PUERTO RICO COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT FOR HEAD START AND EARLY HEAD START

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1 PUERTO RICO COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT FOR HEAD START AND EARLY HEAD START PRESENTED TO: ACUDEN APRIL

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary 4 I. INTRODUCTION 13 WHAT IS ACUDEN 13 LEGAL AUTHORITY 13 MISSION 13 VISION 13 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE 14 GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION 15 WHAT IS HEAD START? 17 WHAT IS THE CHILD DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM? 22 EARLY HEAD START - CHILD CARE PARTNERSHIPS 28 II. Importance of Early Childhood Development Programs 30 III. Demographic Composition by Municipality and Region 34 ELIGIBLE POPULATION 34 CHILDREN LIVING IN POVERTY 37 UNEMPLOYMENT 44 HOUSING 46 EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT 46 IV. Supply and Demand analysis: Head Start and Early Head Start Enrollment Rates in Puerto Rico 52 METHODOLOGY USED AND TERMINOLOGY 52 SUPPLY 54 DEMAND 67 V. Supply and Demand Analysis: Identifying underserved Populations 68 HEAD START AND EARLY HEAD START ENROLLMENT RATES BY MUNICIPALITY 71 HEAD START HALF-DAY CENTERS BY MUNICIPALITY 77 WAITING LIST BY MUNICIPALITY 79 VI. Special Needs 84 VII. Field Interviews 94 VISUAL APPRAISAL OF THE CENTERS 96 2

3 KEY FINDINGS FROM THE CENTERS PERSONNEL INTERVIEWS 106 COMMUNITY RESOURCES 111 VIII.Needs of Children and Families: Key Overall Findings 112 IX. Conclusion and Recommendations 114 3

4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Head Start (HS) and Early Head Start (EHS) are currently the most important programs targeting young children on the Island. More than 36,000 eligible children receive services in Puerto Rico under the Head Start program. There are 45 Grantees, the largest being the Administration for Integral Child and Development (ACUDEN), organized under the Puerto Rico Family Department. Under ACUDEN and their Head Start delegated agencies the program serves more than 19,000 children, comprising over 50% of the population being served by Head Start island-wide. Studies demonstrate a high correlation between early childhood education and economic growth. 1 The groundbreaking work of Nobel-prize winning professor James Heckman, from University of Chicago, along with a consortium of economists, psychologists, statisticians and neuroscientists, all coincide in the importance of early childhood development and its direct impact on economic, health and social development for individuals and society and indicate that it is the human capital development strategy with the highest return on investment. This makes an assessment of investment in early childhood development paramount with respect to Puerto Rico s current economic and social situation. The eligible population to participate in the Head Start (HS) and Early Head Start (EHS) program includes children from birth to five years of age, as well as expectant mothers, who are from families with incomes below the US Department of Health and Human Services poverty guidelines. Additionally, children from homeless families, and/or receiving public assistance are eligible to receive services (section 645 of the Head Start Act). An estimated 135,000 children plus some 12,000 pregnant women have been identified as eligible for these programs throughout the Island. Therefore, the 36,000 HS and EHS children participating only cover 27% of the eligible children, indicating that they are being underserved; in other words, the demand for services is significantly greater than the supply. 1 The Impact of Education on: The Economy; Alliance for Excellent Education Fact Sheet, November

5 With this in mind, and taking into account geographic, demographic and regulatory factors, Advantage provides the following recommendations: 1. IDENTIFY ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AND PRIORITIZE EXPANSION TO HIGH NEEDS AREAS Childhood programs by HS and EHS serve 27% of the eligible children population, indicating a gap in services. Therefore, to the extent that current funding could be increased, new funding should be directed towards the more underserved areas. On the other hand, to the extent that current funding could not be increased, a reallocation of resources among geographical areas would be warranted. To attend to the current need, ACUDEN should work with PR Government agencies to identify and align current state and federal funding allocated to early childhood development to assess potential overlap and opportunities for more efficient use of current resources. The proposed 2015 President s Budget increases funding opportunities across many programs. All but four of the proposed increases are discretionary, indicating that Puerto Rico would need to compete for these resources. Early Childhood investment is an issue that crosses the bi-partisan divide. The Congressional Appropriations Committees are currently working on the final bills. In order to prioritize future investments in HS/EHS expansion, Advantage has identified areas with no or very low enrollment rates and all municipalities were rated in terms of service to the eligible population. Future expansions should target the areas with the highest need. The enrollment rates of each municipality (including HS, EHS and Pre-K) were compared with Puerto Rico s average enrollment rate. To enable an appropriate comparison, an enrollment index was developed. For this index, the Puerto Rico average is equal to Each municipality was then divided by the Puerto Rico average. Thus, indexes above 1.00 imply enrollment levels above the Puerto Rico average, whereas indexes below 1.00 are the municipalities with enrollment levels below the Puerto Rico average. This index allows ACUDEN to identify areas that are particularly underserved and those where the community is better served. The graphic below identifies in the lighter shades of green the areas with the estimated highest service need according to percent of eligible population not being served. 5

6 2.RE-ASSESSMENT OF SERVICE SCHEDULE AND IMPROVED SYSTEMS FOR PROVIDING SERVICES ACCORDING TO PARENTAL NEED When limited financial resources are combined with long waiting lists, half-day programs should be implemented. Some municipalities fit this description. According to HS Program Performance Standards (45 CFR ) classes must operate for a minimum of three and one half to a maximum of six hours per day with four hours being optimal. A Head Start grantee implementing a center-based program option may operate a full day variation and provide more than six hours of class operations per day using Head Start funds. Head Start grantees may provide full day services only to those children and families with special needs that justify full day services or to those children whose parents are employed or in job training with no caregiver present in the home. Grantees may charge for services which are provided outside the hours of the Head Start program which may allow working parents to pay for services beyond the allowable six hours of service. In accordance with these Performance Standards and PR economic development policy priorities, Advantage recommends that priority for entrance to HS/EHS programs continue to be given to eligible families who are employed or in a job training program with no caregiver at 6

7 home. This includes a more stringent process for determining which parents are, indeed, working full-time such as requiring annual submission of parents W-2 forms (wage and tax statements) as part of the child s enrollment process. In sum, special considerations should be taken to accommodate parents working full-time, particularly single mothers (and fathers). Even the full day version of Head Start programs in Puerto Rico usually offers services from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Switching to two shifts of 8:00 a.m. to noon and from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. allows the program to serve a much larger group of eligible children. It could also provide working parents the alternative to pay for services beyond the Head Start time period in order to span an eight hour work schedule. Working families should be given priority to the morning shift. This seems to be the socially optimal alternative when faced with financial constraints. This practice of half-day programs has already been established by ACUDEN in more than 40 centers. It is worth pointing out that some families opt for the alternative of the Child Care Program because it offers services up to 5:00 p.m., which is more in line with the needs of working parents. An additional initiative to support labor participation by HS parents could be to provide them with Child Care Program funding (as vouchers or grants to HS agencies) to provide complementary services allowing for an eight hour work day. Pre-K programs also offer working families the attractiveness of long hours plus convenience in case they have other children in school. This recommendation also entails increasing flexibility and support for ACUDEN delegate agencies in providing service and presentation of service hours options (including provision of home based and family based services) for parents who are not fully employed. This increased flexibility and reduced hours of services for parent s not currently employed has the potential of freeing up resources to service the eligible population that is currently not being served, hence, serving a larger population in the aggregate. 3.CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS To appropriately serve children with special needs enrolled in HS and Early Head Start (EHS) programs, there is a need to efficiently allocate all the resources designated for this purpose. This includes integration, bonding and braiding of funds and services provided through IDEA Parts B and C. This includes the revision of policies to better identify children with special needs earlier, 7

8 when interventions are most efficient and effective. Community Survey s identified particular concern about special-needs children in the category of speech impairments. However, with rates of special needs children that are twice those observed in the mainland US, diagnosis issues need to be analyzed, particularly improving monitoring of child s progress to identify children who have overcome their special needs and continue to receive benefits. As EHS develops into a significant effort, ACUDEN will increase its involvement with the Health Department which manages the IDEA Part C Early Intervention Services Funds. These are intended to identify and attend to the needs of children with developmental delays who are 0-2 years old. These funds could be bundled with EHS initiatives in order to enhance their effectiveness. Improved identification and monitoring of children with special needs can be achieved through coordination with local MiSalud/Medicaid/CHIP independent physician associations (IPAs), particularly Federally Qualified Health Centers, which are covered to provide developmental screening (including Ages and Stages Questionnaire). Currently, few Independent Physician Organizations are submitting claims for developmental screening (which is intended to be performed at well-baby/well-child visits) indicating the need for increased monitoring of compliance with this measure which may require additional action from the Health Insurance Administration (ASES). 4. HIGH-LEVEL COORDINATION BETWEEN THE PR DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND DEPARTMENT OF LABOR There is currently little coordination between the PR Government Agencies that receive federal funding for early childhood development with regard to the allocation of resources, which inevitably creates an overlap in the services provided to the eligible population. To more effectively serve the eligible population, it is recommended that agencies that administer such programs engage in a formal coordination process focused on aligning funding opportunities described previously and data systems to appropriately serve the population Island-wide. Improved integration across the before mentioned services by blending and braiding targeted awards to the highest quality providers will improve the system s capacity to identify and serve children with the greatest need, transition eligible children out of poverty and create efficiencies produced by 8

9 overlapping and uncoordinated service provision to the target population freeing up funding for increased access. 5.INVEST IN QUALITY SERVICES ACUDEN has at its disposal the Puerto Rico Quality Improvement Rating System (QIRS) Pasitos to assess higher quality providers. This framework measures process best practices and can include family outcome measures to enhance the evaluation process. Family outcome measures may include those related to changes in children s skill level and behavior, percent of children screened for developmental delays, percent of children overcoming developmental delays and families overcoming poverty, among others. QIRS scores should be mandatory and financial allocation processes should incorporate these scores in the adjudication process. By directing resources to high quality providers, ACUDEN is best positioned to succeed at its mission and more effectively use limited resources. 6. EARLY HEAD START President Obama s Pre-K for Everyone initiative promotes a massive expansion of the pre-k program in the United States (and Puerto Rico). As the supply of public education services to fouryear-old children grows, an effort should be made by ACUDEN to reallocate its resources toward a younger population. Enrollment rates for EHS remain low and there are still 35 municipalities that do not have an EHS program. This would avoid duplicating DE s efforts in serving the pre-k population. Since the cost of operating an EHS center is significantly higher than a HS, ACUDEN should focus its efforts on alternative service delivery systems such as home based and family based programs, specifically, home visiting programs. Additionally, from a policy perspective, this action would result in more eligible children in Puerto Rico receiving early childhood services from an earlier age which has been demonstrated to reduce the number of children with special needs and increase school readiness. 9

