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[Cross-Site Analysis] Early Childhood Reform in Seven Communities - October 1996
The following program profiles are designed to provide additional background information on the characteristics and innovative features of the seven case study sites. Each profile highlight five key attributes of services and organizational strategy:
The largest Head Start agency in Arkansas, Child Development, Inc. (CDI) serves 2000 children in 11 rural counties through a combination of centers, family day care homes, and home-based staff. CDI has expanded rapidly by obtaining funding from a wide variety of public and private sources. CDI offers a wide range of services to meet the needs of children and families, but it is a complex challenge for leaders to manage such a large number of separate programs and funding sources.
Organization
CDI's governing board of 23 business, political and community leaders sets priorities for future program development. The Head Start Policy Council, composed of parents and community representatives from each local center, approves all major decisions on Head Start operations, such as staff hiring and firing, the annual budget, and major shifts in program services. CDI manages a staff of over 300 people through a combination of local center directors, and central office supervisors.
Funding
CDI manages a complex set of funding sources, including eighteen different federal, and state programs, such as Head Start ($1,875,365), parent fees for child care ($343,218), child care vouchers ($259,309), and Even Start ($245,671). Agency leaders work to assure compliance with each set of program mandates, while pursuing a goal of a coherent continuum of services, rather than a series of separate, categorical programs. Staff members work within a single career ladder and compensation system. However, differences in rates of reimbursement between Head Start and child care voucher funding sources, which prevent CDI from providing equal salaries for all teaching staff.
Services For Children
CDI's diverse forms of funding support services to children from birth through school-age in part- day and full-day/full-year classrooms. Offering child care services to working parents on a sliding fee scale meets a key community need and assures more diversity in participating families and children. Children are grouped by age and not by the type of funding which supports their participation. Staff participate in ongoing professional development activities, including the Child Development Associate credential program.
Family Support and Involvement
Parents in all CDI programs are encouraged to volunteer in classrooms and participate in parent education programs, policy committees, and parent-teacher conferences. Home-based programs are a significant segment of CDI programming, providing more intensive, intimate interaction between staff members and families. CDI also helps parents make progress on educational and employment goals. For example, a Parent Child Center program serves 60 parents who participate in adult education and Job Training Partnership Act employment. A Teen Parent Program serves infants and toddlers of low-income mothers who are enrolled in vocational or adult education.
Collaboration
CDI has negotiated transition agreements with local school districts to facilitate transfer of records on children when they enter kindergarten, joint CDI-school staff development programs, and meetings and observation of classrooms by CDI and public school teachers. CDI collaborates with area education agencies in serving young children with disabilities. Other CDI partnerships connect parents with welfare, adult education, and job training agencies. Public health agencies provide resources for immunizations, and physical exams.
Inn-Circle is a "two-generational" early childhood strategy which combines child care with strategies to help parents become self-sufficient and reintegrated into the community. The local Head Start program works in partnership with a transitional housing facility for forty-four formerly homeless single mothers and their children. In addition to education classes, employment training, case management, health care, and counseling services, Inn Circle helps residents develop peer support skills, participate in decision making and service activities, and engage with local neighborhood institutions and associations.
Organization
The Inn-Circle staff of 20 includes a director, early childhood teachers and aides, counselors, and activity coordinators. Staffed by two nurses and one volunteer, a Well Child Clinic run by the Visiting Nurses Association is located at Inn-Circle. Though some Inn-Circle policies are set by HUD, a Resident Council and a series of parent committees determines day-to-day living policies and services such as security, maintenance and facilities, and the after-school programs.
Funding
Inn-Circle operates with an annual budget of $645,000, most of which is funded through HUD's Supplemental Assistance to Facilities to Assist the Homeless. Other monies come from state emergency shelter funds, Head Start, the Iowa Department of Public Health, WIC, and the United Way. Residents contribute one-third of their gross income for rent. In addition, local companies and organizations sponsor the renovation and maintenance of residential units at Inn-Circle with donations of cash and volunteer time.
