G R E A T K I D S E R E N V HEAD START

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1 D E N V E R S G R E A T K I D S HEAD START A N N U A L R E P O R T

2 September 2011 Denver s Great Kids Head Start has had a very successful program year in Our program completed its triennial comprehensive community needs assessment and based on the results, embarked on a process that would ensure that the neediest of needy children would be served. Six agencies were selected to deliver high quality, comprehensive Head Start services throughout the City of Denver. We have strengthened our partnerships with medical, disabilities, dental and mental health providers and as a result, our performance indicators continue to remain high. We have continued to partner with the University and Foundation community resulting in the submission of a major funding request titled Culture of Wellness in Preschools and remain optimistic that an additional $2 million dollars will be directed to our Head Start families and staff in order to promote an array of health and wellness interventions. In the coming year, our program will increase its financial support for teaching staff as they further their education and training in order to meet the credentialing requirements of the Head Start Act. Our program has strengthened its practices for documenting children s progress and using assessment in planning for individual children and families and a briefing paper on this topic will be issued in late On behalf of the Mayor s Office for Education and Children, I am proud to present to our governing body, our Policy Council, our delegate agencies and collaborators, and to the citizens of Denver the Denver s Great Kids Head Start Annual Report. Sincerely, Al Martinez, Ph.D. Head Start Director

3 Program Overview P R O G R A M O V E R V I E W Denver s Great Kids Head Start (DGKHS) is a program of the Mayor s Office for Education and Children (MOEC) with a governing board comprised of elected and statutory representatives including the Mayor, City Council, Auditor, Career Services Authority and Manager of Finance. The vision of the Mayor s Office for Education and Children is to be a great city for Denver s children, youth, and families. DGKHS is dedicated to providing and advocating for quality services through a holistic approach of developmentally appropriate, family centered, and culturally relevant services to promote strong, healthy families. DGKHS operates through a grantee/delegate agency model and in served 1,153 children through contractual arrangements with five agencies: Catholic Charities, Clayton Educare, Denver Public Schools, Mile High Montessori Early Learning Centers, and Volunteers of America. OUR MISSION To prepare enrolled 3 to 5 year olds to enter kindergarten confidently with the social, physical, emotional and cognitive skills and competencies necessary for continuing school success

4 F I N A N C I A L R E P O R T Denver s Great Kids Head Start is a federally funded program that provides services to a total of 1,153 children and families, including 70 families funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) expansion grant. The amount of the Head Start grant for the program year beginning July 1, 2010 and ending June 30, 2011was $8,193,071. The ARRA Funding period is September 30, 2010 through September 29, The ARRA funded amount is $612,000. In , five delegate agencies provided Head Start services: Catholic Charities: $1,694, children Denver s Great Kids Head Start operational budget for the program year ending June 30, 2011 was $1,871,013. Community agencies were contracted to provide supplemental services to children and families. These include: Sewall Child Development Center (Disabilities); Denver Health and Hospital Authority (Health and Dental); Denver Health and Hospital Authority (Mental Health); and Nutrition and Childcare Consultants. Community agencies are paid from the operational budget. Significant sources of inkind were generated by Denver s Great Kids Head Start in compliance with the Non-Federal Share statutory requirement, which stipulates that the grantee agency must provide 20 percent of the total costs of the Head Start budget. In the most recent single audit of the Head Start program directed by the City Controller s Office, there were no findings noted. Further, Denver s Great Kids Head Start remains in full compliance with the Head Start Act and current regulations based upon the Head Start Program Review conducted in The next triennial review is scheduled for fiscal year The full report can be accessed at educationandchildren. Clayton Educare: $1,422, children Denver Public Schools: $1,518, children Mile High Montessori: $1,760, children Volunteers of America: $539, children E X P E N S E S When we can ensure that all Denver s children have an equal chance at the starting gate, we can be certain they will all make it successfully across the finish line. Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper - 2 -

5 P R O G R A M H I G H L I G H T S Culture of Wellness Planning Grant A $20,000 grant was awarded to the Rocky Mountain Prevention and Research Center at the University of Colorado, Denver to work with DGKHS to plan a collaborative intervention aimed at promoting a culture of wellness in Head Start. The grant will include planning for the implementation of a range of programs and activities to increase daily healthy eating and physical activity for preschool students, staff and parents. A $2.1 million implementation grant was submitted in July. Colorado Health Foundation Grant A $443,038 grant was awarded for a two-year project period to provide 32 hours of instruction on the Teaching Pyramid Model to 67 DGKHS staff and to provide a six week positive parenting class (12 hours of instruction) to 150 parents annually. The 5 By 5 Project Established in 2005, over 135,000 visits have been made by Head Start and Early Head Start families to cultural venues within Denver, with over 35,000 occurring in To bridge these community experiences with classroom learning, 207 staff participated in professional development opportunities offered by the twelve cultural partners in Data Management During the program year, DGKHS embarked on the development of an Access database to use as a Management Information System (MIS). The project will enable DGKHS, in collaboration with delegates and vendors, to enhance Head Start services through analysis, based on As part of the 5 by 5 Project, Head Start students experience a day at the Colorado Ballet

