Edward C. Mazique Parent Child Center, Inc. 2019 Annual Report

Edward C. Mazique Parent Child Center, Inc.

Annual Report 2019

(July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019)

May 2020 (Updated)

Early Head Start Child Care Partnership Grantee Office of the State Superintendent of Education Child Care Subsidy Provider 1

Dr. Wendell Campbell Board Chairman

The Edward C. Mazique Parent Child Center, Inc. (Mazique) appreciates the enthusiastic support that the 2 organization has received throughout the years. As Chairman of the Mazique Board of Directors, I want to thank our children, families, staff, and community partners for sharing the gifts and talents with Mazique.

I would also like to acknowledge those colleagues that continue to help us refine our thinking about early childhood development and how it defines the educational process and quality of childcare. Many thanks to our sponsors and donors who have provided volunteer time, financial and material support through the years.

Finally, it is our belief that early childhood practitioners and family members form the foundation that promotes quality early childhood education and high-quality programs in our communities. Mazique will continue to provide the knowledgerich, researched-based learning daily to each of our children and families.

When Mazique was founded in 1967, it was the first and only Parent Child Center in the District of Columbia that provided home-based services to pregnant women and children from birth to age three.

Mazique was the first infant center in DC and among the first to serve children with special needs.

Mazique continues to be the pioneer Head Start program in the country with a medical clinic because of a 20+ year partnership with Howard University Hospital Pediatric Residency Program. Mazique is a child development center that assists parents in developing skills, obtaining knowledge and becoming responsible advocates in ways that empower them to successfully promote their children’s growth and development, while simultaneously receiving valuable tools that promote and lead families to complete self-sufficiency.

Mazique has provided services to over 11,500 students in five (5) decades offering comprehensive education, health, dental, nutrition and related services for children birth to age five, as well as intensive parent engagement and supports. The organization has been a Head Start grantee and delegate from 1968 – 2014, an Early Head Start grantee from 1998 – 2014, and now an EHS-CCP grantee from 2017 – Present.

Throughout the years, Mazique has continued to innovate and expand through powerful community partnerships as well as provide state of the art facilities and a superior learning environment. At Mazique, we stand on a record of children’s and families’ success, and now faced with new challenges and ever-changing needs of families we look to the future with focus, determination, and optimism.

MAZIQUE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dr. Wendell Campbell, Chair Bertie Bryant, Vice Chair Elaine Bourne Heath, Secretary Herman Cook, Assistant Secretary Artie L. Polk, Treasurer Abiodun I. Bello, Certified Accountant Charles Ray, Attorney Almeta R. Keys, Chief Executive Officer

2

Almeta R Keys, M.Ed., M.Div. Chief Executive Office

Greeting Friends, On behalf of the Edward C. Mazique Parent Child Center, Inc. staff, I am pleased to present our agency’s 2019 Annual Report.

Our children and families receive the comprehensive services and funding provided through the Office of Head Start and the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education. This allows Mazique to provide a program that participates in a variety of educational activities that help promote their physical, cognitive, social/emotional development and communication within a well maintained, safe, healthy, and stimulating environment.

The hard work of our dedicated and selfless staff and volunteers have made a positive impact on the children and families we serve, as well as the community, through partnerships and collaborations. Our accomplishments are a direct result of their efforts to continuously work towards the needs and goals for our children daily. As we continue to reach for higher quality outcomes for our children, families, and staff, we will remain ever committed to nurturing the knowledge and expectations of reaping the harvest of high-quality services. We sincerely thank our staff for helping to carry out our vision, mission and goals for our children and families. “The Next Best Place to Home…Where We Are Doing What Is Best for Children” is not just a saying, it is what we passionately distribute successful each day.

The Mazique Family envisions children and families in our care leaving our organization stronger, healthier, empowered, and prepared to meet life’s opportunities and challenges in a dramatically changing world.