Services for Children
Inn-Circle houses a Head Start program for thirty-two three- and four-year olds from resident families as well as from low-income working families in the neighborhood. Classrooms are open 7-5 to provide extended child care for working parents. There are toddler and infant rooms to care for 18 younger children, and after school care is available for children in kindergarten to sixth grade. Head Start staff conduct three home visits a year which focus on the child's educational and the family's needs as a whole. Teachers have worked to adjust their expectations and routines to accommodate the special social and emotional needs of children from homeless families.
Family Support and Involvement
Inn-Circle encourages its residents to take responsibility for running the facility and determining the services they need. Parents run parent meetings and volunteer in the community; serve on committees and make decisions regarding the management of Inn-Circle; establish support groups around their needs, such as narcotics anonymous, a domestic violence support group, and a self- esteem group; and organize social events, such as birthday parties for children. Parents are invited to work with teachers to write their child's Individual Education Plan for kindergarten and to volunteer in classrooms. Inn-Circle staff help parents engage in mandated education and job training programs.
Collaboration
A partnership with Community Colleges allows teachers to provide children with supplemental instruction, a local hospital has brokered a Well Child Clinic on the Inn-Circle premises, and the Kirkwood Community College conducts vocational testing, GED, and adult education for mothers.
Sheltering Arms manages eleven child care centers which provide eleven-hour-per-day, year-round care for 833 children from birth to age five. Since its inception in 1888 as a Methodist Church sewing circle providing clothing for "street children", Sheltering Arms has focused on assisting families with multiple challenges of parenting, employment, and limited resources. Each Sheltering Arms center provides affordable high-quality, child care and offers family support services for parents. The agency has evolved from a private charity, to a solely- United Way-supported organization, to an innovative venture which melds funding from public, corporate, voluntary agencies and parent fees.
Organization
Each center offers services for 75-90 children through a team of teachers, a Director, a Family Service Coordinator, and an Instructional Lead Teacher. Parents and community members serve on Center Advisory Committees which filter information and concerns to and from a Board of Directors which addresses fund-raising, advocacy, plans for expansion, and other policy issues. An in-house training organization, IN TRAINING, provides workshops for teachers, leading to certification via the Child Development Associate credential, a competency-based early childhood certificate. IN TRAINING also provides workshops and consulting services to over 120 other early childhood agencies in the region.
Funding
Sheltering Arms's annual budget of $4.3 million includes public funding from child care vouchers, a Department of Education prekindergarten initiative and the Child Care Food Program; private sector funds from the United Way, 64 local businesses and 26 foundations; and parent fees for child care services. Over 1000 parents and community residents contribute volunteer time each year. Sheltering Arms also initiated a partnership which raised $150,000 from businesses to increase the state's capacity to obtain federal matching funds for child care, leading to $400,000 in additional services.
Services for Children
Classroom programs for six-week to five-year-olds are theme-oriented and activity-based. Each staff member works with a "primary bonding group" of children throughout the year, to increase individual attention and nurturing and to provide a focal point for ongoing assessment and communication with parents. The quality of Sheltering Arms classes has been documented by the National Association for the Education of Young Children's Center Accreditation Program.
Family Support and Involvement
Family Service Coordinators organize parent education programs, assess needs of families, and connect them with community agencies. Workshops on financial management, housing, nutrition, basic child development and parenting are provided on a regular basis. Parent/teacher conferences held twice a year allow parents to discuss their child's development and their observations of the program. Informal support networks for parents allow them to discuss common concerns and share ideas. Parents also volunteer, raise funds, and serve on committees.
Collaboration
Family Service Coordinators help parents gain access to health care, battered women's shelters, free winter coats, and homes through the Habitat for Humanity program. The Atlanta Speech School conducts speech and hearing screenings; the Institute for Family-Centered Services provides workshops and family counseling; and the Adaptive Learning Center offers programs for children with special needs from infancy through age six. Staff also participate in several interagency planning efforts to assess overall needs for early childhood and health services.
The Parent Services Project (PSP) in Fairfax, California, provides preventive outreach and support services for economically-pressed families with young children. Guided by the belief that parental empowerment leads to healthy family functioning, PSP helps staff in early childhood centers to become more responsive and effective in their frequent and long-term connections with families.