6 Denver Public Schools Board member Arturo Jimenez during a Read for the Record project. P R O G R A M H I G H L I G H T S, continued data. Starting with the program year, the system will maintain and report out Family Services, Disabilities, Health, and Educational Outcomes and provide the ability to view educational outcomes as they relate to various demographics. The system will also enable DGKHS to proactively identify areas of concern and/or improvement. Further, the system will enable DGKHS to possess more data in-house for ad-hoc reporting, as well as risk management reports, audits, grant writing, annual reports and analysis of program strengths and weaknesses. This information will also be of benefit to delegate and vendor agencies and the broader community. What We Can Accomplish Together Committee Formed as an outcome of a delegate and vendor director s retreat, the collaborative work of this committee was critical to the success of the 2010 Community Assessment. The committee also developed common DGKHS goals for the project period, and developed processes for the analysis and reporting of data that is of common interest and value to delegates, vendors and partners. Procurement Demographic changes have occurred since DGKHS was established in 1997, as reflected in the most recent Community Assessment, with growing numbers of eligible children in far Northeast Denver (Montbello), Southwest Denver (Westwood, Marlee, Ruby Hill, Athmar Park and College View) and in Capital Hill. In order to

7 respond to these demographic changes, a procurement process for selecting delegate agencies was conducted by the City and County of Denver s Purchasing Department. Child Outcomes During , children enrolled in DGKHS made substantial progress in the four domains of Language Development and Literacy, Mathematics, Science, and Gross Motor. Professional Development Opportunities DGKHS provided multiple training opportunities through-out the year to over 1,000 participants at the Fall and Winter Institutes, Cultural Venues, and additional trainings to staff and parents on social/ emotional development and financial literacy. of these services. Denver s Great Kids Head Start believes in the importance of empowering parents to be strong advocates for their children s education and, in collaboration with delegate agencies/partners, encourages the participation and support of parents and family members to learn general knowledge and ESL through activities that are focused on understanding, speaking and listening. In partnership with Shawn B. Young, founder and Executive Director of Frontier Asset Building, Denver s Great Kids Head Start has been providing comprehensive financial literacy Bootstraps education to staff and parents about how to save money, build assets, and become economically self-sufficient. Bootstraps is the only program of its kind that introduces basic concepts of behavioral economics, incorporates basic psychological principles of behavior change, and allows participants to easily personalize the course materials to fit their individual circumstances. By expanding individuals understanding of the process and benefits of asset accumulation, Bootstraps Financial Literacy Education creates a more positive and hopeful future orientation and empowers people to save, to dream, and to invest time, effort and resources in creating a future for themselves and their children. Under the leadership of the Mayor s Office for Education and Children, Denver s Great Kids Head Start has enjoyed working closely with community agencies such as Focus Points, Inc. and Emily Griffith Opportunity School providing English as Second Language (ESL) and General Educational Development (GED) instruction to all Head Start parents in need DGKHS children looking at a Venus Fly Trap at the Denver Botanic Gardens - 5 -

