Southwest Human Development 2019 Annual Report, Mobile

Head Start and Early Head Start • 2019 Annual Report

Leadership that Drives State and National Priorities Taking best practices and evidence-based research to scale

Positive Community Impact Added $26.2 million to the local economy Employed 512 Head Start/EHS staff

2019

Served 1,478 total children pregnant women Provided comprehensive services to 1,333 families Served 29 homeless families; 13 acquired housing

Exemplary “Whole Child, Whole Family” Services HEAD START PRESCHOOL CHILDREN learn the skills and executive functions they need to be successful, from early math and reading to confidence, 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 transform lives for children from at-risk backgrounds and provide early intervention and special needs services for those with development delays, intellectual disabilities, and sensory or orthopedic impairments.

Southwest Human Development Head Start programs have earned a national reputation by integrating best practices, evidence-based research, technological advances, and ongoing professional development. At the same time, our services are tailored to meet real-world needs based on input and feedback from parents, teachers, and the community itself. During the 2018-19 program year, several focus areas aligned with key state and national priorities: • Workforce development for under- or unemployed parents • Extended-hour, high-quality child care for low-income working families • Expansion of Head Start program availability for children with foster or homeless status • Development of software efficiencies that facilitate reimbursement for child care providers and increase availability of licensed slots • Contributions to national research and leadership in language/literacy, business practices, professional development, and family engagement In 2019 Southwest Human Development Head Start continued the work that began with the launch of our 5-Year Grant Goals and Objectives in three broad-based areas: Impact on children being ready for school, wellness impact, and family engagement impact. In addition to presenting program highlights and 5-Year Grant progress, this report provides statistics from our Program Information Report and updates on professional development and financial accountability.

Head Start/Early Head Start Enrollment Includes:

• 27 foster children served • 56 Child Welfare Agency referrals • 40 homeless children served

Executive Functions as Predictor of Success The leading-edge MEFS App™ (Minnesota Executive Function Scale) offers a simple, web-based tool for measuring the effectiveness of methods, curricula and interventions. Administered each fall and spring in fiveminute tests, MEFS is highly sensitive to change, yields unbiased results, and can be used with children as young as two. The brain’s executive functions are better indicators of a child’s success in school and life than IQ scores—but unlike IQ, they can be taught, learned and improved. The following chart summarizes our MEFS scores for the 201819 program year, where an average of 97.9 percent children are meeting/exceeding expectations as measured against national percentiles of executive function.

2018-19 Achieving or Meeting Developmental Expectations Fall to Spring Program Percentage Meeting/Exceeding Developmental Expectations Achieving In Progress

Head Start preschool children​

93%​

7%

Early Head Start center-based​

90%​

10%

EHS-Child Care Partnerships​

92%​

8%

Impact on Children Being Ready for School HEAD START CHILDREN RECEIVE HIGH-QUALITY EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION SERVICES that include the curriculum planning and individualized instruction essential for healthy development and academic success. Southwest Human Development collaborates with receiving schools on a school readiness checklist in alignment with school requirements, Arizona Early Learning Standards, and the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework. Children in our programs also have the benefit of fall and spring testing with the Minnesota Executive Function Scale (the MEFS App™), an effective tool for assessing school readiness and supporting the building of experiences that maximize learning potential. Our programs offer the advantage of Construct™ Teaching software, an integrated, research-based, birth to five curriculum-aligned assessment tool that supports quality instruction in every critical area of child development and education. To enable progress toward desired family outcomes for our home visiting staff, we rely on Home Visit Rating Scales (HOVRS) that take an evidence-based approach to practices that guide parents in supporting their children’s early development.

