GULF COAST COMMUNITY SERVICES ASSOCIATION
Head Start/Early Head Start Support Services Monthly Narrative July 2025
LEADERSHIPACTIVITIES
• Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP): During July, Center Administrators updated their Center’s Site Applications. These updates apply to the current year and will roll over to the 2025–2026 year in the Texas Department of Agriculture’s TX-UNPS system. The new applications will be submitted in mid-August ahead of the September deadline.
• Health Specialist and Health & Nutrition Manager Positions: We are excited to welcome our new Health and Nutrition Manager, who will begin work in August. Health Specialist positions remain open and will be filled once the manager is on board.
• Head Start/Early Head Start Professional Development:
Following the Professional Development Institute (PDI) on July 21–22, we hosted the Head Start/Early Head Start Professional Development on July 23–25 at the Community Collective. Teachers participated in curriculum training, while cooks and custodians attended training on meal requirements and operational procedures. The event also included Child Development Associate (CDA) credentialing classes and technology training. Professional Development was filled with learning, collaboration, and fun as we lived up to our themes: “One Team, One Trail – Trailblazing New Paths to Success” and “Saddling Up for Success!”
CHILD DEVELOPMENT (CD)
• The Child Development team completed and finalized an Inventory and Requisition Tracking System to assess program needs, order, and track inventory at individual sites effectively for the upcoming school year. Individual site inventories are stored in digital versions.
• The Child Development Team work diligently to make sure EHS Pasadena classrooms are ready for the first day of school.
• The Child Development Team has a successful Head Start and Early Head Start Professional Development Week.
• The Child Development Team supported Summer Enrollment.
• The Child Development Team is diligently preparing for a successful Head Start and Early Head Start Professional Development Week.
HEALTH & NUTRITION (H/N):
• Head Start program requires within 30 calendar days after the child first attends the program, the parent must be consulted to determine whether each child has ongoing sources of continuous, accessible health care and health insurance coverage. Currently the Head Start enrollment is at 1267 and EHS is at full enrollment of 80 Within 45 calendar days after the child first attends the program a program must either obtain or perform evidence-based vision and hearing screenings.
• Within 90 days HS must obtain determinations from health care and oral health care professionals to establish if the child is up to date on a schedule of age-appropriate preventive and primary medical and oral health care. This is based on the well-child visits and dental periodicity schedules as prescribed by the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) program. EPSDT is a part of the Medicaid agency.
• First Aide kits and fanny packs were replenished and monthly checks were done for the Automated External Defibrillators (AED).
• The Health & Nutrition Team is preparing for the New Hire Orientation sessions for new employees in the upcoming school year.
• The Nutrition Team is working on updating the menus and food production records for the upcoming school year.
• The Health & Nutrition Team successfully completed the summer inventory
• The HealthTeam continued preparations for the upcoming school year by proactively pulling IMMTRAC reports for newly enrolled students, scheduling calibration of hearing equipment, and finalizing SHINE reports from the previous school year
SPECIALSERVICES (SS):
Head Start and Early Head Start requires that 10% of the Funded Enrollment includes children with disabilities. Head Start only recognizes children with a disability that are eligible for services under Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).At the end of July 2025, it was determined 11 Head Start children and 1 Early Head Start children are expected to enroll in the program that are identified with disabilities for the program year 2025-2026.
Eight (8) children are identified with a Speech Impairment, 1 withAutism, 1 with Non-Categorical Early Childhood, 1 with Other Health Impairment and 1 with a Fine Motor Disability. IDEAis a law that makes available free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensures special education and related services to those children who are identified with a disability. The Local Education Agency (LEA) holds the authority to identify the children with disabilities. Please see the
“Identified Children Per Campus” chart showing the number of children with disabilities indicated above. As of the end of July 2025, the Special Services Department has 45 suspected children to enroll in our Head Start program and 9 suspected children to enroll in our Early Head Start program. 34 children have suspected speech concerns, 6 children have suspected of Autism, 2 children have suspected social-emotional concerns, 11 children with both disability and socialemotional concerns and 1 child with occupational/physical concern.
Please see the “Suspected Children Per Campus” chart showing the number of children with suspected disabilities.
