Head Start Program

2009-2010 Annual Report

Hoosier Uplands EDC has provided Head Start services since 1965 and Early Head Start services since 1999 to children in the Lawrence, Martin, Orange and Washington County area of Indiana.

Head Start services are provided through a center based model of service delivery. Centers are located in Bedford, Mitchell, Paoli, Loogootee and Salem. Early Head Start services are provided through a home based model of service delivery with enrolled families receiving a 90 minute in-home visit each week.

The Head Start program is funded through the federal Department of Health and Human Services to serve 287 children. No state funds are received for the provision of Head Start or Early Head Start services.

During the 2009-2010 program year which ran from May 1, 2009 through April 30, 2010, Hoosier Uplands received a total of $2,718,054 federal dollars to operate the Head Start and Early Head Start programs. The funding was allocated for the following purposes:

« $1,827,471 for Head Start general operating expenses including salaries, student transportation and supplies

« $24,888 for Head Start training and technical assistance

« $442,097 for Early Head Start general operating expenses

« $11,052 for Early Head Start training and technical assistance

« $89,546 for cost of living increases for Head Start staff of which $33,562 was funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

« $21,663 for cost of living increases for Early Head Start staff of which $8,135 was funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

« $108,465 for program quality improvements including college classes for Head Start staff funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

« $29,183 for program quality improvements including college classes for Early Head Start staff funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

« $163,689 for one-time program improvements including repairs to the Bedford and Mitchell Head Start centers, foundation work at the Early Head Start office, and 3 buses

In addition to the federal funds received, Hoosier Uplands Head Start and Early Head Start secured $634,662 in non-federal match. This match came from a variety of sources including parent and community volunteer time, donations and discounts on program supplies and space.

The proposed budget for the provision of Head Start and Early Head Start services for the 2010-2011 program year is $2,378,555 in federal funds and $594,639 in non-federal match. This includes $1,883,392 for general Head Start program operations, $28,147 for Head Start training and technical assistance, $455,625 for general Early Head Start operations and $11,391 for Early Head Start training and technical assistance.

It is estimated that there are approximately 6,250 children under the age of four residing in the four county area served by the Hoosier Uplands Head Start and Early Head Start programs. With a state poverty rate of 21.9%, that means there are potentially 1,369 children eligible for services however only about 46% of those eligible received Head Start or Early Head Start services during the 2009-2010 program year.

During the program year, Hoosier Uplands Head Start provided services to 68 children (12.7% of the total enrolled) with an Individual Education Plan (IEP) and Early Head Start provided services to 20 children (20.6% of the total enrolled) with an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP).

A healthy child is a child ready to learn. 527 of the 536 children enrolled (98.3%) in the Hoosier Uplands Head Start program received a medical examination and 516 of the 536 (96.3%) received a professional dental examination. Early Head Start reported that 88 out of the 89 children enrolled (98.9%) received a medical examination while enrolled. (Note—of the 536 children enrolled in Head Start, 21 were enrolled less than 45 days and of the 89 enrolled in Early Head Start, 5 were enrolled less than 45 days.

While Early Head Start children are not required to have a professional dental examination, families are encouraged to establish a dental home and obtain a professional dental screening for their infants and toddlers. Of the 89 children enrolled in the Early Head Start program, 85 (95.5%) received a dental screening.

A cornerstone of the Head Start and Early Head Start program is parent involvement. Nearly one-third of the staff employed by the Hoosier Uplands Head Start program is a current or former Head Start parent. Parent activities held during the 2009-2010 program year included topics such as: kindergarten transition, parent and child together fun, stranger danger, first aid and CPR certification, literacy, discipline, nutrition, energy conservation, snow day fun, parent stress management, “Parenting Counts”, make-it/take-it, pioneer picnic, advocacy and a car seat inspection clinic. The first annual Hoosier Uplands Parent Conference was held in April 2010 with workshops on child development, biting, parent stress, I Am Moving, I Am Learning, potty training, communicative behaviors, sibling rivalry, caring for a sick child (Dr. Dad), prenatal drug and alcohol abuse, dental health, budgeting, healthy eating and make it/take it.

A parent evaluation/survey was provided to participants of the Head Start program prior to the end of the 2009-2010 school year. Parents were asked the following questions:

The survey results will be used to assist staff in planning program activities and enhancing services.

Staff of the Hoosier Uplands Head Start and Early Head Start programs work diligently to prepare children for success when they enter kindergarten. In addition to the academic aspect of “kindergarten readiness” staff work to insure children are socially, emotionally and physically ready as well.

Head Start classroom staff utilizes Creative Curriculum which integrates ongoing assessment of the child’s development with reporting, program planning and parent communication. Weekly lesson plans include such activities as sight word recognition, rhyming words, number names, measuring, graphing, shape identification, counting objects and letter recognition. Additionally the staff utilizes the Second Step curriculum to teach empathy and decrease disruptive and aggressive behaviors.

A great deal of emphasis is placed on professional development for staff of the Hoosier Uplands Head Start and Early Head Start programs. A total of 491 clock hours of training were offered during the program year. Additionally, staff enrolled in college classes earned a total of 82.60 credits and/or CEU’s.

Each Head Start and Early Head Start program receives a triennial review conducted on behalf of the federal Department of Health and Human Services. Hoosier Uplands was last reviewed in April 2008. The review resulted in one finding related to the community assessment which was corrected and the program was certified as in total compliance with federal Head Start Performance Standards.

Hoosier Uplands has an annual independent audit. The audit for the calendar year 2009 is in process as of the time of this writing. The audit for 2008 was conducted by McCauley Nicolas & Company. There were no findings and no questioned costs in the audit.

A highlight of the 2009-2010 program year came in November 2009 when Hoosier Uplands was awarded funding to expand the number of infants, toddlers and pregnant women served in its Early Head Start. The $277,324 provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 enabled Hoosier Uplands to serve an additional 22 clients and created six new employment positions within Hoosier Uplands. The program year for the Early Head Start expansion program runs from December 1, 2009 through September 29, 2010 with the opportunity for an additional year of funding through a reapplication process.