8 D E L E G A T E A G E N C Y H I G H L I G H T S F O R Catholic Charities A $5,000 grant from Head Start Body Start was received to make a center classroom more accessible for children with disabilities, and more interesting and challenging for all children at the center. Catholic Charities is participating in a three year math research program that involves integrating naturalistic math moments into the child s daily activities interactively with a math software program on the computer. Clayton Educare In September 2010, Clayton Educare was designated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as one of ten funded Centers of Excellence in the nation. On its most recent February 2010 Qualistar rating, Clayton Educare earned four out of four possible stars. Denver Public Schools All teachers and paraprofessionals have a professional development plan in place. During , 150 parents attended language and literacy focused parent meetings, and families recorded an average of 38 hours on parent/child home activities during the program year. Fourteen of seventeen DPSHS classes earned scores of six or higher (on a seven point scale) on the Language and Reasoning subscale of the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale (ECERS). Mile High Montessori Early Learning Centers Utilizing a blend of community and federal funding, the playgrounds at the Lowry Center received new safety cushioning materials, new equipment, and a new shade structure that will greatly enhance the outdoor experience for students at that center. The newly renovated and enlarged center at Westwood welcomed 33 new children into three new classrooms. The Westwood neighborhood continues to generate long waiting lists for space in this high quality early childhood program. Implemented a new customized web-based data tracking system. This database offers MHM the unique opportunity to customize data reports and provides MHM with a comprehensive system that includes the full range of data for tracking and maintaining accuracy of child enrollment, health, screenings and assessment data.. Volunteers of America Volunteers of America (VOA) Head Start developed, and is currently implementing a language development plan for all children focusing on a dual language model for Spanish speaking children, English as a Second Language Strategies for all other non-english speaking children and a themed curriculum for English speaking children. All staff received 32 hours of Teaching Pyramid Model instruction. Family Services Workers were included in order to support parents as they guide their child s social and emotional development. VOA Head Start implemented Teaching Strategies Gold to track data for annual child learning outcomes. Parents, Board members and community volunteers have contributed 493 hours of volunteer services to the Head Start program as of the end of February, 2011

9 P A R E N T I N V O L V E M E N T Our emphasis on parental involvement and high quality, comprehensive family and child development services is embedded in all aspects of programming and implementation. During the program year, Denver s Great Kids Head Start worked in partnership with over 1,145 families who completed the Family Partnership Agreements process, which is a tool used to develop and implement individualized, family driven goals. This process includes the shared responsibility of families and staff, with timetables and strategies for achieving those goals, and, in turn, fulfilling the Head Start mission. Family Day at the Denver Center Theater (above), and family day trip to play in the creek. When schools and families work together, a partnership of support for children develops. Education becomes a shared venture, characterized by mutual respect and trust in which the importance and influence of each partner is recognized. Although children, families, teachers, and schools benefit individually, their partnership enhances the entire process of education

10 P R E V E N T A T I V E H E A L T H C A R E Prevention is the foundation of school readiness for children to experience healthy lifestyle behavior. According to the 2011 Kids Count in Colorado, 12.5% of children in Denver are uninsured. Denver s Great Kids Head Start (DGKHS) achieves excellent health indicators: 100% of children have health insurance and a medical home, and 100% of enrolled children are fully immunized and have culturally competent health, dental and mental health services provided through a medical home provider, such as Denver Health & Hospitals. Every child deserves a healthy start on life, but when it comes to oral health, many children continue to have challenges. Tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease five times more common than asthma, and the #1 unmet health care need among Head Start children. DGKHS has improved dental follow- up through use of Motivational Interviewing, a cutting edge approach, based on sound research to motivate parents to make significant life changes toward improved oral health. Head Start s nutrition services assist families in meeting each child s nutrition needs and in developing healthy eating habits that promote life-long well being. Children attending a Head Start center receive a nutritious meal, served family style, and a snack that provides at least 1/3 of the daily nutritional requirements, and 2/3 of the daily nutritional requirements for vitamins and minerals. This past year, DGKHS has made significant efforts to support the health and wellness of Head Start children and their families. A series of three interactive workshops have been developed to include demonstrations and discussions in three health areas: stress management, physical activity and nutrition. In collaboration with DGKHS partners, substantial funding to support the health and wellness of Head Start children and families has been secured. A $20,000 planning grant from the Colorado Health Foundation was awarded to the Rocky Mountain Prevention Research Center at the University of Colorado Denver in partnership with DGKHS. This grant has supported program development with community partners: Collaborative intervention aimed at promoting a culture of wellness in Head Start preschools. Healthy eating and physical activities for preschool students, staff and parents; Health promotion training for up to 3-5 parents and staff at each Head Start site; Two home visits and a cardiovascular profile for any interested Head Start family member; and Motivational Interviewing training for Head Start staff. Additionally, this grant has supported 23 staff focus groups and six parent focus groups to gather data and input to support the planning of a $2.2 million Culture of Wellness grant to the Colorado Health Foundation. This $2.2 million effort will implement a Culture of Wellness in Head Start and support: Integrated Nutrition Education Program curriculum for every classroom Cooking Matters cooking classes for parents I am Moving, I am Learning physical activity curriculum Workplace Wellness America on the Move programming for staff Supplemental physical activity programs for children, staff and families, including Yoga, classes through CM Dance, and walking clubs. DGKHS has secured other funding opportunities, including $10,000 from the Academy of Pediatric Dentistry to develop a Building Dental Home video, and the third year of $225,000 funding from the Colorado Trust for the Healthy Preschoolers Project to assist families in the enrollment of publicly funded health insurance.

