GULF COAST COMMUNITY SERVICES ASSOCIATION
Head Start/Early Head Start Support Services Monthly Narrative
November 2024
LEADERSHIPACTIVITIES
• ChildandAdultCareFoodProgram(CACFP) TheOctoberr2024ChildandAdultCareFoodProgram(CACFP) claim wascompletedandsubmittedtotheTexas Department ofAgriculture(TDA)forreimbursement. In October there were 21foodservice days for the month.There were 15eligible sites and 1,370eligible children.The number of meals provided: 7,750 breakfasts; 7,643 lunches and 20,786 PM snacks served.
Expected reimbursement for the month is $77,377.09.
TANS – The Department of Agriculture will be moving to a new electronic system called Texas Automated Nutrition System (TANS). The Assistant Director attended the Introductory Webinar. This system will replace the current TXUNPS.
• Staff Electronic Files – The Assistant Director HS/EHS and the Human Resources Manager met with Corey Garza, Child Care Regulation Program Specialist for Child Care Licensing thismonth. Heprovided guidanceand clarification on staff electronic filing requirements
• TheAssistant Directors’Meeting–TheCommunityServicesandHeadStartEarlyHead StartDirectorsmettodiscuss andimplementcollaborationstrategybetweenthetwodepartments. In the November meeting an internal referral form draft was developed for both departments’ use to refer Head Start families and CS clients within the agency. Also discussed – Head Start recruitment during large Community Service events.
• Fun Run Committee – The Fun Run Committee was initiated to developaRunEventincelebratoryoftheagency’s60th Anniversary in May 2025. Committee members discussed a 5K Run, A Virtual 5 Run and partnering with another agency’s run event. Next planning meeting in January 2025.
• IT Manager Interviews – The Assistant Head Start Director of Support Services participated on the interview panel with Al Maldonado and Horace Grant for the IT Manager position. Congratulations to Ms. Hetal Desai who was the best qualified and selected to fill that position.
CHILD DEVELOPMENT
(CD)
• Welcome Ms. Gray and Ms. Pratt, our New Child Development Specialist.
• Early Head Start- Themes taught for this month were: Toddler- Theme3- FriendsWeek 3- Friends Who Keep Us SafeThis week children will learn about people who keep us safe: firefighters and police officers. Week 4- Friends With Helpful Hands- This week children will learn about community friends with helpful hands: mail carrier, courier, and trash collector. Theme 4 Opposites- Week 1- In/Out, Inside/Outside- This week children will practice using in, out, inside, and outside. Week 2- Up/Down, Under/Over- This week children will practice using up, down, over, and under.
• Threes- Theme 3- Colors Shapes and Sizes- Week 3- Size- Children will review size this week. They will begin using size, not only to describe something, but also as a way to group items into sets. Week 4- Multiple Attributes- This week children will use what they have learned about color, shape, and size. They will increase their multiple attributes to classifymaterials. Theme 4- Safe and HealthyMe-Week 1- SafeMe Three- year-olds areall about wanting todo things on their own. Although they still need adults to support their efforts, they are ready to accept a bigger role in their own care. As we teach rules that support their health and safety, we can expect children to be eager to apply this new knowledge. This week children will explore safety rules.
• Infants- In these two classrooms the teachers implement the Activity Tracking Cards to plan for each child according to their individual need.
• Raul Yzaguirre P-Stem & RYSS Stem- Teaching Strategies: Study: Music Making Exploring the Topic: What do we know about music making? What do we want to find out? Investigation 1: What instruments can we play by hitting, tapping, or shaking them? Investigation 2: What other musical instruments are there? How do people play them? Investigation 3: How can we make music with our voices? Investigation 4: What different styles of music are there? How do they make us feel? Investigation 5: Who works with music for their job? What tools do they use?