10 Re-directing funding to EHS centers, as opposed to home visiting programs, could reduce the number of total children served by the ACUDEN program because EHS rates/requirements for children are higher and more resource intensive than at HS centers. However, due to the increase in federal funding for pre-k services to the local education agencies (LEAs), children would continue to receive services indicating that ACUDEN s shift towards EHS would not signify a reduction in children served on the Island. Additionally, to the extent that additional resources could be obtained, increasing the number of EHS centers would better position ACUDEN to maintain and potentially increase its global budget. 7.EARLY HEAD START - CHILD CARE PARTNERSHIPS In January 2014, the US Congress assigned $500 million for the "The Early Head Start - Child Care Partnerships" which is eligible for organizations in Puerto Rico to compete. This funding presents the opportunity to provide more high quality early learning options in the different communities. The benefits of these partnerships are access to full day, full year high quality care and early education, comprehensive services, integration of EHS standards in childcare providers and expanded EHS services. The Early Head Start - Child Care Partnership model seems as a possible alternative to expand Early Head Start services in Puerto Rico. With more childcare providers meeting the Early Head Start program performance standards, more children from more communities will benefit from full day, full year, high quality care and early education services. However, it seems that meeting EHS centers program standards requires financial commitments inconsistent with the local market. ELIGIBLE POPULATION DEMOGRAPHICS Although the population under five years of age as a whole has been declining, the percentage growth of eligible children and expectant mothers within the total population has actually increased. Based on estimates, by the end of 2013, the percentage of eligible children within the group five years and younger, will have grown to 62% (from 56% in 2009). In other words, two opposing trends are observable: A decrease in the total group composed of children under five years of age 10

11 and an increase of the eligible population within this group. While there are fewer children under age five in Puerto Rico, their families are actually getting poorer. While the annual decrease rate for the population under five years of age was 3.3% between ACS surveys ( and ), the annual decrease rate for the eligible population was 1.0% during the same period. Puerto Rico has a much higher rate of unemployed parents who have children under six years of age than the U.S. (the only data available for this characteristic found was for children under six years of age, in the Kids Count data, as well as in the American Community Survey five-year estimates in the U.S. Census data). As of 2011, Puerto Rico s unemployed parents for this group reached 29%, while in the U.S. the unemployed parents only reached 10%. Additionally, according to Kids Count, Annie C. Casey Foundation, the percentage of single-parent families (68%) in Puerto Rico is more than double that of families with both parents (32%). Data shows that in Puerto Rico, the number of children with special needs registered with the DE is double that of the U.S., at 27% and 13%, respectively. This data suggests that for every child with special needs registered in the U.S., there are two children with special needs registered in Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rico rate is so high as to bring into question issues of diagnosis and the need for revisions to appropriately monitor and track student s progress. COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT As part of the Community Assessment report, key interviews were held with 165 family members of children currently enrolled in the Head Start program, as well as with 56 Head Start centers staff such as teachers, teacher assistants, social workers and executive directors of several central offices. These descriptive interviews were held over a three-week period, from October 2013 to April A total of 64 centers were visited (61 HS centers and 3 EHS). In addition, a visual appraisal was made of the centers that were visited. Family members interviewed overwhelmingly expressed a high level of satisfaction with the services provided by the HS program. They also concurred on the high level and quality of these services. In general, interviewers perceived a solid commitment from most of the parents and family members with the HS program. The perception is that this commitment is stronger in centers located in rural communities than those in urban areas. 11

12 The teachers who were interviewed were extremely satisfied with the HS program and the services that are provided to the community. According to them, the HS program is one of the best in terms of addressing the needs of children, including those with special needs. Many of them classified their experience as HS teachers as gratifying and pleasant. Interviewers learned that in some HS centers located close or within public housing projects where violence is rampant, for example in one of the Guánica centers visited and the Torres de Sabana center in Carolina, children are taught gunshot drills where they lie on the floor as soon as they hear gunshot sounds. More common drill practices are the fire and earthquake drills. In other communities, agriculture is a very big part of the local culture, as is the case in the Alturas center in Orocovis, where they have a Club de Pequeños Agrónomos (Little Farmers Club). Creative Curriculum Gold (CCG), an evidenced based curriculum for preschoolers, is used in almost all the local HS/EHS programs. CCG features research-based content and daily resources that are fully aligned with the state early-learning standards. Using exploration and discovery as a way of learning, the curriculum enables children to develop confidence, creativity and lifelong criticalthinking skills. Children are encouraged to explore the environment and learn from hands-on experiences. 12

13 I. INTRODUCTION WHAT IS ACUDEN LEGAL AUTHORITY The Administration for Integral Development of Childhood (ACUDEN in Spanish) was created in July 28, 1995 under the Reorganization Plan No. 1, as amended, as a procedural and operational component of the Department of the Family. The agency has the power to administer and develop all aspects related to these federal programs: Head Start, Title IV, Subtitle A, Chapter 8, Public Law 97-35, Sub-chapter B and those established by the Childcare and Development Block Grant Fund Act, Title VI, Subtitle A, Chapter 8, Public Law 97-35, Sub-chapter C, transferring these powers from the Families and Children Administration to the new Administration, ACUDEN. MISSION The agency s mission is to guarantee that children in the early stages of development have access to care as provided by the federal Head Start and Child Care programs. Participation of the child's parents and relatives in the educational process is highly encouraged. VISION The agency s vision is to effectively contribute to children s early development by providing them with the cognitive and social-competence tools that support the full development of their present and future capabilities and potentials, and be the lead provider in the development and implementation of innovative early-childhood educational strategies, starting at the earliest developmental stages. 13

14 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE The Administration for the Integral Development of Childhood, referred to from now on as ACUDEN, is one of the programmatic components of the Department of the Family and is comprised of the following organizational units: 14

15 GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION ACUDEN s main office is located in Old San Juan and is represented in 10 regional offices of the Department of the Family in the following municipalities: Aguadilla, Arecibo, Bayamón, Caguas, Carolina, Guayama, Humacao, Mayagüez, Ponce and San Juan

16 ACUDEN is the Island s top recipient of federal funding from the Head Start program; these funds are then sub-awarded to 21 Delegate Agencies including, 19 municipalities and two are non-profit organizations (one is a consortium). The Delegate Agencies are depicted in the following map. The areas depicted in beige do not have organizations that are ACUDEN HS sub-awardees; these include Mayagüez (Mayagüez, Añasco, Las Marías, Maricao and Hormigueros), Ponce and San Juan (San Juan, Bayamón, Guaynabo, Bayamón, Naranjito, Comerío, Aguas Buenas, Caguas and Gurabo). 16

17 WHAT IS HEAD START? The Head Start (HS) and Early Head Start Programs (EHS) are intended to enrich social competence and school readiness in children from 0 to five years of age, from low-income families. Currently, this program sponsors, administers, delegates and supervises preschool educational and multi-disciplinary support services to over 36,000 children and their families under the 45 agencies, or Grantees, that serve children from 76 (out of 78) municipalities in Puerto Rico 3 (to see a complete list of all Grantees, please see the Appendix). Sponsoring agencies include municipalities, municipal consortia and/or other non-profit organizations. The parents and the communities served by the HS and EHS programs actively participate and make decisions through their rule-making bodies, established by each Grantee and the Policy Council at the central level. A specialist group comprised of central level and the five regions of the Department of the Family creates policies and procedures for all ACUDEN delegates and makes sure these delegates comply with federal and state regulations. In addition, the Department of the Family regulates all child care centers for licensing and minimal requirements. In Puerto Rico, ACUDEN is the largest Grantee in charge of administering federal funding for the HS and EHS programs, and the third largest in the U.S. ACUDEN is responsible for eighteen thousand (18,110) children enrolled in HS and EHS programs across sixty-four municipalities, including Vieques and Culebra 4. ACUDEN also offers Early Head Start services for infants and/or care centers and to pregnant women promoting prenatal health, strengthening early-childhood development and better health for families in general. There are currently four ACUDEN EHS centers, serving 96 eligible children and expectant mothers as of OBJECTIVES The ACUDEN Head Start and Early Head Start program has set forth the following objectives: (1) Strengthen parenting relationships through the prevention of the intra-familial violence program, A Man's Promise. 3 Administration for Integral Child Care and Development (ACUDEN); and U. S. Department of Human Health and Services, Administration for Children and Families of Head Start

18 (2) Provide individualized education and nutritional, health, mental health and family counseling services to all Head Start and Early Head Start program participants. (3) Ensure that all facilities used as Head Start and Early Head Start centers comply with all the federal and state requirements that govern the offering of infant, care and pre-school services. (4) Recruit, train and supervise a highly qualified staff that ensures the offering of adequate services and promotes the positive interaction between Head Start and Early Head Start program adults and children. (5) Implement an appropriate scientifically valid curriculum for infant care centers and pre-schools that corresponds to the cognitive, physical, socio-emotional and linguistic development of Head Start and Early Head Start. (6) Develop a planning and monitoring process that guarantees the offering of integrated services and the adequate use of the Head Start and Early Head Start program funds. (7) Establish collaborative agreements with the primary health and mental health agencies to guarantee integrated health services for the children and families impacted by the program. (8) Provide parents psycho-educational strategies to improve child-rearing patterns and train them in the adequate disciplinary and behavior management methods. (9) Train Head Start and Early Head Start program staff to adequately and effectively manage child behavior in challenging cases. (10) Implement the curriculum, I'm Learning, to develop good eating habits and promote physical activities in children in order for them to maintain an adequate weight and a healthy life style. The ACUDEN HS and EHS programs serve the beneficiary families and children as their primary customers. Additionally, the programs will develop and continue with the implementation of other initiatives such as: 18

19 Program Additional ACUDEN Programs Description Your Values Count Encourage wholesome values and family life Pasitos (Baby Steps) Measure the quality of the educational services offered Make Your Center Special Increase the availability of services for children with special needs A Man's Promise Prevention of intra-family violence Developing Loving Environments Special Program (PAC) Early Childhood Resources and Referral Centers (CENTRANA) Respite Centers I'm Learning Improve home service quality or informal care Provide educational and care services Ponce, Loiza, Moca and Camuy Develop good eating habits and promote physical activities in children in order for them to maintain an adequate weight and a healthy life style. Source: ACUDEN Puerto Rico; Your Values Count was designed to encourage wholesome values and family life; Pasitos (Baby Steps) the PR QRIS was developed to measure and report on the quality of the educational services offered; Make Your Center Special was designed to increase the availability of services for children with special needs; and A Man's Promise was designed for the prevention of intra-family violence. The programs will also improve home service quality or informal care through the implementation of the Developing Loving Environments Special Program (PAC); offer orientation to families on child rearing; provide educational and care services through Early Childhood Resources and Referral Centers (CENTRANA); and provide funding for Respite Centers in Ponce, Loíza, Moca and Camuy. Federal programs under ACUDEN s supervision include: Head Start, Childcare and Development Block Grant, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Child and Adult Care Food Program, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)-Head Start, ARRA-Child Care and Development Block Grant. 19

20 FINANCING The Head Start consolidated budget for fiscal year saw a decrease of $9,437,000 from the previous fiscal year. It went from $126,030,000 to $116,593,000. The sources for the financing include: $1,951,000 from State Funds and $114,642,000 in federal grants. No contribution was made from the federal economic stimulus law, ARRA for this fiscal year. The following table presents the historic budget for the program. HEAD START PROGRAM BUDGET ( ) Fiscal Years State Stabilization "ARRA" Federal TOTAL Funds Funds Funds Funds 1665 HEAD START HEAD START HEAD START HEAD START $1,611,000 $0 $0 $122,392,000 $124,003, $1,754,000 $0 $0 $118,755,000 $120,509, $4,494,000 $0 $0 $115,158,000 $119,652, $3,550,000 $0 $0 $128,739,000 $132,289, $1,815,000 $162,000 $11,259,000 $122,884,000 $136,120, $1,698,000 $386,000 $2,167,000 $121,998,000 $126,249, $2,108,000 $0 $0 $124,447,134 $126,521, $1,967,000 $0 $682,000 $123,381,000 $126,030, $1,951,000 $0 $0 $114,642,000 $116,593,000 Source: ACUDEN 20