Our mission is to team up with families, community leaders and collaborative partners to ensure our children and families reach their full potential. Together we will: close the Achievement Gap; work toward ending economic disparities between low and middle-income families; and provide the highest quality of comprehensive child and family services to the children we serve.

Our objective is to provide high-quality, research-based early childhood education and overall care to support services for children and families that promote social and community awareness of child and family issues while remaining a comprehensive program which serves as a model in our communities.

In order to fulfill our commitment to our children and families, it is our key responsibility to continue to provide high-quality, education and partnerships that will continuously overcome obstacles that may cause deficits in their health, social and emotional growth, and economic progress.

With Warmest Regards!

3

In spring 2019, Mazique conducted parent surveys with parents across all four (4) centers. The survey was designed to gauge and assess parent’s feedback on the Mazique EHS-CCP program on School Readiness and the Early Head Start Program components in accordance with the Head Start Performance Standards.

Data from the Early Head Start Parent Survey showed that nearly 88+% of parents reported that they were very satisfied with family engagement, health services, customer service, building cleanliness and a safe environment. As a result of the data, Mazique intensified its efforts to educate families on the topic of school readiness and Mazique’s nationally recognized curriculum. Additionally, Mazique expanded its model for food services and helped families to understand certain food choices and how they fit into the Mazique health food model. Given that providing healthy food and teaching children healthy eating habits at a young age prepares them to make the positive choices that lead to a healthy lifestyle, parent education and involvement in those critical decisions are always needed to ensure that there is total buy-in. Finally, parent feedback led to Mazique incorporating more robust strategies to expand its efforts to inform parents and the community of child outcomes and to direct continuous improvement related to curriculum, instruction, professional development, program design, and other program decisions.

Program Components School Readiness Curriculum Parent Involvement Family Engagement Food Services Health Services Customer Building Cleanliness Safe Environment

Very Satisfied Not Satisfied Sure 70% 12% 17% 77% 17% 1% 81% 16% 3%

Shanese Bryant President Policy Council

On behalf of the Mazique Policy Council Committee, I would like to thank our children, families, and staff for being such a formidable part of the Edward C. Mazique Parent Child Center, Inc.’s commitment to excellence. Without the daily dedication and continuous high-quality services, we would not be able to serve our children and families throughout the communities with such great success.

MAZIQUE EHS-CCP POLICY COUNCIL • Shanese Bryant, President • Connie Guevara, Secretary • Pamela Jackson, Representative • Jammie O’Brien, Representative • Alicia Colbert, Representative • Shanika Poe, Representative

Not Satisfied 1% 5% 0%

88%

12%

0%

0%

83% 88% 90% 90%

17% 12% 10% 10%

0% 0% 0% 0%

0% 0% 0% 0%

95%

5%

0%

0%

4

OUR CENTER LOCATIONS & DIRECTORY 3

Ruth Elizabeth Rucker Building Main Center/Administrative Offices

1719 13th Street, NW Washington, DC 20009

Phone: (202)-462-3375 Center Director: Carolyn Ndolo Hanna Boku

Mazique @ Developing Families Center 801 17th Street, NE Washington, DC 20018 Phone: (202) 730-0004 Center Director: Abosede Oyebo

Mazique @ Reeves Municipal Center 2000 14th Street, NW Washington, DC. 20009 Phone: (202) 462-3375 Ext 401 Center Director: LaShaun Lightfoot

Mazique @ Tyler House 1200 North Capitol Street, NW Washington, DC 20002 Phone: (202) 462-3375 Ext 403 Center Director: Diane Williams

5

CHILDREN AND FAMILIES WE SERVE

TOTAL ENROLLMENT DEMOGRAPHICS DATA

Mazique’s EHS-CCP sites and areas where we draw families from for enrollment cuts across the District of Columbia. In fact, the political divisions of the wards allow for the comparison of subpopulations and the analysis of data that can offer insight about the health status of the District’s residents.