Multi-Disciplinary Team Meetings:
The department assists with monitoring Multi-Disciplinary (MDT) meetings. MDT meetings are held to ensure that children who are enrolled or who have applied are given the opportunity to maximize the benefits of the program. For the month of July 2025, the Special Services Department obtained and attended 1 new MDT and a total of 10 year to date.
SPECIALSERVICES
(continued):
The Special Services Department also provided training on policies and procedures pertaining to children with suspected and identified disabilities during the agency’s annual Professional Development.
GCCSADisabilities and Mental Health Providers Services - (Advance Plus,Angels of Care, Personal Touch, Eaden Counseling, Providential Counseling,ANC-D Psychological Services and Marshall Counseling Services) Providers are working towards ensuring they are cleared to provide services for the upcoming 2025-2026 program year.
DEPARTMENTACCOMPLISHMENTS:
New Hire Orientation: During the month of July, we had five (5) new hires come on board, three (3) Teacher III positions, one (1) Teacher II position and one (1) Cook/Custodian position from Ambassador. We warmly welcome our new hires.
CPR/First Aid: There were two (2) CPR classes for the month of July, AM & PM sessions held. In attendance were four (4) Center Administrators; four (4) Cook/Custodians; one (1) Custodian; six (6) Family Service Specialists and twenty three (23) Teaching staffs making a total of thirty-eight (38) being certified in CPR/First Aid.
Site Observation Report – July 2025: The Site Observation Summary Chart outlines the center visits conducted during July 2025 by the Support Services Associate and Family Empowerment Specialist These visits were carried out across all GCCSA Head Start and Early Head Start Centers to ensure that comprehensive support was provided, addressing the evolving needs of children, families, and staff. Each site observation is an essential component of the agency’s commitment to maintaining high-quality service delivery and fostering continuous improvement.
Specialists’ Outcomes Meeting: Specialists held their regular and final quarterly meeting for this school year. Children’s progress was discussed and identified by returning children who will continue to need support.
HS/EHS Professional Development: Congratulations to five teacher aides who successfully completed their Child DevelopmentAssociate (CDA) classes! �� SHINEAssist provided technology training on the SHINE family and student system, helping staff strengthen their skills and tools for success.
UPCOMINGACTIVITIES/EVENTS/TRAINING HOSTED BY DEPARTMENT:
Augst 7
One – Time Supplemental Funds for Nutrition and Healthy Eating for HS Children & Families
New Hire Orientation
August 11-14 GCCSASHINE Data Meeting
September 17
GCCSAStory Time
September 8 GCCSASHINE ECE Meeting
UPCOMING CONFERENCES TRAININGS HOSTED OUTSIDE OF GCCSA:
August 1
August 6
August 12
August 13
SIDS & Shaken Baby Training
Lockhart Introduction Meeting – Welcome to the 2025-2026 School Year!
HS/EHS HISD First Day of School
Pasadena/Richey/PISD First Day of School
August 14 Harris County Public Healthy “Immunizations 101: Health in Session”
August 18
August 20
Benie E. Keith Meeting Children Meal Update
06CH012604 Gulf Coast Community ServicesAssociation, Inc. w/Program Specialist Natasha Ikeji
September 1 Labor Day
REQUIRED TRAININGS:
• CDA Training
• Civil Rights Training (annual)
• CLASS and Teacher Success Rubric
• Training for new and returning staff.
• Child Abuse and Neglect Training annually
• CPR & First Aid Training
• Coaching and Mentoring Strategies CD Specialists & Teachers
• ERSEA Training - required annually.
• Food Handlers Certification
• Medication Administration Training
• Orientation for New Employees, Parents & Providers
• Developmentally Appropriate Practices, Health and Safety, Teaching and Learning Environment, Curriculum & Assessment
• Pedestrian Safety at First Parent Upcoming
• Technology in the Classroom Training
• HS/EHS Policies and Procedures Training: Practice-Based Coaching, Effective Classroom Management.
• CACFP Required Training & Bi- Weekly CACFP & Cook Training Conscience Discipline Training
• Disability & Mental Health Training & Social Emotional Development for Children
• SIDS/ Shaken Baby training.