21 Combined with Child Care, the programs offer services to all the municipalities on the Island to approximately 42,850 newborns, infants, pre-k and school-aged children through a myriad of methods and strategies. 6 In addition to funding HS and EHS programs, these funds enable the continuation of other programs, such as Tus valores cuentan, aimed at strengthening wholesome values and a healthy family life; Pasitos, which focuses on the measurement of the quality of the educational services offered; Haz tu Centro uno Especial, aimed at increasing the accessibility of services to children with special needs; and Promesa de Hombre, which focuses on the prevention of interfamilial violence. These funds also provide for improvements in the quality of home care or informal care through the implementation of the PAC program (Spanish acronym for the Programa Especial Desarrollando Ambientes de Amor), offering guidance for families on raising children, as well as education and care services through one of the Resource Centers and Early Childhood Referrals (CENTRANA for its Spanish acronym), and subsidize costs for Respite Centers in Ponce, Loíza, Moca and Camuy. The most significant related federal fund allocations to ACUDEN include: Head Start, Child Care and Development Block Grant, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Child 6 OGP; 21

22 and Adult Care Food Program and ARRA-Head Star. 7 Buttressed with state funding, these federal funds allow ACUDEN to continue to offer childcare, as well as integral child development alternatives to children and families with low-income so that they may attain self-sufficiency. WHAT IS THE CHILD DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM? Child Care Program The Child Care Program was designed to support low-income working families through childcare financial assistance. Unlike the Head Start and Early Head Start Programs, the Child Care program s main objective is to promote accessibility and availability to high quality childcare and integral development services for working families. For this reason, the family income eligibility guidelines differ from those of the Head Start Program. As a general rule, family income must be at or below 85% of state median income, but changes to this can be made at state level according to state needs. In Puerto Rico, ACUDEN figures as the main administrator of the Child Care Program, operating Child Care Centers or delegating funds to private child-care service providers. ACUDEN supervises, coordinates and monitors the use of the funds and the services offered by these private providers. Puerto Rico s Child Care Program serves children of different ages. The service categories are determined by federal regulations. In Puerto Rico, an additional category was created to address and give priority to children with special needs or in high-risk environments. The service categories of the Child Care Program in Puerto Rico are the following: o Infants and toddlers o Preschoolers o School-age children o Children with special needs or at high risk 77 OGP; 22

23 The Child Care Program in Puerto Rico has six (6) main components that work in an integrated way to ensure the delivery of services. Each component is explained below: Resource and Referral Component The resource and referral area works as a liaison between ACUDEN and all the stakeholders involved in the provision of childcare and development services at the local level. Its network includes families, government, service providers and other community organizations. Among the services given by this area are: (1) Guides and orients parents about the different options of childcare services available in the community and makes referrals. (2) Makes an initial overall assessment of safety, education, health, nutrition and family support areas. (3) Provides education services to parents or caretakers with information about daycare alternatives and availability, the development of their children and the adequacy of the childcare services offered. (4) Trains and gives technical support to service providers to fulfill the requirements to participate in the Child Care Program. (5) Improves and develops the community network. (6) Evaluates enrollment compliance about existing services, including those directed to children with special needs. (7) 23

24 Determines training needs and coordinate trainings through the central offices. (8) Performs the data collection and statistical analysis of the program. Early Education Component The early education component is based on the importance of supporting and developing social, emotional, cognitive and motor skills in children s early years to help and improve their future development. At the Head Start and Early Head Start programs, the main purpose is to promote a learning experience that integrates cooperation, emotional support, security, independence and decision-making for the children s development. This area works with the implementation of the programs standards to promote a service of quality among the centers and service providers. This area also gives technical assistance and uses mentorship as a way to monitor and evaluate the educational services of the service providers. Education and Special Needs Component This area coordinates and integrates the services provided by the programs to accommodate children with special needs. This area also monitors the centers to ensure appropriate practices and quality standards in special education. This area provides the following services: (1) Offers teachers technical assistance in special education. (2) Performs periodic meetings. (3) Refers children with development deficiencies to be diagnosed. (4) Performs the needs assessment regarding educational materials and equipment for children with special needs. (5) Adjusts the curriculum and modifies the activities and educational materials according to the special needs. (6) Coordinates training about special education to personnel and parents. Family Support Component The family support area serves as a liaison between the daycare centers and the family members or caretakers. The area provides the families with guidance and orientation about the services provided, eligibility criteria and internal procedures of the programs. To accomplish this objective, this area: (1) Keeps recordkeeping. (2) Offers technical support to the daycare-center directors. (3) Identifies children with special needs or at high risk, in collaboration with the centers directors and personnel. (4) Helps in the determination of eligibility and the application process of applying families. (5) Certifies the eligibility of the entities that receive Child Care funds. 24

25 Health and Nutrition Component This area ensures that children in the Child Care Program have access to adequate nutrition services while in daycare centers. This area also ensures adequate food management and health practices in the centers to maintain safety standards. This area monitors nutrition and safety standards by visiting the centers and providing professional assistance and training in health and nutrition areas. Voucher System Component With the voucher system, the parents are allowed to choose a private provider of daycare-services for their children. The Child Care Program under ACUDEN is distributed in the following manner: ACUDEN directly administers nine (9) centers throughout Puerto Rico in the following municipalities: Aguadilla, Corozal, Humacao, Juana Díaz, Luquillo, Moca, Orocovis, Peñuelas and Vieques. (Three of these centers provide services to infants and toddlers: Juana Diaz, Luquillo and Vieques.) ACUDEN delegates funds to one hundred and two (102) public and private entities to operate daycare services and other programs that take care of children at home and afterschool hours. Delegates funds to two (2) private entities to operate four (4) Respite Centers that give services to children with special needs and in high-risk environments. Operates seven (7) Early Childhood Resource and Referral Centers (CENTRANA) that provide technical and educational resources and materials on early education to families and teachers. Gives service through the Voucher System ACUDEN also develops special initiatives that are integrated into the different programs to give new and better educational experiences to children and their families. Among these initiatives are the Early Childhood Resource and Referral Centers (CENTRANA), which provides specialized resources, workshops and technical assistance in early childhood education to parents and teachers. 25

26 Other initiatives include the Professional Development Scholarship Program, guidelines and workshops to train families and personnel in the different programs. The Child Care Program currently offers services to 12,731 children in Puerto Rico through one of three modalities: 7,354 children are served in 92 providers licensed by ACUDEN through funds delegation; 5,087 children use the childcare vouchers; and 290 children are served in the nine (9) centers administered directly by ACUDEN. From the 100% of the Child Care Program funds delegation, 58% were delegated to municipalities and the rest (42%) were delegated to non-profit organizations. The region with the most childcare funds is San Juan. 26

27 FINANCING The adopted consolidated budget for the Child Care Program for fiscal year remained virtually the same from the previous fiscal year. It went from $51,202,000 to $51,807,000. The financing sources are comprised of: $14,097,000 from State Funds and $37,710,000 from Federal grants. The following table presents the historic budget for the program. 27

28 CHILD CARE PROGRAM BUDGET ( ) Fiscal Years State Stabilization "ARRA" Federal TOTAL Funds Funds Funds Funds 1666 CHILD CARE CHILD CARE CHILD CARE CHILD CARE $1,388,000 $0 $0 $45,928,000 $47,316, $10,888,000 $0 $0 $44,407,000 $54,481, $230,000 $0 $0 $49,521,000 $49,751, $13,314,000 $0 $0 $48,884,000 $62,198, $2,414,000 $5,744,000 $33,417,000 $49,915,000 $91,490, $2,651,000 $4,557,000 $0 $47,677,000 $54,885, $7,168,000 $0 $0 $46,766,899 $53,934, $6,350,000 $0 $0 $44,852,000 $51,202, $14,097,000 $0 $0 $37,710,000 $51,807,000 Source: ACUDEN EARLY HEAD START - CHILD CARE PARTNERSHIPS In January 2014, the US Congress assigned $500 million for the "The Early Head Start - Child Care Partnerships" which is eligible for organizations in Puerto Rico to compete. This funding present the opportunity to provide more high quality early learning options in the different communities. The benefits of these partnerships are access to full day, full year high quality care and early education, 28

29 comprehensive services, integration of EHS standards in childcare providers and expanded EHS services. 29

30 II. IMPORTANCE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS In recent years, studies related to economic development have shown that there is a high correlation between education and economic growth. 8 The groundbreaking work of Nobel-prize winning professor James J. Heckman, from the University of Chicago, along with a consortium of economists, psychologists, statisticians and neuroscientists, all coincide in the importance of early childhood development and its direct impact on economic, health and social development for individuals and society. The studies demonstrated that more educated individuals have better health later in life and better labor-market prospects. There is growing literature that establishes a strong relationship between health and education and, more generally, between early childhood conditions and adult outcomes. 9 Gaps in both cognitive and non-cognitive abilities among children of different socio-economic groups emerge at early ages. Various studies suggest that it is possible to enrich adverse early environments and promote child development. 10 Specifically, participation in high quality early childhood development programs: - Reduce criminal behavior and delinquency as an adult - Reduce the need for public welfare expenditures later in life - Reduce grade repetition, juvenile delinquency and drug abuse - Increase high school graduation rates and educational attainment and - Increase labor force participation Investing in young children promotes social and economic productivity, fairness and social justice. Thus early interventions targeted toward disadvantaged children have much higher returns that later in life interventions (e.g. reduced pupil-teacher ratios, public job training, convict rehabilitation 8 The Impact of Education on: The Economy; Alliance for Excellent Education Fact Sheet, November Commission on Social Determinants of Health Closing the Gap in a Generation: Health Equity through Action on the Social Determinants of Health. World Health Organization Final Report. Geneva. 10 Case, Anne, Darren Lubotsky, and Christina Paxson Economic Status and Health in Childhood: The Origins of the Gradient. American Economic Review, 92(5):