The Northwest quadrant of the District includes Wards 1 and 4, both of which are home to a substantial number of Hispanic residents. In contrast, the Northeast quadrant’s Wards 5 and 6 residents are predominately middle-class African Americans. While 96% of the residents in Wards 7 and 8 are also African American, the residents of the Southeast quadrant have higher poverty rates, earn lower incomes, and experience higher rates of unemployment than their counterparts in the District’s other five wards.

6

CHILDREN AND FAMILIES WE SERVE

EHS-CCP ENROLLMENT EHS-CCP Enrollment by Language Amharic

3% 1% 1% 0% 25% 15% 1% 54%

Arabic English Spanish

Vietnamese Yoruba Swahili Sango

ERSEA Compliance Eligibility – Mazique (1) ensured all children enrolled in the EHS-CCP program met the age and income or categorical requirements to be eligible to be considered for enrollment into the EHS-CCP program; (2) ensured 90% of the total enrollment met income eligibility per Federal/State standards and ensured that not more than 10% of families enrolled were over income and deemed at risk based on developmental or environmental factors limit; (3) ensured all children enrolled were eligible to remain in the program until eligible for kindergarten. Selection - Mazique implemented a formal, priority system that ensured children in greatest need were enrolled in the program and ensured 10% of enrollment was for children with disabilities. Enrollment – Mazique ensured full enrollment was based on the latest approved EHS-CCP continuation applicationReceiving and maintained SNAPthroughout the year.

Vacancies were filled within 30 calendar days. Attendance – Mazique ensured enrolled children received maximum benefits for school readiness; daily attendance was tracked, documented, and followed up by staff.

EHS-CCP Enrollment/Requirement Mazique continues to implement aggressive strategies to expand EHS-CCP services to the most underserved, highest need wards in DC, Wards 7 and 8, as well as expanding EHS-CCP for qualifying families in Wards 2, 4 and 5.

There is a large deficit of high quality infanttoddler slots in those areas, and the Mazique EHS-CCP program continues to work to meet the demand for services. Additionally, Mazique TOTAL NUMBER OF continued to screen families to ensure compliance with its selection criteria as per FAMILIES ERSEA and Subsidy Guidelines to determine those children who are EHS and OSSE eligible.

2,718

Our Office of Family and Community Engagement continued to work with community partners and local government social service agencies to identify families who were eligible and could benefit from the Mazique service delivery model.

EHS-CCP Enrollment by Eligibility Homeless

3% 12% 16% 54%

11% 1% 3%

Income Eligible Over Income Foster Care Disability

Public Assisance TANF

7

7

EDUCATION AND CHILD OUTCOMES Early Childhood Comprehensive System of Care Mazique’s nationally award-winning center-based Early Childhood Comprehensive System of Care (ECCSC) model is a family and child-driven model that incorporates the core components of the National Head Start Model: • high quality learning experiences; • health services; • parent and family engagement; and • social and health services/outreach to support families.

Mazique’s ECCSC model has the following goals: (1) reduce negative influences on early development; (2) increase developmental screening of young children to identify and treat problems early; (3) improve the quality of child care by linking children and families to linguistic and culturally appropriate service/health care providers; and (4) support families in becoming independent and self-sufficient.

CREATIVE CURRICULUM Classroom Setup Mazique’s classrooms are arranged so that our children receive the maximum support in each learning area.

Teachers are trained to allow each child to explore in each area of learning at their own pace. Our children have daily activities using music and movements, art, sand and water play, dramatic play, and blocks. Classrooms are monitored based on a monthly schedule. The observations are conducted by the Teaching and Learning Officer, Center Directors, Mentor Coaches, and Educational Specialists.

Classroom observations are used to inspection the overall physical environment, furnishings, daily schedules routines and transitions, direct interaction between teachers and children, choice time, establishing positive relationships as well as providing social-emotional and developmental support. Ongoing assessments are conducted to ensure services are individualized for maximum progress toward children’s goals.