• Frogstreet Pre-K Curriculum: Theme 2: My Family and Friends/Mi familia y mis amigos. Week 1: Community/comuidad, Week 2: Theme 3: Giants/Los gigantes: Big & Little/ Grande y pequeno. Week 3: Nature’s Giants/Gigantes de la naturaleza, Week 4: Giants Made by People/ Gigantes hechos por el hombre.
• Play Motion Music with Nick Young has begun. Weekly live music and movement and access to PlayMotion Music curriculum online. T his is a comprehensive, multimedia, online curriculum that is used to lead active, engaging and joyful interactive music and movements activities with our students in the classroom.
• The Child Development team has supported successfully to review CLI Engage BOY assessment for all sites.
• The Child Development Specialist team continues to provide individualized coaching, and guidance to teachers and assisting with CLI Engage, planning Individualized Coaching Plan for all teaching staff, based on recent CLASS score
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 Head Start enrollment is at 1294 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 evidencebased vision and hearing screenings. Within 90 days HS must obtain determinations from health care and oral health care professionals as to whether or not 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. Texas Health Steps is our state’s EPSDT program Immunization recommendations are issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and any additional recommendations from the local health agencies and the GCCSA Health Services Advisory Committee based on prevalent community health problems.
Nutrition Team continue to host monthly meetings with The Healthy Lunch Box Provider. This gives the Center Administrators an opportunity to provide feedback on the quality of the meals served to our stand-alone centers. They also provided Family Style training for Pasadena, Garden Villa, Richey, Reveille, and EHS
• Health Specialist continue to complete vision and hearing screenings for the new and returning students.
• Fall health and nutrition folder reviews are completed for the fall semester. 10% of each center’s folders were reviewed.
HEALTH & NUTRITION
(H/N) (continued):
• The Nutrition Team coordinated Thanksgiving food learning activities for Lockhart, RYSS Stem Academy, Patterson, Pasadena, and Raul. Children created their artwork using food items.
• The first Health and Mental Health Advisory Services Committee meeting was held for the year in conjunction with the Special Services Manager. The following revised policies were approved: Health andMental Health Services Advisory Committee Meeting Policy; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and FirstAid Policy; Health Tracking System Policy and Oral Health Policy. Updates are needed due to the new Head Start Performance Standards.
• The health and nutrition team participated in the implementation of Childbuilders for the Fall.
• Two CPR & FirstAid classes were hosted for staff with expiring certifications.
• GCCSA’s vendor, Ben E. Keith, donated 13 turkeys for RYSS StemAcademy to donate to families for Thanksgiving.
SPECIALSERVICES (SS):
• Head Start and Early Head Start requires that 10% of the Funded Enrollment includes children with disabilities. Head Start only recognized children with a disability that are eligible for services under Individuals With
• Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).At the end of November 2024, it was determined 52 Head Start children and 5 Early Head Start children are enrolled in the program that are identified with disabilities. Forty-Six (46) children are identified with a speech impairment, 4 withAutism, 6 with Non-Categorical Early Childhood and 1 with Orthopedic Impairment.
• 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 EducationAgency (LEA) holds the authority to identify children with disabilities. Please see the “Identified Children Per Campus” chart showing the number of children with disabilities on the previous page.
• As of the end of November 2024, the Special Services Department has 199 suspected children enrolled in our Head Start program and 4 suspected children enrolled in our Early Head Start program. 139 children have suspected speech concerns, 22 children have suspectedAutism, 10 children have suspected social emotional concerns, and 31 children with both disability and social emotional concerns. Please see the “Suspected Children Per Campus” chart showing the number of children with disabilities.
Multi-Disciplinary Team
Meetings: The department assists with monitoring Multidisciplinary Team (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 November 2024, the Special Services Department obtained and attended 1 new MDT meeting reports from the agency’s content areas for a total of 26 meetings year to date.