31 programs or tuition subsidies). Yet, our society overinvests in remedial skill investments at later ages and underinvests in the early years. 11 The figure to the right describes the rates of return to human capital investment in disadvantaged children. The declining red line plots the payout per year per dollar invested in huan capital programs at different stages of the life cycle for the marginal participant at current levels of spending. The opportunity cost of funds (r) is the payout per year if the dollar is invested in financial assets instead. The figure shows that, at current spending levels of funding, we overinvest in most schooling and post-schooling programs and underinvest in preschool programs for disadvantaged persons 12. The family plays a powerful role in shaping these abilities through genetics and parental involvement. A variety of intervention studies indicate that ability gaps in children from different socio-economic groups can be reduced if appropriate child care services and interventions are initiated at early ages. Interventions with young children that appear to be most effective are those that support family environments for disadvantaged children. 13 There is compelling evidence that identifies critical and sensitive periods in the development of the child. Some skills or traits are more readily acquired at certain stages of childhood than other traits. 14 For example, on average, if a second language is learned before age 12, the child speaks it fluently Heckman. Skill Formation and the Economics of Investing in Disadvantaged Children. Science (2006) vol. 312 (5782) pp Adapted from: P. Carneiro, J. J. Heckman, in Inequality in America: What Role for Human Capital Policies? J. J. Heckman, A. B. Krueger, B. Friedman, Eds. (MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 2003), ch. 2, pp Blau, D., & Currie, J. (2006).Preschool, daycare, and afterschool care: Who s minding the kids? In E. Hanushek, & F. Welch (Eds.), Handbook of the Economics of Education, Handbooks in Economics, vol. 2, chap. 20. Amsterdam: North-Holland, pp Knudsen, E. I., Heckman, J. J., Cameron, J., & Shonko, J. P. (2006).Economic, neurobiological, and behavioral perspectives on building America's future workforce. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 103 (27), 10155{ Newport, E. L. (1990). Maturational constraints on language learning. Cognitive Science, 14 (1, Special Issue), 11{28. 31

32 If syntax and grammar are not acquired early on, they appear to be very difficult to learn later on in life. 16 A child born with a cataract will be blind if the cataract is not removed within the first year of life. Different types of abilities appear to be manageable at different ages. IQ scores become stable by age 10 or so, suggesting a sensitive period for their formation below age The available evidence suggests that for many skills and abilities, later remediation for early disadvantage to achieve a given level of adult performance may be possible, but is significantly more costly than early remediation. 18 The economic returns to job training, high school graduation and college attendance are lower for less able persons. 19 Despite the low returns to interventions targeted toward disadvantaged adolescents, the empirical literature shows high economic returns for remedial investments in young disadvantaged children. 20 In the past 30 years, U.S. society has polarized. A greater percentage of young adults is attending and graduating from college. At the same time, a greater percentage is dropping out of secondary school producing a growing underclass, neither working nor going to school. 21 About 75% of youths in the U.S. who apply to the military are ineligible to serve because of low cognitive capacities, criminal records or obesity; 20% of the U.S. workforce has such a low rate of literacy that it cannot understand the instructions on a vial of pills. 22 This translates into a slowdown in the growth of the skills of the workforce, therefore, reducing U.S. productivity and competitiveness. 23 In this regard, the educational attainment of Puerto Rico s population 25 and over stood low in comparison with the national average, based on a data from the U.S. Census Bureau. 24 In Puerto Rico, over 13% of the population over 25 had not completed ninth grade as opposed to 4% in the 16 Pinker, S. (1994). The language instinct: How the mind creates language. New York: W. Morrow and Co. 17 Hopkins, K. D., &Bracht, G. H. (1975).Ten-year stability of verbal and nonverbal IQ scores. American Educational Research Journal, 12 (4), 469{ Cunha, F., & Heckman, J. J. (2007).The technology of skill formation. American Economic Review, 97 (2), 31{ Carneiro, P., & Heckman, J. J. (2003).Human capital policy. In J. J. Heckman, A. B. Krueger, & B. M. Friedman (Eds.), Inequality in America: What Role for Human Capital Policies? Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, pp. 77{ Barnett, W. S. (2004). Benet-cost analysis of preschool education. PowerPoint presentation. 21 Heckman, J. J. and P. A. La Fontaine (2010). The American high school graduation rate: Trends and levels. Review of Economics and Statistics. 22 Heckman, J. J. and D. V. Masterov (2007).The productivity argument for investing in young children. Review of Agricultural Economics 29(3), Delong, J. B., L. Katz, and C. Goldin (2003). Sustaining U.S. economic growth. In H. Aaron, J. Lindsay, and P. Nivola (Eds.), Agenda for the Nation, pp Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press. 24 US Census Bureau, ACS five- year estimates

33 continental U.S. A big discrepancy can also be seen in the number of people that have completed some college, where Puerto Rico stands at 8%, while the U.S. holds at 14% in this category. In terms of high school graduation percentages, the U.S. leads with 86% compared with 70% in Puerto Rico. Not surprisingly, very few high school graduates in Puerto Rico enter college with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed. The National Institute for Early Childhood Education Research has published some interesting facts regarding investment in early childhood development. These facts demonstrate that investing in early childhood education is a cost-effective strategy for promoting economic growth. Professor Heckman s analysis presents some interesting data backing the previous statement. Analyzing the Perry Preschool Program, a 7% to 10% per year return on investment based on increased school and career achievement as well as reduced costs in remedial education, health and criminal justice system expenditures. Analysts of the Chicago Child-Parent Center study estimated $48,000 in benefits to the public per child from a half-day public preschool for at-risk children. Participants at age 20 were estimated to be more likely to have finished high school and were less likely to have been held back, need remedial help or have been arrested. The estimated return on investment was $7 for every dollar invested National Institute for Early Childhood Education Research. 33

34 III. DEMOGRAPHIC COMPOSITION BY MUNICIPALITY AND REGION 26 ELIGIBLE POPULATION For the purpose of this study, the eligible population is defined as the population eligible to receive benefits and participate in the Head Start and Early Head Start programs. This population includes children under five years of age, as well as expectant mothers, who are financially disadvantaged. The group of all children in Puerto Rico under five years of age was first evaluated and their characteristics were then compared with children under five years of age living below poverty guidelines (the eligible population ). 27 An assessment of the demographic characteristics of the children s families was also made. The population of children under five years of age experienced a significant reduction during the past decade. While Puerto Rico s total population declined by 2.2% between , the decrease in population among children under five years of age was a dramatic 23.9% for the same period, which amounts to about 82,821 fewer children. Population Under 5 Years of Age in Puerto Rico % Change * % Change Population Under 5 Years 295, , % 171, % Total Poulation 3,808,610 3,725, % 3,355, % Percent of Population 7.8% 6.0% 5.1% Source: US Census Bureau * The total population for Puerto Rico was projected by The Puerto Rico Planning Board; the Population Under 5 Years old was projected by Advantage Puerto Rico s population was 3.8 million in 2000, but dropped to just over 3.7 million in The Puerto Rico Planning Board estimates the total population for Puerto Rico will be 3.4 million by 26 See Appendix for more detailed data. 27 The 2013 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services poverty guidelines for the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia is a yearly income of $23,550 for a family of four and $19,530 for a family of three. 34

35 2020. Furthermore, the population under five years of age will barely reach 171,003, a 42% reduction from the population in Proportionally, the population under five years of age will decrease from 7.8% of total population in 2000 to 5.1% by Further socio-demographic data at the municipality level is provided by the five-year estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau s American Community Survey (ACS). The American Community Survey is a nationwide, continuous survey that replaced the decennial census long form in 2010 and thereafter, by collecting long-form-type information throughout the decade, rather than only once every 10 years. The ACS collects data from all states and communities that have at least 65,000 residents with its single-year estimates. For smaller-population communities (as many of the municipalities on the Island are), several years of data is pooled together to create reliable three-year or five-year estimates. The one-year survey samples are smaller, less reliable but more current; the five-year survey is based on larger samples and is less current, but more reliable. Estimates for areas with fewer than 20,000 residents are only produced in five-year forms. Because there are a couple of municipalities that do not meet the minimum of 20,000 residents, many of the following socio-demographic data hereafter will be presented using the latest five-year estimate (ACS ). The Census Bureau also encourages same survey year(s) estimates in order to compare jurisdictions. Accounting for these data restrictions, the ACS five-year estimates ( and ) also showed that the population of children under five years of age has experienced a decrease in the past years. Although lagged, the ACS five-year estimates supplied the same evidence of population decline as the decennial census. The table on the next page shows these population changes experienced in the group of children aged five and under, between both five-year moving averages (ACS and ACS ). Using the cited surveys, a forecast was made of the grouped age population for the five-year period of The estimated population is also summarized according to ACUDEN s Head Start regions and detailed by gender Detailed explanation of ACUDEN s regions is presented beyond. 35

36 Children Under 5 Years of Age by Region in PR Head Start Regions Boys Girls Total North 12,480 11,952 24,432 East 16,911 16,301 33,212 West 13,982 13,309 27,291 Metropolitan 18,770 17,909 36,679 South 16,063 15,483 31,546 Others 47,145 44,987 92,132 Puerto Rico 125, , , Head Start Regions Boys Girls Total North 11,492 11,084 22,576 East 15,731 15,043 30,774 West 13,298 12,485 25,783 Metropolitan 17,275 16,444 33,719 South 15,263 14,598 29,861 Others 44,412 42,233 86,645 Puerto Rico 117, , , * Head Start Regions Boys Girls Total North 10,640 10,265 20,905 East 14,611 13,964 28,576 West 12,577 11,805 24,382 Metropolitan 15,902 15,137 31,039 South 14,482 13,847 28,328 Others 41,815 39,776 81,591 Puerto Rico 110, , ,821 Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates and * Forecasted by Advantage As shown above and based on the decreased rate experienced between surveys (minus-6.5%), the total population of children under five years of age will decrease to an estimated 215,000 in the period. This forecast is consistent with the decennial census that shows that there were 225,000 children in Puerto Rico under five years of age in However, there might be a slight overestimation of the total population based on the recent intensification of migration flows to the U.S. mainland in the last couple of years as a consequence of a prolonged economic depression. 36

37 The distribution of children under five years of age by region is presented in the next graph. CHILDREN LIVING IN POVERTY In terms of the eligible population, the experience has been, by some means, similar to that of the population under five years of age observed in the previous section. Nonetheless, the eligible population living below poverty guidelines has decreased at a slower rate than the total population of children under five years of age. While the annual decrease rate for the population under five years of age was minus-3.3% between both ACS surveys ( and ), the annual decrease rate for the eligible population was minus-1.0% during the same period. Therefore, although the population under five years of age as a whole has experienced a decline, the percentage of the eligible population within the group as a function of the total population actually increased. Based on estimates, by the end of 2013, the percentage of eligible children within the group five years and younger, will have grown to 62% (from 56% in 2009). In other words, two opposing trends are observable: A decrease in the total group composed of children under five years of age and an increase of the eligible population within this group. While there are fewer children under age five in Puerto Rico, their families are actually getting poorer. This discussion is presented numerically in the following table. 37

38 Poverty Among Children Under 5 Years of Age by Region in PR Head Start Regions * North 14,625 14,081 13,621 East 17,572 17,294 17,242 West 17,966 17,521 17,184 Metropolitan 18,318 17,461 16,883 South 19,577 19,106 18,782 Others 49,409 49,180 49,168 Puerto Rico 137, , ,880 Total Population Under 5 245, , ,821 Poverty Percetage of Under 5 56% 59% 62% Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates and * Forecasted by Advantage The distribution of children under five years of age living below poverty guidelines by regions is shown in the graph below. One of the characteristics that points directly to the needs of children in Puerto Rico is the family composition. At 67%, the percentage of single-parent families in Puerto Rico is almost double the rate of the United States (37%). 38