Mazique implements the Creative Curriculum which uses research-based strategies and tools to teach young children, effectively informs teachers on content and skill areas to teach, and on how children learn best, learn differently, and why, so that they can be responsive to the individual needs and learning styles of all their students.

Creative Curriculum® addresses the needs of all children, including children with disabilities and dual language learners.

The Creative Curriculum® for Infants, Toddlers and Twos is regularly updated based on ongoing research as to its effectiveness. Promoting school readiness, the curriculum’s approach is developmentally appropriate and supports children’s learning in all domains (socialemotional, physical, cognitive and language).

8

EDUCATION AND CHILD OUTCOMES Mazique Mentor Coaching Model The Mazique Mentor Coaching model will have the overarching purpose of improving staff skills, knowledge, and practices in working with children and families. Our pre-established goals which allow us to better plan and monitor progress towards quality include the following: 1) effective use of Creative Curriculum assessment tools and use of child progress data in lesson planning; 2) improve instructional practices (e.g., pedagogy, implementing a specific curriculum); 3) improve classroom organization and behavior management; 4) improve communication with and engagement of families; 5) foster staff’s continuing education, training, and professional growth; and 6) staff support (e.g., stress reduction, personal growth). Our Mentor Coaches provide training, screening, and assessment services in the EHS-CCP classrooms.

Mazique Mentor Coaches Making A Difference!

Mazique Mentor Coaches have: • •

Meet Nicol Riley Former ABCD Head Start parent “When you’ve grown up with trauma, like I did, trust is a very difficult thing,” former Head Start parent Nicol Riley said. After a worrisome experience at the daycare program where she had enrolled her then 16

•

•

Provided nearly 21,000 hours of coaching, modeling, and mentoring to EHS-CCP teachers.

Completed the development of Winter 2019 School Readiness goals with procedures.

Focused on classroom profiles in GOLD to develop small/large group activities.

Through data driven assessments of quality across the program, Mentor Coaches have helped to proactively re-tool the School Readiness Plan by leveraging a complete infusion of the Early Learning Framework Goals and DC Common Core Standards Brought clarity and assurance that the rigor of our program is aligned with the school readiness goals of pre-k, Kindergarten and beyond.

Living with the heartbreak of missing her daughter and still finding no answers, at last, life changed for the better. ABCD Head Start had an opening. “I could tell the staff’s dedication was uncommon and special,” 9

MENTAL HEALTH & DISABILITIES Nicol said, and, critically, the education AGESnoted AND STAGES (ASQ) director a learning disability that resulted in a diagnosis, and she developed an The Ages and Stages questionnaire is an individualized education plan to give Natalia evidence-based tool, chosen for its the support she needed.

The comprehensive developmental and cultural appropriateness. services, the and compassion “are interview, Since the tool isthe completed as a parent invaluable to families like mine,” Nicol said. it can be translated and/or interpreted by

Mazique placed a high priority on ensuring the needs and services are provided for all children identified with special educational and developmental needs. With our community partnerships, we were able to provide direct services to our children and families. The services included but not limited to speech, occupational and physical therapy, social-emotional, behavioral, and mental health.

program staff or other adult who speaks the language of the parent, making the screening process both culturally and linguistically appropriate for enrolled children. If the ASQ score indicates a potential issue or delay, the Teachers and Intervention Support Specialist will monitor the child in the classroom, individualizing activities as needed, and assess if further evaluation is needed through a referral to Early Intervention or the public school system.

Mazique’s partnership with the DC Department of Behavioral Health has provided critical services to our Early Head Start and Preschool children and families. Mental Health Consultants for both programs observed, reflected, coached, and modeled positive pro-social behaviors for teaching staff in the classrooms. The two programs under the DC Department of Behavioral Health are the DC Seeds Program (Early Head Start) and Healthy Futures (Preschool).

In partnership with parents, children who exhibited challenging behaviors were referred to the Parent Infant Early Childhood Enhancement Program (PIECE). After evaluation, if found eligible, both the parent and child are involved in holistic play therapy, observations, parent child interaction Therapy, and parenting groups.