GCCSADisabilities and Mental Health Providers Services -
(Advance Plus, Carr Speech, Personal Touch, Eaden Counseling, Providential Counseling andANC-D Psychological Services) The 2024-2025 program year is a bidding year and therefore the Special Services Manager and other staff members worked with the Procurement team and have accepted a proposal for the new Mental Health Provider, Marshall Counseling Services. The Special Services Department is still in need of additional Disability and Mental Health Providers therefore the RFP was reposted
• The Mental Health Providers have completed their Mental Health Classroom Observations at each campus to identify any areas where additional coaching would be needed for teachers as well as any concerns with individual students. The Special Services Manager met with the Child Development department to identify teachers that will require additional coaching.
• Mental Health Provider,ANC-D Psychological Services conducted a staff training at our Pasadena Head Start location titled “Issues of Mental Health in Early Childhood”.
• Mental Health Provider, Eaden Counseling and Consulting conducted a parent training at Patterson Elementary titled “Behavior Problems: What to do.”
• Disability Provider, Personal Touch Therapy, provided staff training focusing on speech impairments.
The Special Services Department joined the Health Department for our first Health and Mental HealthAdvisory Committee Meeting.ANC-D Psychological Services spoke and provided valuable information regarding mental health concerns within the community and resources.
The Special Services Department and other ContentArea Departments completed the ChildBuilder’s Stand Strong Stay Safe Program. The program focused on teaching our students assertiveness and emotional literacy skills they need to build positive communities, stand up for themselves, and get help when faced with unsafe situations. Through age-appropriate lessons, our students are prepared to recognize and report bullying, abuse, and neglect. The two Child Development Specialists vacancies were filled this month. Please welcome our newest Specialists, Ms. Ondrea Pratt and Stephanie Gray. They’re off to a great start! Staff attended the Preparation for the Final Rule: Assess, Plan Execute series presented by the Office of Head Start.
Site Observation October 2024 Report: The Site Observation Summary
Chart indicates the center visits made by the Family Empowerment Associate, Child Development, Health & Nutrition and Special Services Managers, Child Development, Family Empowerment, Health, Nutrition and Special Services Specialists for the month of November 2024.All GCCSA Site visits are required to provide support and meet the needs of children and staff at GCCSAHead Start and Early Head Start Centers.
New Hire Orientation:
New Hire Orientation was held November 11-15. There were six (6) new hires who came aboard. Please welcome to the agency Quinshandra Banks, HS TeacherAssistant, Antoinette Jones and Estella Garcia Teacher Aides, Crystina Lathrop-Lewis, Teacher III, Ondrea Pratt and Stephanie Gray, Child Development Specialists.
CPR/FirstAid: There were two CPR/FirstAide classes held in November. Thirteen (13) participants participated in the November 4th class and twenty (20) participants attended the November 8th class. All received their renewal CPR/FirstAid certifications.
HS/EHS Professional Development:
• Congratulations to Ms. Jesennia Guzman on completing all requirements and on receiving her Child Development Associate (CDA) credential
• Family Style Meals training was provided this month by the HS/EHS nutrition team.
• Family Service training provided for new staff.
• Co-Teaching training was provided for staff at Pasadena Head Start.
• The Texas Department ofAgriculture held a Community Call to update contracting entities (CE)
UPCOMINGACTIVITIES/EVENTS/TRAINING HOSTED BY DEPARTMENT:
December 9
December 11
December 12
December 16
GCCSA2025-2026 Head Start/Early Head Start Under enrollment Upadate & Program Changes
Head Start/Early Head Start Fatherhood Event
ERSEACommittee Meeting
GCCSAStory Time
December 20 Holiday Break
UPCOMING CONFERENCES TRAININGS HOSTED OUTSIDE OF GCCSA:
December 4
December 5
Region VI Director Mentor Program –Assistant Director HS/EHS Presenting
City of Houston CLIPP Partnership Development Meeting
Provider Services Meeting with Tejano Center Director Mr. Justin Fuentes
December 11 San Jac TXWORKS Intership Program – Employer Overview
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 (overview)
• Disability & Mental Health Training & Social Emotional Development for Children
• SIDS/ Shaken Baby training.