39 According to the ACS data survey, as per the household profile, more than half the eligible population is headed by a female householder, where no husband/father is present. While the number of the eligible population decreased, the number living with a female householder increased slightly. The following table shows the details for the above discussion. Total of Poor Children Under 5 Years with Female Householder (no Husband) Head Start Regions Change North 5,986 6, % East 8,516 9, % West 7,408 7, % Metropolitan 10,502 9, % South 9,049 9, % Others 30,136 29, % Total of Poor Children under 5 years with Female Householder 71,597 71, % Total of Poor Children under 5 years 137, ,643 Percentage of Poor Children under 5 years 52% 53% Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates and A similar trend can be observed among the eligible population living with a male householder with no wife/mother present. This group showed a dramatic increase in both and ACS surveys. For the survey, an estimated one out of nine (1/9) eligible children, or 11%, lived with a male householder without a wife, and according to the latest ACS five-year estimate ( ), this number increased to one out of every seven (1/7) children, or 14%. 39

40 Total of Poor Children Under 5 Years with Male Householder (no Wife) Head Start Regions Change North 1,546 1, % East 2,242 2, % West 1,934 2, % Metropolitan 1,621 2, % South 2,452 2, % Others 4,965 6, % Total of Poor Children Under years with Male Householder 14,760 18, % Total of Poor Children under 5 years 137, ,643 Percentage of Poor Children under 5 years 11% 14% Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates and Single-parent families in Puerto Rico were further evaluated using data from Kids Count (KC), a project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. KC is a national and state-by-state effort to track the well-being of children in the United States (and Puerto Rico). At the national level, the project develops and distributes reports on key areas of well-being, including the annual KC Data Book. In addition to the annual data book, KC explores the well-being of children using new data and policy analysis. The foundation also maintains the KC Data Center, which uses the best available statistics and data to measure the educational, social, economic and physical well-being of children. The data center features hundreds of indicators with more than four million data points. It provides national, congressional district, county, school district and city data from across the country. The data from KC adds to the findings cited above. As shown in the graphs below, the percentage of single-parent families (68%) in Puerto Rico is more than double that of families with both parents (32%). 40

41 The number of single-parent families Island-wide, although remaining fairly stable, has been trending slightly upward (2%) throughout the period. In the U.S., the number of singleparent families has increased 5% from 2007 to 2011, showing a clear positive trend. Nevertheless, it is important to note that the percentage of single-parent families in Puerto Rico was almost twice that of the U.S. at 68% and 37%, respectively. 41

42 Eligible children with married-couple parents experienced, on average, a 13% decrease throughout all regions. Many theories can explain the reduction of the eligible population with married-couple families. Some of them could include a higher propensity for migration among married couples, increase in divorce rates, etc. It is important to note that there is no evidence indicating that the reduction in this group stems from the alleviation of poverty conditions. Total of Poor Children Under 5 Years in Married-Couple Family Head Start Regions Change North 7,093 5, % East 6,814 5, % West 8,624 7, % Metropolitan 6,195 5, % South 8,076 7, % Others 14,308 12, % Total of Poor Children Under 5 years in Married Couple 51,110 44, % Total of Poor Children under 5 years 137, ,643 Percentage of Poor Children under 5 years 37% 33% Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates and The following graph illustrates the percentage of the (eligible population) by family type within each region. For example, only 26% of all children living in poverty in the Others region were living with both parents, while 44% of children living in poverty in the West region were living with both parents. 42

43 The following graph shows each family category and how they are distributed throughout the regions. 43

44 UNEMPLOYMENT As defined under ACUDEN s mission statement, the children s parents and relatives are highly encouraged to participate in the child s HS/EHS educational process. Hence, a comprehensive understanding of the socio-demographic characteristics of this segment of the population is extremely important in understanding the children s environments and their needs. As can be seen in the following graph and table, Puerto Rico has a much higher rate of unemployed parents who have children under six years of age than the Unites States (data was only available for children under six years of age, both in the Kids Count data and ACS five-year estimates). As of 2011, Puerto Rico s unemployed parents reached 29%, while in the U.S. unemployed parents only reached 10%.? 44

45 Unemployed Parents with Children Under 6 yrs of Age: US and PR Location US Puerto Rico Source: Kids Count Data Center ,953,000 2,246,000 2,307,000 2,272,000 8% 9% 10% 10% 69,000 70,000 73,000 73,000 26% 26% 28% 29% When the percentages of unemployed parents with underage children for San Juan are compared with those of Puerto Rico, not only are the percentages for the capital slightly higher than the Island-wide average, but a growing trend is observable for the capital. Unemployed Parents with Underage Children: PR and SJ Location US Puerto Rico 229,000 24, ,000 24, ,000 20, ,000 22,000 23% 26% 24% 27% 24% 24% 25% 28% Source: Kids Count Data Center

46 HOUSING Another important characteristic in determining the quality of the children s environments is their housing conditions. A housing unit is considered crowded if there is more than one person per room. The ratio of occupants is derived by dividing the number of people living in the housing unit by the number of rooms in the housing unit. In the U.S., the percentage of residences which house children deemed crowded remained stable in the period (13%-14%). In Puerto Rico, the percentages were higher than those in the U.S. (about 20%), but have shown a downward trend since Location United States 9,475,000 9,387,000 9,946,000 10,566,000 10,507,000 13% 13% 13% 14% 14% Puerto Rico 233, , , , ,000 23% 21% 19% 20% 17% Source: National KIDS COUNT Children Living in Crowded Housing EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT Upon examining the Island s educational attainment for the total 25 and older population, one can observe that 31% did not finish high school. However, 26% of the population group had a high school diploma, 21% had at least some college experience or an Associate s degree, while the other 22% earned a Bachelor s or a higher degree. This information is illustrated in the following table and graph. 46

47 Educational Attainment of Population 25 Years and Older Less than High School High School Degree Some College / Associate's Degree Bachelor's Degree or Higher Head Start Regions North 88,537 63,529 49,649 42,543 East 98,235 89,844 63,559 65,078 West 109,606 72,984 51,166 51,195 Metropolitan 99,554 85,345 86,678 77,405 South 97,081 80,842 56,834 45,872 Others 272, , , ,064 Puerto Rico 765, , , ,157 Source: US Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates Out of all the adults in the 25 years and older group in Puerto Rico, nearly 40% of them were living below the poverty guidelines, roughly a million Puerto Ricans in their most productive years. The educational attainment distribution for the poverty group is significantly different than the 25 years and older population group as a whole. Almost half of this adult group did not finish high school. However, nearly 65,000 adults 25 years and older who earned a Bachelor s degree or higher, were living in poverty, despite their higher education degrees. 47

48 Educational Attainment of Population 25 Years and Older Living Under Poverty Level Less than High School High School Degree Some College / Associate's Degree Bachelor's Degree or Higher Head Start Regions North 58,037 30,004 18,257 6,706 East 57,248 37,526 18,388 7,275 West 74,088 37,627 21,514 9,366 Metropolitan 56,904 31,758 22,855 7,656 South 66,883 42,874 21,498 7,634 Others 153,711 95,830 58,496 26,063 Puerto Rico 466, , ,008 64,700 Source: US Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates In terms of families, according to the ACS , there were an estimated 905,467 families in Puerto Rico. Nearly 42% of those families were living below the poverty guidelines. Out of the total number of families living in poverty (375,819), 43% were families where the householders were married. About 10% of families had a male householder with no wife/mother present. The educational attainment of these two types of householder (married-couple and male householders with no wife present, both living below the poverty guidelines) follows the same patterns as the educational attainment of the population 25 years and older living in poverty. Nearly 48

49 half did not finish high school; around 30% graduated from high school or earned the equivalent diploma. In other words, about 80% of these householders did not go further than high school. Approximately one out of every six (1/6) householders in married-couple families (16.7%) completed some college or earned an Associate s degree, while the rest earned a Bachelor s degree or higher. The following tables and graphs illustrate the above discussion. Educational Attainment of Householder in Married-Couple Family Living Under Poverty Level Less than High School High School Degree Some College / Associate's Degree Bachelor's Degree or Higher Head Start Regions North 11,470 6,615 3, East 9,064 6,173 2,748 1,086 West 14,329 7,895 3,737 1,311 Metropolitan 9,603 4,923 3,237 1,405 South 12,528 8,512 4,140 1,388 Others 22,283 14,809 8,260 3,120 Puerto Rico 79,277 48,927 25,830 9,260 Source: US Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates 49

50 Almost 50% of male householders with no wife present living below the poverty guidelines did not complete high school, 31% graduated high school, and only 5% received a Bachelor s degree. The graph below shows the breakdown of the male householders educational attainment by region. The South region leads all educational categories with the exception of the Bachelor degree or higher category, where the (San Juan) Metropolitan region shows a higher level of educational attainment. Educational Attainment of Male Householder (no Wife present) Living Under Poverty Level Less than High School High School Degree Some College / Associate's Degree Bachelor's Degree or Higher Head Start Regions North 2, East 2,417 2, West 2,647 1, Metropolitan 1,800 1, South 2,974 2, Others 5,874 3,916 2, Puerto Rico 18,087 11,534 5,700 1,848 Source: US Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates As for the educational attainment of female householders with no husband/father present living below the poverty guidelines, a smaller percentage of householders did not finish high school (37% 50

51 compared with 49% of other family groups), while a higher percentage of single female householders had some college or earned an Associate s degree (25%). The percentage for college degrees or higher was slightly higher (7%). Educational Attainment of Female Householder (no Husband present) Living Under Poverty Level Less than High School High School Degree Some College / Associate's Degree Bachelor's Degree or Higher Head Start Regions North 6,315 5,210 4,384 1,527 East 7,582 7,097 4,960 1,554 West 8,223 5,397 4,433 1,616 Metropolitan 8,769 7,212 6,722 1,751 South 8,280 7,356 5,405 1,587 Others 25,877 21,874 17,356 4,869 Puerto Rico 65,046 54,146 43,260 12,904 Source: US Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates 51

52 IV. SUPPLY AND DEMAND ANALYSIS: HEAD START AND EARLY HEAD START ENROLLMENT RATES IN PUERTO RICO METHODOLOGY USED AND TERMINOLOGY METHODOLOGY USED A supply and demand analysis was performed to determine if the eligible population s needs are being met. To do this, the current eligible population ( demand ) was compared to the current enrollment rates in programs which serve the eligible population, for example, Head Start and Early Head Start programs as well as public pre-k programs ( supply ). The current demand was estimated for 2013 and compared with the 2013 supply data. DEMAND Demand is defined as the eligible population or the population under five years of age living below the poverty line. The source for the demand data used is the American Community Survey (five-year estimates) for the years and , from the U.S Census Bureau. Present demand values were estimated with the ACS five-year estimates, to compare them with the 2013 supply values. SUPPLY Supply, or enrollment figures, is based on the current enrollment for all Head Start and Early Head Start programs, as well as pre-k enrollment in public schools throughout the Island for Enrollment data for the HS and EHS centers is provided by the latest Program Information Report (PIR) data for 2013, obtained from the HS database, as well as from direct reports from ACUDEN centers. Data for the public school pre-k enrollment is provided by the Department of Education. In addition to this, all the HS and EHS Delegates under ACUDEN were contacted to confirm the most recent enrollment figures. 52