Children enrolled in Mazique must be screened within the first forty-five days of school. One hundred and twenty-four Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3(ASQ-3) and Ages and Stages Social Emotional (ASQ-SE) have been completed by parents.

10

HEALTH Mazique’s Early Head Start program services are based on the presumption that to learn, children and families must be healthy.

This includes oral, vision, and mental health which is essential for physical, verbal, and social emotional development. In our classrooms, our teachers ensure that our children brush the teeth after every meal. Children receive annual vision, hearing, and height/weight screenings since untreated problems in these areas can negatively affect learning. Children whose screening tests indicate a need for further testing and possible treatment are referred to the appropriate providers as needed. Teachers use the information gathered through the screening process to individualize activities for each child to support effective learning and development.

Mazique constantly embarks on new initiatives, grants, and community partnerships to enhance the health of our children and families. We are always eager to form new and long-lasting partnerships. We have formed a partnership with Gordan Dental Associates LTD through the Department of Health so that our children receive dental examinations whiling helping their families to find a dental home. We always ensure that our children and families receive the knowledge and guidance for their health, nutrition, and overall well-being. Our children and families also benefit from the partnership of Prevention of Blindness Society of Metropolitan Washington who provide visional screenings for our children ages 3 years and up. If during any of these examinations a problem is identified, our families are assisted to get further evaluations and treatments.

Mazique continues to be one of the only Early Head Start programs in the country with an on-site medical clinic, the result of a 20-year partnership with Howard University Hospital and the pediatric residency program led by Dr. Habiballah Shariat, MD. Mazique’s ECCSC model will continue to bolster Layer Three services by adding more community partners needed to link children and families to linguistic and culturally appropriate service providers. The model addresses the following domains: (1) nutrition/physical education; (2) oral health; (3) vision; (4) mental health; (5) learning disabilities; and (6) training. meet the needs of children and families.

11

NUTRITION Mazique Brings Back Parent Cooking Classes For a number of years, Mazique has provided cooking and nutrition classes for children and parents. This past year, we reintroduced cooking and nutrition classes to our parents.

The Ruth E. Rucker Cooking, Canning, and Nutrition classes were instructed by Dr. Janet Unonu and Chef Herbert Holden. This was a 6 to 8-week program which allowed the parents to learn more about meal prep in a commercial kitchen setting, ways to save on their food budgets, identify healthy foods using food labels, and how to can food for future use. The parents who took this class were positively affected by the discussion, cooking demonstrations and activities. Our parents expressed how the course has impacted the way they view cooking and food. Our parents also participated in the Ruth E. Rucker Food Handler’s Certificate Training program. The on-site training allowed our parents to obtain their food handlers certificate, card, and permit.

Our children are provided with two nutritionally balanced meals and two snacks daily. Our meals are served familystyle in each classroom. Our programs provide many opportunities to share information to our children and families about healthy choices, shopping, and meal prep through fun and informative activities. During our intake process, each family receives a nutritional assessment to determine the child’s dietary needs, including any special diets. Our partnerships and grant with Child and Adult Care Food Program as well as Capital Area Food Bank, DC Greens, Bread for the City, Sysco, and local area grocery stores allows Mazique to provide fresh produce to children and families.

Meet

12

FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Due to the high need level of newly enrolled families, the Family and Community Engagement Office decided to lower its caseload per family advocate by hiring more staff. To further support family engagement, Mazique leveraged the Shine Early Learning’s family engagement tools and worked with the Family and Community Partnerships Coordinator to serve as a link between the family, the program, and the community to address the social, emotional, and parenting needs of families as identified in the Family Partnership Agreement (FPA) process. The Family and Community Engagement Office hosted monthly meetings with parents highlighting such topics as: cold & flu season, conflict resolution, child head trauma, managing challenging behaviors, family engagement activities and DC School Lottery.