Along with continuing our highly successful campaign to boost public library use and increase availability of materials for at-home experiences, our 2019 language and literacy goals focused intensely on serving dual language learners. As leaders in cultural and linguistic sensitivity, we employed 131 staff who are proficient in language(s) other than English to meet the needs of 929 children from homes where English is not the primary language. Bilingual proficiency prepares children for success in school and a lifetime of expanded opportunities—a fact that is especially significant in the culturally diverse state of Arizona. Southwest Human Development stepped up trainings with parents and staff and targeted collaborative efforts with public school partners to ensure a successful kindergarten transition for dual language learners. We also strengthened processes for building a teacher workforce with effective skills, strategies, and practices for helping infants,

Wellness Impact HEAD START/EHS PROGRAMS ADDRESS THE FULL SPECTRUM OF HEALTH, NUTRITION, SAFETY, SOCIALIZATION, AND NURTURING needs that enable learning. Quality behavioral health support is available for children and families and every newly enrolled child is screened for developmental, sensory, or behavioral concerns. Of the 134 Southwest Human Development Head Start preschool children eligible for disabilities services, 118 had speech/language impairments—an area where early intervention can often result in complete remediation. With research supporting the fact that 85 percent of a child’s brain development occurs by age 3, Early Head Start (EHS) and EHS-Child Care Partnerships take advantage of that critical early intervention window and the potential to fill social-emotional and cognitive gaps.

High-quality case management is supported by our proprietary Construct™ Health Well Being software that allows staff to input all health-related updates into the system for real-time data, reports, and follow-up notices. Utilizing this innovative tool, family specialists are reporting a significant impact on the ability to work more closely with parents and increase wellness engagement. To maintain highly efficient delivery of Head Start/EHS services, we rely on an integrated team model that includes a health program manager, mental health program manager, and two disabilities managers. During the 2018-19 program year, environmental health and safety coaches began working directly with classroom staff to support Classroom-Socialization Safety Plans.

Southwest Human Development is also leader in progressive wellness initiatives like yoga and mindfulness that improve physical balance and coordination, emotional calmness, and concentration. To promote health literacy and keep parents and staff focused on wellness, we publish newsletters in both English and Spanish: The monthly Juicy News flyer and the comprehensive health and wellness newsletter, New Beginnings.

Year-End Child Health Profile

100%

98%

98%

pregnant women received pre/post-natal healthcare and education

children with health insurance

children with continuous healthcare source

98%

97%

94%

children with continuous dental care source

children with all possible immunizations or exempt

93%

children with a medical diagnosis received treatment

Mental Health and Special Needs 162 children received mental health consultation 134 preschool children with EIP* 37 EHS children with IFSP** *IEP (Individualized Education Plan), **IFSP (Individualized Family Service Plan)

children completed a dental exam

Head Start/EHS Family Advancement • 1,333 Head Start/EHS families served • 1,246 received at least one family service • 508 participated in asset building/financial counseling • 1,153 one or both parents employed 213 parents in job training or school • 260 advanced grade level or earned GED, AA or BA • 83 completed job training or earned certificate/license

Quality Family Engagement Impact SOUTHWEST HUMAN DEVELOPMENT HEAD START PARTNERS WITH FAMILIES through all aspects of the program, including collaborating on curriculum decisions and integrating their input into our Construct Teaching software. In 2019 we tightened the focus on connecting families to workforce development initiatives, skills training and/or education while their children are engaged in early childhood education. Braided funding enabled us to expand full-day Head Start programs—one of the major concerns for working parents of children from birth through age five. Based on a model that elevates the community and supports state and national priorities, 45% of our programs now provide low-income families with opportunities for full-workingday early care and education. Support for breaking the poverty cycle with this two-generation approach is gaining national attention. Southwest Human Development is adding to the momentum with strategies and results that are being correlated in partnership with research at Harvard’s Brazelton Touchpoints Center, home to the National Center for Parent, Family and Community Engagement.

Our leadership in technology-enabled innovation continues to pave the way for breakthroughs in efficient program delivery.

Developed in response to a national imperative to reduce chronic absenteeism, our Construct Attendance software enables timely family interventions that boosted attendance by 8,500 days during the program year. Based on the app’s success, we are now working closely with the state on a software program that will enable electronic signing for parents who are making child care subsidy co-pays. Currently, parents have to write checks or buy money orders and complete a documentation process can take up to 120 days to process—or longer for a simple error. A streamlined system will enable Southwest Human Development to further expand full-day options in Early Head Start (EHS) and EHS-CCP centers, but the entire state will benefit because so many licensed child care providers are struggling to remain profitable. Statewide, only 1 licensed slot is available for every 2.4 young children with approximately 3,600 children on waiting lists.