53 ENROLLMENT INDEX Enrollment figures (supply) were then grouped by municipality and compared with the eligible population (demand) to create the Enrollment Index (please see Appendix for enrollment by municipality). This marks the most important part of the analysis. By comparing and contrasting supply and demand, it becomes clear if the eligible population s enrollment needs are being met or if there is a gap between the supply and demand. If the enrollment needs for the population are being met, then, in economic terms, this is the point of equilibrium whereby supply and demand meet and there is no need for adjustments on either side. In other words, this point is where the enrollment rate equals 100%. It is important to note that in no area in Puerto Rico has reached the point of equilibrium where enrollment needs are being met. The enrollment rates of each municipality were compared with Puerto Rico s average enrollment rate. To quantify this comparison, an enrollment index was developed. The enrollment index was obtained by dividing the municipalities enrollment rates by Puerto Rico s enrollment rate. For this index, the Puerto Rico average is equal to Each municipality was then divided by the Puerto Rico average. Thus, indexes above 1.00 imply enrollment levels above the Puerto Rico average, whereas indexes below 1.00 are the municipalities with enrollment levels below the Puerto Rico average. Once the enrollment index for each municipality was calculated, they were ranked accordingly (please see the Appendix for table with rankings). 53

54 SUPPLY To establish the number of programs available to the eligible population, data from the HS/EHS programs and the Department of Education and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) were evaluated. The programs evaluated with this data were those offered to the eligible population via public funding (local government and federal), such as preschool and nursery programs provided by public schools, as well as Head Start and Early Head Start programs. As mentioned earlier, private programs were not included in the analysis as they are not financially viable for the eligible population making them inaccessible and are therefore not part of the supply for this group. However, this data is presented for background and general comparison. HEAD START ENROLLMENT The Head Start and Early Head Start programs provide information on a macro level for demographics and services in the program year administered on the Island (this information is available on a grantee-level). The HS (online) report lists all the Grantees, as well as the number of children enrolled in each grantee. According to this report, more than 36,000 children receive services in Puerto Rico under the Head Start program. In Puerto Rico, there are 45 Grantees, one of them being the Administration for Integral Child and Development (ACUDEN), organized under the Puerto Rico Family Department. Under ACUDEN, the Head Start program serves more than 19,000 children, comprising over 50% of the eligible population being served by Head Start Island-wide. According to the Program Information Report (PIR) published by ACUDEN, there are 21 ACUDEN delegate agencies for Head Start and five Early Head Start delegate agenies (four active), serving these 19,000 children Island-wide. In the Puerto Rico Head Start program, 63% of the children served by ACUDEN are four years old and 37% are three years olds. The age distribution for the children being served by the rest of the Grantees, collectively, is different with 44% being three-year-olds and 30% four-year-olds. The percentage of children under three years old enrolled in the EHS program is less than 1% of the total ACUDEN enrollment; hence, it was not included in this analysis by age-group as this population is largely underserved 54

55 The next table presents in detail the aforementioned regions and the delegate agencies that offer services within them. The municipalities not shown in the table are excluded because no ACUDEN delegate agency provides services in these areas. Those municipalities are grouped in Others. Some of the municipalities grouped in Others include the largest and most populated municipalities of Puerto Rico, such as San Juan, Ponce, Mayagüez, Bayamón, Guaynabo and Caguas, among others. 29 Various of these Other municipalities are direct grantees of the Head Start Program and administer their own HS/EHS programs. 29 The previously shown map on page 8 also distinguishes between ACUDEN s Head Start Grantees by delegation and other delegations without ACUDEN s participation. 55

56 Regions and Delegations According to ACUDEN's "Head Start" Programs North Region Arecibo Barceloneta Manatí (EHS) Utuado Arecibo Barceloneta Manatí Utuado Camuy Ciales Jayuya Hatillo Florida Adjuntas Lares East Region Humacao Fund. Hogar Propio Fajardo (EHS) Cayey Humacao San Lorenzo Fajardo Cayey Las Piedras* Trujillo Alto Ceiba Aibonito Yabucoa Juncos Culebra Cidra Las Piedras* Vieques Naguabo West Region San Sebastián Aguadilla (EHS) Quebradillas Sabana Grande San Sebastián Aguadilla Isabela Sabana Grande Aguada Quebradillas Guánica Moca Lajas Rincón San Germán Cabo Rojo Metropolitan Region Carolina Toa Baja Vega Baja Dorado Carolina Cataño Vega Baja Dorado Toa Alta Vega Alta Toa Baja Morovis South Region Orocovis Juana Díaz Guayama Peñuelas (EHS) Orocovis Juana Díaz Guayama Peñuelas Barranquitas Coamo Patillas Yauco Villalba Santa Isabel Salinas Guayanilla Corozal Arroyo Maunabo * Based on ACUDEN's information, there are two different Grantees providing services in the municipality of Las Piedras 56

57 Children under three years of age and expectant mothers are served under the Early Head Start program. There are five EHS centers currently operating in Puerto Rico under ACUDEN (four active). In addition to delivering a variety of service models in diverse settings around the United States (and Puerto Rico), Early Head Start seeks to promote healthy pregnancies, as well as the healthy development of the newborn. One of the main objectives for the program is to enroll the expectant mother s child following birth. In Puerto Rico, a total of 354 pregnant women received EHS services in A list of all Head Start and Early Head Start programs is attached below, listing enrollment for each of the Grantees broken down by age of child. An additional column has been included, listing the enrollment of expectant mothers in the Early Head Start programs for the same year. 57

58 Grantee Name Head Start Program in Puerto Rico Municipality Under 1 year Participants by Age 1 year 2 year 3 year 4 year 5 year Total Pregnant Participants Women Administration for Integral Child Care and Development San Juan ,283 12, ,583 0 Autonomus Municipality of Caguas Early Head Start Caguas CDI HS/ Al Servicio de San Sebastian y Moca Moca CDI HS/ Central Northeast Puerto Rico Loíza CDI/ Puerto Rico Canovanas CDI/ Puerto Rico Canovanas CDI/ San Juan Metro Area San Juan Centro de Servicios a la Juventud, Inc. Arecibo Centro de Servicios a la Juventud, Inc. Arecibo Diocese of Mayagüez Hormigueros Diocese of Mayagüez Hormigueros Early Head Start Municipality of Humacao Humacao Early Head Start Municipality of San German Program San Germán ESCAPE-Early Head Start Gurabo Foundation For Home Ownership Development Caguas Foundation For Home Ownership Development Caguas Head Start Concesionario Municipality of Humacao Humacao Head Start Municipality of Guaynabo Guaynabo Head Start Program Municipality of Adjuntas Adjuntas Municipal Government of Barceloneta Barceloneta Municipal Government of Mayagüez Head Start Program Mayagüez Municipality of Bayamón Bayamón , ,114 0 Municipality of Bayamón Bayamón Municipality of Caguas Head Start Program Caguas ,600 0 Municipality of Carolina Carolina Municipality of Carolina Carolina Municipality of Dorado Dorado Municipality of Guaynabo Guaynabo Municipality of Isabela Isabela Municipality of Isabela Isabela Municipality of Mayagüez Mayagüez ,239 0 Municipality of Patillas Patillas Municipality of Ponce Ponce Municipality of Ponce Ponce Municipality of Sabana Grande Sabana Grande Municipality of San German San Germán Municipality of San Juan San Juan ,963 1,789 4,406 0 Municipality of San Juan San Juan Municipality of Toa Baja Toa Baja Municipality of Utuado Utuado Puerto Rican Family Institute, Inc. San Juan ,448 0 Puerto Rican Family Institute, Inc. San Juan Quintana Baptist Church Early Head Start Program San Juan Quintana Baptist Church Early Head Start Program San Juan Taller Educativo De Caguas, Inc. Caguas Total ,135 12,288 19,706 1,910 36, Source: U. S. Department of Health & Human Services Administration for Children & Families Head Start 58

59 The bulk of Head Start (HS) enrollment in Puerto Rico is comprised of children between three and four years of age, with more than half the children falling in the four-year-old category. In the U.S., a similar age distribution of enrollees can be seen in the Head Start program. This is principally due to availability of funding primarily for these age groups. EHS is a newer program, and less federal funding has been allocated since the program s creation. None the less, the EHS in Puerto Rico has a lower percent of enrollment (7%) as compared to the U.S. (16%). This indicates that a more aggressive approach can be established in Puerto Rico to access EHS funds. 59

60 Head Start Enrollment in Puerto Rico and US Location Age Group Puerto Rico < 3 yrs. 2,210 2,078 2,439 2,841 2,857 3 yrs. 13,576 12,899 12,831 14,173 13,214 4 yrs. 23,684 23,271 23,538 22,770 21,484 5 yrs ,915 Total 40,088 38,330 38,973 39,949 39,470 < 3 yrs. 120, , , , ,335 United States 3 yrs. 373, , , , ,299 4 yrs. 507, , , , ,941 5 yrs. 26,040 28,235 22,729 19,762 18,455 Total 1,027,330 1,014,197 1,073,440 1,125,209 1,128,030 Source: National KIDS COUNT ACUDEN received American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding in December 2009 to offer Early Head Start (EHS) services through four Delegate Agencies: Fajardo, Peñuelas, Manatí and Aguadilla. EHS programs serve a total of 96 participants, which include children from zero (0) to three years old, as well as pregnant women. HS and EHS programs require at least 10% of enrollees to be children with special needs. Additional reports assessed included the Biennial Report to Congress on the Status of Children in Head Start Programs, the Office of Head Start, Administration for Children and Families and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; the data shows HS and EHS enrollment for years 2003, 2005, and PUBLIC PRE-K PROGRAMS In addition to examining the ACUDEN Program Information Report (PIR), we assessed availability of public pre-k programs provided by the Puerto Rico Department of Education. Island-wide: about 31% of municipalities have opened pre-k programs since 2006, while only 2% have closed them (see Appendix for detailed data provided by the Education Department by year and municipality). 60

61 In addition to the programs discussed above, ACUDEN is currently evaluating alternative programs to address the changing needs and demographics of the eligible population, as well as the declining federal and state formula funds allocated to the agency. One alternative is a voucher program, through which eligible children will continue to enroll in alternate preschool and nursery programs, even if their Head Start or Early Head Start center is closed due to lack of funding. This alternative needs to be evaluated closely, as most private preschool and nursery programs do not provide the same quality of service as dictated by HS/EHS program standards, meaning that this option may be relegating children to lower quality services. Only seven private programs throughout all of Puerto Rico are accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) binding them to quality parameters comparable to those for HS/EHS programs. All other private programs have little, if any, quality oversight beyond licensure requirements. To assess the availability of pubic pre-k alternatives, we used the Elementary/Secondary Information System (ELSi) report, produced by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), which lists the enrollment for all public schools in Puerto Rico for pre-k, per municipality, for the years 2006 through 2011, the Department of Education report on pre-k enrollment for the school year and data for private school enrollment using the Compendio Estadístico sobre la educación básica (K-12) privada de PR report for the school year produced by the Puerto Rico Board of Education. 61

62 For the purpose of this analysis, pre-k enrollment is defined as center based services provided to children ages 4 and 5 years old. As per our assessment we identified that in this population subgroup, 21,616 (48%) are receiving these services at a HS, 22,280 (50%) at a private (non-hs) center/school and 866 (2%) at a public (non-hs) school. Private school pre-k enrollment by municipality for the school year is shown in the following table: 62

