coaching programs, and twogeneration approach to breaking the poverty cycle has garnered national attention and resulted in research collaborations with national partners within the Educare Learning Network. This national network of 25 birth-through-age-5 schools is dedicated to improving access to high-quality early education across the country and elevating the quality of early childhood education in America.

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Maximizing resources through strategic funding SOUTHWEST HUMAN DEVELOPMENT IS WELL KNOWN FOR MAXIMIZING RESOURCES through innovative approaches and layered funding that enable our Head Start programs to meet the real-world needs of children, families, staff and the community. Our Head Start, Early Head Start (EHS), and EHS-CCP programs benefit from innovative use of braided and blended-funding but also from the national visibility that our programs have earned and the grant awards our stature facilitates.

Our EHS-CCP grant awards enable us to provide resources that include business coaching to smallbusiness child care programs that would never be able to apply for or be successful in attaining a Head Start grant. The EHS-CCP model expands the reach of our Early Head Start services but it also enabled Southwest Human Development to secure new state and community-level partners. As beneficial as highquality child care can be, real transformational outcomes in self-sufficiency and economic mobility become possible when the focus includes support and services for the whole family.

Southwest Human Development Head Start is also a proven innovator and champion of child care management software that can save child care businesses time and money, increase revenue, and enable skilled financial management. In addition to advancing technical and financial literacy for parents and families, our breakthroughs in business automation are providing promising solutions that can mitigate the financial challenges faced by child care providers and turn the tide on the current shortage of licensed child care services—not only in Arizona but across the nation.

HS/ES Cares Act – 2.8% EHSCCP Cares Act – .03% USDA CACFP – .06%

QF Incentive – .03% 2020-21 Head Start Fiscal Summary 21,899,716 Total Revenues $ $9,886,743 Head Start Preschool $5,139,465 Early Head Start (EHS) $2,217,162 EHS-Child Care Partnerships $609,710 Head Start/EHS CARES ACT $74,930 EHS-CCP CARES ACT $65,075 QF Incentive $2,538,362 Local In-Kind Donations $1,244,163 Private/Other Independent Audit Results CliftonLarsonAllen LLC, Certified Public Accountants, completed the Fiscal Year 2020 audit ending June 30, 2021.

Summary of findings: The financial statements present fairly, in all material aspects, the financial position of Southwest Human Development, Inc. as of June 30, 2021 and 2020, and the changes in its net assets and its cash flows for the years then ended in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

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Early Head Start Fund

23.5%

Local In-Kind Donations

11.6%

Private/Other

5.7%

Early Head Start Child Care Partnership

10.1%

Head Start Preschool Fund

45.1%

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Head Start and Early Head Start Center Locations Balsz/Educare District Pat Tillman School 4309 E Bellview Phoenix, AZ 85008

Machan School 2140 E Virginia Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85006 Osborn-Madison Park District

Brunson-Lee School 1350 N 48th Street Phoenix, AZ 85008

Encanto School 146 West Osborn Road Phoenix, AZ 85013

Crockett School 501 N 36th Street Phoenix, AZ 85008

Madison Park School 1431 E Campbell Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85014

Educare/Brunson-Lee Site 1300 N 48th Street Phoenix, AZ 85008

Montecito School 715 E Montecito Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85014

Creighton East District

Phoenix College 3310 N 10th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85013

Creighton School 2802 E McDowell Phoenix, AZ 85008 Gateway School 1100 N 35th Street Phoenix, AZ 85008 Monte Vista School 3501 E Osborn Road Phoenix, AZ 85018 Papago School 2013 N 36th Street Phoenix, AZ 85008 Creighton West District Excelencia School 2181 E McDowell Road Phoenix, AZ 85006 Kennedy School 2702 E Osborn Road Phoenix, AZ 85016

Paradise Valley District Campo Bello School 2650 E Contention Mine Road Phoenix, AZ 85032 Echo Mountain School 1811 E Michigan Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85022 Palomino School 15833 N 29th Street Phoenix, AZ 85032 EHS-Child Care Partnerships Ninas Family Child Care Centers (Locations vary) 3502 East Indian School Road Phoenix, AZ 85018 Strong Foundations 2302 West Colter Street Phoenix, AZ 85018

2850 North 24th Street • Phoenix, AZ 85008-1004 Tel (602) 266-5976 • Fax (602) 633-8755 Head Start Referral (602) 560-0000 www.swhd.org