Organization
The PSP project was launched in 1980 as a partnership between the San Francisco and Zellerbach Family Foundations. Four local child care agencies were funded to provide outreach, training and social support to help parents, many of whom are recent immigrants, become less socially isolated, and more competent in meeting their work, family, and parenting roles. Since 1980, PSP has grown from a four-site pilot project in Northern California to a national training and dissemination center with replication sites in five states, including center-based and family day care home child care, Head Start, and public school-based programs.
Funding
The original cadre of PSP centers were supported by private foundations, who also funded the development of materials, training strategies, and an independent impact evaluation of the pilot strategy. PSP leaders persuaded the California state legislature to pass legislation to fund PSP programs throughout the state, but the bills were vetoed by the Governor. PSP operational and training services are funded by local and national foundations, United Way and corporate charities, and various family -centered prevention-oriented government programs. PSP estimates average annual costs of $300-$400 per family for core services of a Family Support Coordinator, respite child care, and social and educational activities.
Services for Children
PSP child care centers are year-round, ten- to twelve-hour a day operations that nurture, stimulate and educate children from birth through elementary school ages.
Family Support and Involvement
PSP child care centers are a focal point for social support for parents from their peers as well as from professional staff. Parents have access services such as respite child care, Even Start literacy classes and GED training, empowerment opportunities, workshops, and classes. Parents conduct many of their own workshops on computers literacy, ESL, adjusting to the new culture and economy of the United States. Social and recreational activities, such as family picnics and outings, and cooking and gardening groups, help reduce stress and encourage supportive network- building. Parents participate in decision making about program activities and manage small, discretionary budgets, such as a $2000 revolving loan fund.
Collaboration
PSP centers collaborate with area family and children's service agencies to exchange information and referrals and to plan expansions and improvements in service strategies. Projects draw on local community agencies to address other family needs, such as for health services, affordable housing, literacy, and employment, and training. Several PSP sites also collaborate with local school districts to extend family support strategies for parents of school-aged children.
The Biggs Center provides a prekindergarten program, family support services and a home visitation strategy. It came into being through a creative school district/community agency partnership via funding provided in Kentucky's Educational Reform Act of 1990 (KERA) for preschool and family support services.
Organization
The Biggs Center is a partnership between Children, Inc., a nonprofit child care agency and the Covington School District. Children, Inc. recruits, hires, trains, and supervises a staff of 15; monitors the curriculum; implements parenting activities; and conducts program evaluations. The school district made a major investment in the facility and contributes maintenance, transportation and administrative services to the project.
Funding
Funds come from state department of education preschool program ($436,435), Special Education ($204,033), Chapter 1 ($83,563), Family Resource and Youth Service Centers ($47,200). The school district contributed $1.8 million to purchase, renovate, and equip the facility and playground space. Mini-grants from the business sector and state agencies cover special enrichment activities.
Services For Children
The preschool program operates two half-day sessions, Monday through Thursday, and accommodates its 262 children in classrooms of 20. 15 children with special needs participate in the program, with support from a specialist and seven assistant teachers. On Fridays, teachers and assistant teachers conduct home visits. Through Chapter 1 funds, three-year-old children are visited twice a month at home by a teacher and teaching aide who combine elements of the High/Scope and the Parents as Teachers curricula.
Family Support and Involvement
Parents are encouraged to become involved in their children's learning as well as in their own development. Staff provide parents with games and learning packets to supplement classroom activities, ask parents for feedback on the appropriateness of the materials, and invite families to social events at the Center, such as Dad's Night and Mom's Make-over. Over 100 parents annually participate in a training program to prepare them to assist teachers as classroom volunteers. The Center records over 2000 days of volunteer time per year from this component. The Family Resource Center connects families with local services to meet housing, parenting, health, employment, and education needs. Parents participate in GED classes, JOBS workshops on career skills, and a personal safety program. Parents serve on the Family Resource Center Advisory Council, where they work with school staff and community members to make recommendations for the following year's budget and grant applications.
Collaboration
The Biggs Center has contracts with the Northern Kentucky District Health Department to provide children's medical and dental services; Committee for Kids, Inc., which provides a Nurturing Program for families with children aged 4-12; and the Northern Kentucky University Reentry Center for JOBS workshops.
Jersey City's school district-based early childhood initiative has expanded from an initial state- funded program for 150 children to a program serving 400 children, with the majority of resources provided from local education agency funds. The program has thrived during a period of a state- imposed takeover of the school district operations and budget.