Father Engagement and Involvement 622 involved in Head Start experiences • 400 participated in family assessment 356 participated in family goal-setting • 101 participated in program governance

Head Start Staff Highlights • • • • • •

512 staff across all programs 56 staff are current/former Head Start parents 111 preschool teachers/assistant teachers 36 Early Head Start classroom teachers 33 total family/community partnerships staff 9 total education/child development managers

Leadership in Innovation, Assessment and Improvement Southwest Human Development has earned national recognition for our pioneering work in technology-enabled program advancements, high-level collaborations, and professional development. The relationship-based process of coaching has received so much attention from researchers, advocates, and policymakers that the latest Head Start Performance Standards mandate coaching.

In response, Southwest Human Development developed Construct™ Coaching, a professional development app designed to promote, maximize, and sustain high-quality teacher and caregiver practices for individualized success. This software utilizes data and scores from CLASS® to generate reports that can be analyzed to adapt coaching to individual needs. We are pioneers in the development of web-based tools that are dedicated to driving professional growth, improving outcomes for children and families, and providing strategic advantages like multi-year tracking. Southwest Human Development is currently utilizing the efficiencies of Construct apps for teaching/child assessment, leadership, family engagement, home visit, attendance, monitor, health, enrollment, referral, recruiting, selection, and employee.

As a regional and state leader in Early Childhood Education, Southwest Human Development organizes cohort groups and professional education communities to support family child care homes and child care centers with strategies, skills, and practices.

We work closely with Arizona State University on full validations of tools and curriculum, currently focused on the Birth to Three curriculum and our Construct Teaching Birth to Five ongoing assessment tool grounded in the Head Start Outcomes Early Learning Framework. The latter web-based app will provide real-time child assessment data for individualized instruction and high-quality teaching practices that improve parent-teacher communications regarding school readiness goals. We continually develop the professionalism of child/family development staff with our Embedded Professional Development-Consultation and Coaching model.

Incorporating real-world experiences and successes into research-based expectations for coaches and leaders, this model drives highquality practices for improved child and family outcomes.

Of 2,907 program volunteers, 2,127 were current or former Head Start parents

Leadership in Strategic Funding Practices 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, and the community. Our reputation for benchmark-setting achievement and continual improvement earned our place as one of the founding partners and primary program provider for Educare Arizona, part of a pioneering network of early childhood schools operated by local public/private

2018-19 Head Start Fiscal Summary Budget $11,724,408 Head Start Fund 2,023,211 Early Head Start Child Care Partnerships

713,867 USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program 4,817,922 Local In-Kind Donations 1,354,537 Private/Other

$ 26,158,016 Total Revenues

partnerships. 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. We are also innovators and champions of child care management software that can save child care businesses time and money, increase revenue, and enable skilled financial management. Our leadership in business automation holds promise for 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.

2019-20 Head Start Fiscal Summary Budget 9,9044,842 Head Start Fund $ 5,660,396 Early Head Start Fund 2,003,981 Early Head Start Child Care Partnerships

738,956 USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program 4,392,305 Local In-Kind Donations

1,177,195 Private/Other

$ 23,877,676 Total Revenues

Of the 2,907 total program volunteers, 2,127 were current/ former Head Start parents Of the 29 homeless families served, 13 acquired housing

131 children with Individualized Education Plan or Individualized Family Service Plan received disability services

Head Start and Early Head Start Center Locations Balsz/Educare District

Creighton West District

Paradise Valley District

Pat Tillman School 4309 E Bellview Phoenix, AZ 85008

Excelencia School 2181 E McDowell Road Phoenix, AZ 85006

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

Kennedy School 2702 E Osborn Road Phoenix, AZ 85016

Campo Bello School 2650 E Contention Mine Road Phoenix, AZ 85032

Crockett School 501 N 36th Street Phoenix, AZ 85008

Loma Linda School 2002 E Clarendon Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85016

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

Machan School 2140 E Virginia Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85006

Creighton East District

Osborn-Madison Park District

Creighton School 2802 E McDowell Phoenix, AZ 85008

Encanto School 146 West Osborn Road Phoenix, AZ 85013 Madison Park School 1431 E Campbell Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85014

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

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

Montecito School 715 E Montecito Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85014 Phoenix College 3310 N 10th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85013

2850 North 24th Street • Phoenix, AZ 85008-1004 Tel (602) 560-0000 • Fax (602) 633-8755 Head Start Referral (602) 468-3431