63 Private School Enrollment ( ) Municipality Enrollment Adjuntas 55 Aguada 222 Aguadilla 469 Aguas Buenas 23 Aguirre 72 Aibonito 194 Añasco 187 Arecibo 296 Arroyo 15 Barceloneta 15 Barranquitas 28 Bayamón 1,900 Cabo Rojo 109 Caguas 1,469 Camuy 113 Canóvanas 354 Carolina 1,754 Castañer - Cataño 20 Cayey 432 Ceiba 57 Ciales 26 Cidra 5 Coamo 90 Comerio 40 Corozal 159 Coto Laurel 148 Dorado 367 Ensenada - Fajardo 254 Florida 27 Garrochales - Guánica 18 Guayama 342 Guayanilla 77 Guaynabo 1,379 Gurabo 101 Hatillo 177 Hato Rey 51 Hormigueros 245 Humacao 298 Isabela 253 Jayuya - Juana Díaz - Juncos 37 Lajas 8 Lares 50 Las Marías 24 Las Piedras 406 Loiza 40 Luquillo 68 Manatí 539 Maricao - Mayagüez 643 Moca 148 Morovis 116 Naranjito 128 Orocovis 43 Palmer - Ponce 1,308 Puerto Real 64 Quebradillas 93 Rincón 31 Río Grande 63 Río Piedras 444 Sabana Grande 161 Sabana Seca 49 Salinas 136 San Germán 251 San Juan 3,116 San Lorenzo 97 San Sebastián 243 Santa Isabel 86 Santurce 3 Toa Alta 221 Toa Baja 604 Trujillo Alto 225 Utuado 78 Vega Alta 234 Vega Baja 347 Villalba 57 Yabucoa 71 Yauco 207 Source: Puerto Rico Board of Education ( ) 63

64 The table below shows pre-k enrollment by municipality for public schools: Public School Pre-K Enrollment Data ( ) Municipality ADJUNTAS MUNICIPIO AGUADA MUNICIPIO AGUADILLA MUNICIPIO AGUAS BUENAS MUNICIPIO AIBONITO MUNICIPIO AÑASCO MUNICIPIO ARECIBO MUNICIPIO ARROYO MUNICIPIO BARCELONETA MUNICIPIO BARRANQUITAS MUNICIPIO BAYAMÓN MUNICIPIO CABO ROJO MUNICIPIO CAGUAS MUNICIPIO CAMUY MUNICIPIO CANÓVANAS MUNICIPIO CAROLINA MUNICIPIO CATAÑO MUNICIPIO CAYEY MUNICIPIO CEIBA MUNICIPIO CIALES MUNICIPIO CIDRA MUNICIPIO COAMO MUNICIPIO COMERÍO MUNICIPIO COROZAL MUNICIPIO CULEBRA MUNICIPIO DORADO MUNICIPIO FAJARDO MUNICIPIO FLORIDA MUNICIPIO GUÁNICA MUNICIPIO GUAYAMA MUNICIPIO GUAYANILLA MUNICIPIO GUAYNABO MUNICIPIO GURABO MUNICIPIO HATILLO MUNICIPIO HORMIGUEROS MUNICIPIO HUMACAO MUNICIPIO ISABELA MUNICIPIO JAYUYA MUNICIPIO JUANA DÍAZ MUNICIPIO JUNCOS MUNICIPIO LAJAS MUNICIPIO LARES MUNICIPIO LAS MARÍAS MUNICIPIO LAS PIEDRAS MUNICIPIO LOÍZA MUNICIPIO LUQUILLO MUNICIPIO MANATÍ MUNICIPIO MARICAO MUNICIPIO MAUNABO MUNICIPIO MAYAGÜEZ MUNICIPIO MOCA MUNICIPIO MOROVIS MUNICIPIO NAGUABO MUNICIPIO NARANJITO MUNICIPIO OROCOVIS MUNICIPIO PATILLAS MUNICIPIO PEÑUELAS MUNICIPIO PONCE MUNICIPIO QUEBRADILLAS MUNICIPIO RINCÓN MUNICIPIO RÍO GRANDE MUNICIPIO SABANA GRANDE MUNICIPIO SALINAS MUNICIPIO SAN GERMÁN MUNICIPIO SAN JUAN MUNICIPIO SAN LORENZO MUNICIPIO SAN SEBASTIÁN MUNICIPIO SANTA ISABEL MUNICIPIO TOA ALTA MUNICIPIO TOA BAJA MUNICIPIO TRUJILLO ALTO MUNICIPIO UTUADO MUNICIPIO VEGA ALTA MUNICIPIO VEGA BAJA MUNICIPIO VIEQUES MUNICIPIO VILLALBA MUNICIPIO YABUCOA MUNICIPIO YAUCO MUNICIPIO TOTAL Source: NCES ( ); PR Department of Education ( ) 64

65 According to the NCES ELSi reports for the time period, enrollment for pre-k shows a dramatic increase Island-wide: about 36% of public schools showed an increase in enrollment, while only 6% showed a decrease (see Appendix for detailed data by year and municipality). When this data is compared with the most recent enrollment figures for the school year, provided by the Puerto Rico Department of Education, it is evident that the positive trend observed for the time period is maintained and pre-k enrollment in public schools continues to grow: about 40% of public schools showed an increase in enrollment, while only 2% showed a decrease (see Appendix for detailed data by year and municipality). 65

66 Based on recent data, the public school pre-k program under the Department of Education consists of 84 pre-k programs, with 13 new programs opening in 2013, for a total of 97 total preschool programs for This change in public policy falls in line with President Obama s Pre-K for Everyone initiative, 31 which aims to expand federally funded pre-k education. One way to accelerate the growth of this programs is to increase partnerships between the Department of Education (DE) and HS/EHS grantees, whereby the DE can provide facilities and matching funds and the HS/EHS grantees can provide age appropriate services. In addition to the preschool program, the Department of Education offers another program directed toward children from zero (0) to three years of age ( Maternal ). The DE did not have any available data regarding enrollment in the Maternal program, but according to the agency, the program is currently operational in the following municipalities: Arecibo, Toa Baja, Bayamón, Cidra, Humacao, Bayamón, Morovis, Aguadilla, Ponce and Lajas primarily for DE employees. However, two programs closed this past year, San Juan and Aguadilla. 30 Interview with Jose L. Maldonado, Special Aide to the Secretary of Education, on September 4,

67 DEMAND As mentioned earlier, demand is defined as the children who are eligible to enroll in programs funded by the local, state or federal government (HS and EHS programs, as well as pre-k programs in public school). This demand, or eligible population, is defined as children between the ages of zero (0) and five and pregnant women who live below the poverty guidelines. The following table summarizes the information in this section. As of 2013, there were 132,880 children in Puerto Rico who were under five years of age and 12,484 pregnant women who were living in poverty. This comprises the demand side, namely 62% of all children under five years of age currently living in Puerto Rico. Eligible Popuation by Region in PR (2013) Head Start Regions 2013* North 13,621 East 17,242 West 17,184 Metropolitan 16,883 South 18,782 Others 49,168 Puerto Rico 132,880 Population Under 5 Years of Age 214,821 Eligible Population 132,880 Percentage of Eligible Population 62% Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates and * Forecasted by Advantage 67

68 V. SUPPLY AND DEMAND ANALYSIS: IDENTIFYING UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS As mentioned earlier, supply is defined as the services being offered (i.e. the number of children who are currently enrolled in publicly funded preschool services) by providers such as Head Start/ Early Head Start and the Department of Education. The supply, or enrollment data, for the HS and EHS centers is provided by the latest HS Program Information Report (PIR) data (2013) and direct reports from ACUDEN centers. The source for the demand data used is the American Community Survey (five-year estimates) for 2011, from the U.S Census Bureau. These values were then estimated for 2013 and then compared with the 2013 supply. The supply of the programs for the eligible population (Head Start, Early Head Start, and DE preschool programs) was also evaluated, as well as the enrollment of the eligible population in each of the municipalities. The main finding in the analysis of the eligible population vis-à-vis the Head Start program is that a significant number of eligible children are currently being underserved. In fact, when supply is matched with demand, it is evident that there is a mismatch of about 96,000 eligible children and their families who are not being served. These 96,000 eligible children are currently not enrolled in the Head Start or Early Head Start programs. This data is illustrated in the following two tables, showing the gap between supply and demand by municipality.? 68

69 Puerto Rico HS Enrollment/Eligible Population Gapby Municipality (2013) Municipality # of Children not Being Serviced % of Children not Being Serviced Loíza % Toa Baja 1, % Barceloneta % Dorado % Río Grande % Guaynabo 1, % Canóvanas 1, % Patillas % San Sebastián % Guayama % Orocovis % Ceiba % Humacao 1, % Utuado % Santa Isabel % Cayey % Caguas 2, % Arecibo 2, % San Juan 8, % Arroyo % Coamo % Vega Baja 1, % Adjuntas % Maunabo % Bayamón 4, % San Lorenzo 1, % Mayagüez 2, % Cataño 1, % Manatí 1, % Gurabo % Jayuya % Hatillo % Fajardo 1, % Ciales % Luquillo % Cidra % Maricao % Cabo Rojo 1, % Aguadilla 1, % Naranjito % Sources: US Census Bureau, ACS 5 Year Estimates, and , 2013 Population Estimates by Advantage based on US Census data, Kids Count Data 2012, HA and EHS Grantee 69

70 Puerto Rico HS Enrollment/Eligible Population Gapby Municipality (2013) Municipality # of Children not Being Serviced % of Children not Being Serviced Corozal 1, % Carolina 3, % Ponce 5, % Toa Alta 1, % Peñuelas 1, % Aibonito % Vega Alta 1, % Trujillo Alto 1, % Morovis 1, % Salinas 1, % Las Piedras 1, % Juana Díaz 1, % Vieques % Lajas 1, % Villalba % Yabucoa 1, % San Germán 1, % Aguas Buenas % Isabela 1, % Sábana Grande % Lares 1, % Quebradillas % Naguabo 1, % Barranquitas 1, % Juncos 1, % Comerío 1, % Camuy 1, % Guánica % Yauco 1, % Guayanilla % Añasco % Florida % Las Marías % Aguada 1, % Culebra % Rincón % Moca 1, % Hormigueros % Puerto Rico 96,405 Sources: US Census Bureau, ACS 5 Year Estimates, and , 2013 Population Estimates by Advantage based on US Census data, Kids Count Data 2012, HA and EHS Grantee 70

71 HEAD START AND EARLY HEAD START ENROLLMENT RATES BY MUNICIPALITY The median enrollment rate for Puerto Rico is 23.9%, while the average is 25.9%. The enrollment rate reflects the number of enrolled children in Head Start and Early Head Start programs per eligible population (as defined previously, children under five years old and living in poverty). Neither the median nor the average for program enrollment for Puerto Rico reaches the 50% threshold. Thus, it is evident that the needs of the eligible population for early childhood development are not being met. The municipalities with the highest enrollment rates are those in the north, northeast and east of the Island, particularly those encompassing the municipalities surrounding highways PR-22 and PR-26: Loíza (64.5%), Toa Baja (61.7%) and Barceloneta (61.4%), and all within the 60% range. Those with lower enrollment rates are the municipalities of Culebra (7.7%), Rincón (7.6%), and Moca (5.7%). The municipality of Hormigueros is currently not being served under the Head Start program. The next table illustrates municipalities by their enrollment rate, starting with Loíza, the municipality with the highest enrollment rate. 71