Family Advocates provided a variety of supplementary services and activities to enrolled families based on their input, and results of the Parent Interest Survey and feedback from the Policy Council. Mazique employed an outcomes-based goal setting approach that permitted the program to track and collect data on child and family outcomes, which included family life practices that promote school readiness, support to families of children with chronic health conditions, special needs, family selfsufficiency, and family support.

Parent Engagement Parent Engagement is a critical part of our organization. Our families and staff work diligently to discuss, implement, and share responsibility for each child. The agency encourages parents and/or guardians to participate in their child’s everyday routines. Parents are continuously provided with resources and trainings such as Parent Meetings, Transition Planning, and Policy Council Meetings.

Foster Grandparent Program

This program allows Seniors to assist with the daily care and routines of our children.

13

FINANCE AND BUDGET

Donated FY 2019 REVENUE AND SUPPORT Facilities,

Parent Fees, $100,678.00, 1% Contributions, $41,255.00, 1%

$361,117.00, 6%

Other Income, $43,393.00, 1% Federal Grant, $1,821,061.00, 30%

COACHING ABCD Head Start & Children’s Services has successfully implemented a comprehensive approach to coaching since 2015. The model includes individual one-on-one coaching with teaching staff as well as group coaching through “Teachers Learning & Collaborating” (TLC) sessions. Our coaching staff conduct classroom Grants and Contracts$3,768,973.00, observations and provide feedback to teachers to assist in the improvement of teacher-child interactions $3,768,973.00, and curriculum implementation that support positive child outcomes 61% 14

FINANCE AND BUDGET Change in Net Assets, 95,779.

49 , 2% Expens es, 6,040,6 97.51 , 98%

FY2019 CHANGE IN NET ASSETS

15

HISTORY Ruth Rucker Pioneers the First Parent Child Care Center in DC Mrs. Ruth Rucker, who was a recent college graduate and mother of three children, had a dream. She wanted to go to work and be successful so that her children would have a better chance in life. While this was a great dream that she wanted to make a reality, it was very difficult at the time to accomplish due to the lack of adequate early learning services in the District. Instead of giving up on her dream, she began to broaden her thinking and considered that she might not be alone in this dilemma. Mrs. Rucker thought about the fact that if she as an educated young mother, did not have adequate child care to support her employment availability, how much greater the plight might be for other parents in her community who did not have the educational background, or support needed to start a career.

In late Summer 1968, Mrs. Rucker’s was selected by UPO (United Planning Organization) to establish DC’s first Parent Child Center (PCC) with a startup grant from the National Office of Economic Opportunity which earlier launched the Head Start Program under President Lyndon Baines Johnson. This new center would go on to become the present-day Edward C. Mazique Parent Child Center, Inc. Mrs. Rucker informally did what we would call today, a Community Needs Assessment, and discovered there were many other families who were faced with the same dilemma as her own. Therefore, as she pursued her hopes and dreams, which turned into goals and objectives for her own family, she set out to meet the needs of others. At that time, even facing many obstacles from the political world, as well as the social and working classes, Mrs. Rucker did not take ‘no’ for an answer but continued to pursue her passion. She persevered against all odds as she sought out to live her dreams while helping other mothers do the same.

With some of these very same issues still being faced some 50 years later, Mrs. Rucker was honored by current and former Board Members, Staff, Parents and the community by celebrating the longevity of the agency and the many hours of service she gave to the agency. When asked during the ceremony about her secret of success that lasted over 50 years, Mrs. Rucker responded (in a very soft voice), “the Mazique Center has always put children first, and the staff has continued through the years to always seek to identify and meet the critical needs of the children and families.”

Unfortunately, Mrs. Rucker passed on September 8, 2018. So today, as the Founding Director’s dream lives on, we, the Mazique Team, are very grateful to Mrs. Rucker for her tenacity, bold stand for equality, and for her intentional service towards reaching her goal of empowering families in the District of Columbia through services rendered at the Mazique Centers.

16