Organization
The school district uses resources from the state Goodstarts Program and local district resources to implement prekindergarten programs in elementary school buildings. All families in the community are eligible to enroll their children in the locally-funded classrooms; selection is determined by a highly publicized lottery. Two administrators share responsibility for program management, staff development for prekindergarten and primary grade staff members and teacher evaluations.
Funding
A total budget of approximately $2.75 million per years includes an estimated contribution of $1.8 million from local school district resources as well as funding from federal (Even Start, Chapter 1), and state department of education programs.
Services for Children
The faculty-student ratio is 2:15 in the three- and 2:18 in the four-year-old classes, where teachers implement the High/Scope curriculum. The CASPER (Child Care After-School Program for Enrichment and Recreation) after-school program runs from 8 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. and emphasizes educational activities such as music, dance, and drama. Jersey City has adopted a developmentally appropriate framework for classroom practice and professional development from prekindergarten through second grade, an approach which enhances continuity for young children and their families. Most children move from prekindergarten classes into kindergarten classes in the same schools, thus easing the transition for both students and their families.
Family Support and Involvement
Parents may engage in their children's education by volunteering, observing, or working in classrooms; chaperoning outings; and reading material regarding the health and development of children in the resource rooms. Parents attend quarterly conferences to discuss their children's progress. GED programs; fairs on job education, health education, and nutrition; and an annual family picnic round out the range of services. A voluntary parenting education program holds weekly meetings, where parents support each other around problems in participating in their children's education. The Goodstarts Policy Advisory Committee is composed of parents/guardians of children and representatives of community agencies.
Collaboration
The Jersey City Inter-Agency Collaborative Council works to increase the accessibility of social and community services for students and families. The prekindergarten program collaborates with St. Peter's and Jersey City State Colleges which send student teachers to intern at the early childhood sites, as well as with the Jersey City Health Center and the University of Medicine and Dentistry which provide health screenings, physical exams, and dental services. Program managers work with the local Head Start agency to coordinate recruitment and location of program sites.
The Family and Child Education (FACE) program offers early childhood education and family support to Native Americans. Sponsored by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) through the Office of Indian Education, FACE operates in 22 BIA schools and serves 471 families nationally.
Organization
The BIA in Washington, DC, administers the FACE program, setting policy regarding staffing, curriculum, and funding. A project officer oversees the sites, while local schools hire staff, allocate their monies, and design recruitment, class schedules, and educational activities. Local FACE Coordinators oversee day-to-day operations, working with school principals to supervise a staff composed of home visitors, an early childhood education teacher, a classroom aide, and an adult education teacher. The BIA contracts Parents as Teachers National Center and the National Center for Family Literacy to provide extensive training and technical assistance to individual sites as well as to monitor program quality.
Funding
The BIA provides school sites with $285,000 annually for their operations, including substantial allocations for training and technical assistance and a national evaluation study. Some local sites have augmented this funding with resources from other federal sources.
Services for Children
Programs operate eleven months out of the year. The two major components are the home-based Parents as Teachers (PAT) curriculum for parents of children from birth to three years of age; and a center-based family literacy program for three- and four-year old children whose parents need to complete their secondary school education or further their preparation for higher education and employment. The Parents as Teachers component includes weekly home visits and bi-weekly parent group meetings which offer parenting skills, developmental activities for children, and periodic child development screening. In the center-based component, three- or four-year old children attend school for a six hour period, three times a week. These bilingual classes are taught using a High/Scope curriculum. Program continuity is extended by providing training for kindergarten and primary grade teachers in the High/Scope curriculum
Family Support and Involvement
The adult literacy program prepares parents to pass the GED, and offers parent education and life skills training. Staff work with parents to seek further education and in efforts to obtain jobs. Parents join children during their classes to read and play together in what is known as Parent and Child Time (PACT). Special events such as field trips and festivals reinforce Native cultural traditions. Parents also take part in fundraising activities and are represented on Parent Advisory Council to convey their concerns to Program Coordinators and to resolve problems.
Collaboration
Many FACE sites are located in small rural communities, where public services and employment opportunities are lacking. FACE staff members seek to coordinate with local health services, and collaborate with Tribal Councils and the BIA in planning and managing the program.
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