72 HS and EHS Enrollment Rates for Puerto Rico (2013) Municipality Enrollment Rate Index Rank Loíza 64.5% Toa Baja 61.7% Barceloneta 61.4% Dorado 55.6% Río Grande 53.1% Guaynabo 48.9% Canóvanas 48.7% Patillas 46.9% San Sebastián 44.8% Guayama 44.4% Orocovis 43.2% Ceiba 40.7% Humacao 37.1% Utuado 35.6% Santa Isabel 35.3% San Juan 34.5% Cayey 33.8% Caguas 33.2% Arecibo 32.9% Arroyo 31.8% Coamo 31.6% Vega Baja 31.1% Adjuntas 30.7% Maunabo 30.5% Bayamón 29.1% San Lorenzo 28.1% Mayagüez 28.0% Cataño 27.5% Manatí 27.2% Gurabo 27.0% Jayuya 25.6% Hatillo 25.6% Fajardo 25.3% Ciales 25.1% Luquillo 24.3% Cidra 24.1% Maricao 23.8% Cabo Rojo 23.3% Aguadilla 22.8% Sources: US Census Bureau, ACS 5 Year Estimates, and , 2013 Population Estimates by Advantage based on US Census data, Kids Count Data 2012, HA and EHS Grantee Enrollment Report 72

73 HS and EHS Enrollment Rates for Puerto Rico (2013) Municipality Enrollment Rate Index Rank Naranjito 22.8% Corozal 22.6% Carolina 22.6% Ponce 21.8% Toa Alta 21.8% Peñuelas 21.7% Aibonito 21.6% Vega Alta 20.9% Trujillo Alto 20.6% Morovis 20.5% Salinas 19.6% Las Piedras 19.3% Juana Díaz 19.1% Vieques 18.7% Lajas 18.2% Villalba 17.9% Yabucoa 17.7% San Germán 17.7% Aguas Buenas 17.6% Isabela 17.5% Sábana Grande 17.1% Lares 16.4% Quebradillas 16.1% Naguabo 15.7% Barranquitas 15.3% Juncos 14.9% Comerío 14.2% Camuy 13.2% Guánica 13.1% Yauco 12.9% Guayanilla 12.0% Añasco 11.9% Florida 11.1% Las Marías 9.3% Aguada 8.9% Culebra 7.7% Rincón 7.6% Moca 5.7% Hormigueros 0.0% Puerto Rico 25.9% 1.00 Sources: US Census Bureau, ACS 5 Year Estimates, and , 2013 Population Estimates by Advantage based on US Census data, Kids Count Data 2012, HA and EHS Grantee Enrollment Report 73

74 74

75 Municipalities with the lowest enrollment rates are found mostly in the west and central regions of the Island, as well as the island municipalities of Vieques and Culebra. As mentioned earlier, Hormigueros, have an enrollment rate of 0%. In addition, Culebra (7.7%), Rincón (7.6%), and Moca (5.7%), all have enrollment rates below 10%. The eligible population in both Vieques and Culebra, because of geographic limitations (i.e. they are islands and therefore not attached to the main island of Puerto Rico), is unable to travel to neighboring municipalities to receive services provided by the Head Start program. Hence, it is important to take this geographic limitation into account when evaluating enrollment rates. Thus, these two municipalities need to maintain Head Start centers to ensure that the eligible population in these municipalities is being serviced. The following graph shows the municipalities ranked by index, as previously discussed, with the Puerto Rico average defined as

76 76

77 HEAD START HALF-DAY CENTERS BY MUNICIPALITY In program year , forty nine (49) Head Start Centers operated with half-day schedules. So far, these half-day schedules have been the Delegate Agencies mechanism to maintain the services while dealing with existing issues such as: Closing of centers due to issues with the physical facilities Budgetary reductions Areas with very high demand Half-day centers could be a strategy to expand Head Start services to the population in need in the face of stagnant or even declining budgets. By enabling centers to operate two half-day programs instead of one full-day (six-hour) program, centers can accommodate twice the number of children. The following tables show the program half-day schedules, number of centers by municipality and the detailed name of centers by municipality and delegate agency. Number of Half-Day Centers by Municipality Program Year Aibonito 1 Arroyo 2 Cabo Rojo 3 Cataño 1 Cayey 4 Ceiba 2 Ciales 4 Coamo 2 Fajardo 2 Guánica 2 Guayama 1 Humacao 1 Juana Díaz 6 Manatí 3 Morovis 1 Quebradillas 2 Salinas 1 San Germán 1 Santa Isabel 1 Toa Baja 4 Vega Alta 1 Yabucoa 2 Yauco 2 Total 49 77

78 "Head Start" Centers Operating Half-Day by Municipality Program Year Name of the Center Municipality Delegate Agency Bella Vista Aibonito Cayey Buena Vista Arroyo Guayama Arizona II Arroyo Guayama Puerto Real Cabo Rojo Sabana Grande Betances Cabo Rojo Sabana Grande Boquerón Cabo Rojo Sabana Grande Bajo Costo Cataño Toa Baja Cayey Pueblo I Cayey Cayey FF Colón Cayey Cayey Beatriz Carretera Cayey Cayey Vegas Cayey Cayey Quebrada Seca Ceiba Fajardo Villa Flores Ceiba Fajardo Ciales Pueblo I, II y III Ciales Manatí Jaguas Ciales Manatí San Antonio AM/PM Coamo Juana Díaz San Luis AM/PM Coamo Juana Díaz Vevé Calzada Fajardo Fajardo Vistas del Mar Fajardo Fajardo Guánica Pueblo I-II Guánica Sabana Grande Puente de Jobos I Guayama Guayama Patagonia Humacao Humacao Jacaguas AM/PM Juana Díaz Juana Díaz Modestita Rodríguez AM/PM Juana Díaz Juana Díaz Piedra Aguzá AM/PM Juana Díaz Juana Díaz Provincia AM/PM Juana Díaz Juana Díaz Expansión Pueblo AM/PM Juana Díaz Juana Díaz Lomas AM/PM Juana Díaz Juana Díaz Boquillas I Manatí Manatí Tierras Nuevas Manatí Manatí Villa Evangelina Manatí Manatí Monte Llano - Cuchillas Morovis Vega Baja San Antonio I-II Quebradillas Quebradillas Coco Salinas Guayama Sabana Eneas San Germán Sabana Grande Jauca AM/PM Santa Isabel Juana Díaz Candelaria III-IV Toa Baja Toa Baja San José I y II Toa Baja Toa Baja Candelaria- Maricao Vega Alta Vega Baja Méndez IV Yabucoa Humacao Thomas Eddison Yabucoa Humacao Lluberas I-II Yauco Peñuelas Source: ACUDEN 78

79 As stated previously, the half-day scheduling has been a consequence of certain existing conditions. Nevertheless, half-day centers can be used as a way to provide or expand services in places with high demand. WAITING LIST BY MUNICIPALITY As of March 2014, the waiting list in the Head Start and Early Head Starts centers under ACUDEN was 1,818 children. The municipalities with larger waiting lists were Cayey, Toa Alta, Aguadilla, Fajardo and Aibonito. However, it is a source of concern if the waiting lists were developed following the same methodology and process throughout the system. 79

80 The next two graphs compare the children in waiting list with the enrollment rate in the municipalities: 80

81 81

82 82

83 The development of HS and EHS programs in municipalities with larger waiting lists or municipalities that are underserved is crucial to reinforce the HS Program in Puerto Rico. One alternative is the opening of new centers that operate with half-day schedules in underserved areas such as Culebra, Rincón, Moca and Hormigueros or the change to half-day schedules in centers of municipalities with higher enrollment rates and higher waiting lists such as Cayey. The new Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships Program can be examined to increase the offer of Early Head Starts centers in these areas 83

84 VI. SPECIAL NEEDS APPLICABLE LEGISLATION In Puerto Rico, children and young adults with special needs between the ages of three and 21 are required to register with the Department of Education (DE) to establish their eligibility as children with special needs so that they may receive the appropriate government services and programs available to them. Under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the Department of Education is required to make all efforts to locate children with special education needs. Only after registering the child s disability with the DE is a child eligible to receive a free and tailored public education. As EHS develops into a significant effort, ACUDEN will increase its involvement with the Health Department which manages the IDEA Part C Early Intervention Services Funds. These are intended to identify and attend to the needs of children with developmental delays who are 0-2 years old. These funds could be bundled with EHS initiatives in order to enhance their effectiveness. The IDEA is a federal law that governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to children with special needs. It addresses the educational needs of children with special needs from birth to age 18 or 21, in cases that involve 14 specified categories of disability. IDEA Part C funding in Puerto Rico is administered by the Puerto Rico Department of Health to serve infants and toddlers through age 2 with developmental delays or who have diagnosed physical or mental conditions with high probabilities of resulting in developmental delays. IDEA is a spending clause legislation, meaning that it only applies to those states and their local educational agencies that accept federal funding under the IDEA. While states declining such funding are not subject to IDEA, all states have accepted funding under this statute and are subject to it. IDEA and its predecessor statute, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, arose from federal case law holding the deprivation of free public education to disabled children constitutes a deprivation of due process. It has grown in scope and form over the years. IDEA has been 84

85 reauthorized and amended a number of times, most recently in December 2004, when several significant amendments were enacted. Its terms are further defined by regulations of the U.S. Department of Education, which are found in Parts 300 and 301 of Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations. In defining the purpose of special education, IDEA 2004 clarifies Congress intended outcome for each child with a disability: Students must be provided a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) that prepares them for further education, employment and independent living. SPECIAL NEEDS IN PUERTO RICO (AND U.S.) One of the resources used to assess the number of children with special needs, as well as their specific needs, was the C002-Children with Special needs Report, IDEA from the Data Accountability Center (DAC). The DAC is a website which provides public access to data about children and youth with special needs served under the IDEA. The DAC was funded in October 2007 by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), U.S. Department of Education to provide information and technical assistance to improve the quality of all state-reported data required by the IDEA. In addition to this report, data from Puerto Rico s Department of Education (DE) and U.S. Department of Education and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) was examined. Data from the DAC s Children with Special needs Report for 2011, Puerto Rico Department of Education and U.S. Department of Education and the NCES show that in Puerto Rico, the number of children with special needs registered with the DE is double that of the U.S., at 27% and 13%, respectively. As the table below indicates, this data suggests that for every child with special needs registered in the U.S., there are two children with special needs registered in Puerto Rico. However, it is important to note that to a certain extent, this data could be misleading. For example, the data does not account for issues with reporting and registering children with special needs, as well as issues with the removal from the system of children who have overcome their special needs. 85

86 Between the ages of three and five, there are an estimated 14,791 children with special needs registered with the DE in Puerto Rico. In the U.S., there is approximately one child with special needs enrolled for every 12 without special needs (for data on special needs in Puerto Rico on a disaggregated level, please see table in Appendix). The most prevalent special needs among these 14,791 children are speech and language impediments, making up 91% of all registered special needs children with the DE. It is important to note that speech and language impediments can be largely improved through early intervention services when children are less than three years old. These are followed by other health impairments, autism and specific learning special needs, with 5%, 3% and 1%, respectively, as shown on the following graph (for more detailed data, please see table in the Appendix). 86

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