11 DENTAL HEALTH DGKHS produced an instructional DVD designed to reduce the anxiety of children visiting the dentist. Through a partnership with The Children s Hospital Dental Clinic, DGKHS received a grant award from American Academy of Pediatric Dentists to develop a DVD to introduce Head Start staff and dentists to the concept of Motivational Interviewing as a strategy to improve community oral health. The DVD will be available to all Head Start grantees in Colorado through the Colorado Head Start Association as well as the Colorado Academy of Dentistry and Pediatric Dentistry websites. E N R O L L M E N T & A T T E N D A N C E DGKHS strives to ensure 100% enrollment throughout the program year. The total number of children and families served during the program year was 1,434. The average monthly enrollment (as a percentage of funded enrollments) was 99.9% and the average monthly attendance was 85%. According to the most recent Program Information Report (PIR), the number of families with income below 100% of federal poverty line served by the program was 1,322 (92%). High school volunteer tutoring with Head Start students - 9 -

12 D I S A B I L I T I E S A N D M E N T A L H E A L T H S E R V I C E S Memoranda of Understanding have been developed with both Denver Options and Denver Public Schools to ensure effective interagency collaboration for children with special needs and their families. Supplemental services provided by vendor partners ensure that all children are provided comprehensive and fully inclusive supports to achieve positive development. Mental health staff provide training, coaching and referral to staff and families. Disabilities staff provide all services on-site and empower parents to be effective advocates for their children. Through a grant from the Colorado Health Foundation, DGKHS was able to provide 32 hours of training to 66 staff during the program year. Additionally, 166 parents attended a six week class to build their skills in positive parenting. Evaluation data indicate that parents achieved statistically significant growth in their confidence in understanding their child s emotions and behavior, and ability to make effective parenting decisions. DGKHS provided approximately $20,000 to delegate agencies to fund materials for staff and families to support these efforts. Further, DGKHS developed DVDs for both parents and staff that reinforce key concepts. According to the most recent Program and Information Report (PIR), DGKHS provided comprehensive services to 182 children with disabilities surpassing requirements in the Head Start Act. Approximately 54% of these children were referred by DGKHS during the program year, and determined eligible for services

13 G E T T I N G C H I L D R E N R E A D Y F O R S C H O O L Teacher Qualifications: DGKHS supports the implementation of an education program that increases the number of associates, baccalaureate, and graduate degrees in early childhood education and related fields. Teachers in DGKHS demonstrate competency in planning and implementing learning experiences that advance the intellectual and physical development of all children. attendance at both events. Twenty teachers and teachers assistants participated in a four day workshop at the Museum of Nature and Science in June to expand their knowledge and skills in the area of science. Each delegates goal is to hire the most qualified teachers and to hire those teachers with a BA degree with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education. As the chart below illustrates, over 70% of our Head Start teachers have a Bachelor s degree or above. DGKHS supports our delegate s goal of hiring and/or developing the most qualified teaching staff by continuing to develop relationships with higher education institutions, redefining partnerships, and providing financial support for staff to ensure a high quality education work force. In 2010, DGKHS developed a partnership with the Community College of Denver and University of Northern Colorado to provide support and information to staff as they pursue further education advancement. All teachers, teacher assistants and paraprofessionals continued to improve their teaching skills by completing a required Head Start (HS) Performance Standards plan of 15 hours of professional development each year. The plan addresses the 15 hours of required staff development and most completed many more hours, including monthly staff development at the delegate level as well as college course work and attendance at the Grantee s Fall and Winter Institutes. The Fall and Winter Institutes designed for all HS staff proved to be very successful with over 300 in H I G H E S T L E V E L O F H E A D S T A R T T E A C H E R S

14 C H I L D O U T C O M E S DGKHS is founded on the principle that the areas of child development and learning are all important and interrelated. DGKHS supports every child s physical and mental health, social and emotional well being as well as their cognitive development. DGKHS places significant importance on language development to help preschoolers acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that predict later success in reading, writing and math. Each delegate agency program has specific curriculum and assessment tools that are aligned with the HS Child Development and Early Learning Framework. This framework ensures that each child makes progress toward the expected goals within their individual plan. All delegate agency programs submit assessment reports three times a year to DGKHS. The information is then analyzed for trends and patterns across agencies and decisions are made related to enhanced staff training, reallocations of program resources, involvement of volunteers and community partners, and new efforts to support families in enhancing children s learning and development. These areas of development and academic growth include Mathematics, Literacy, Language, Cognitive, Physical, and Social/Emotional. Gains were demonstrated at each interval of evaluation. The largest gains on average were in literacy 40%, Cognitive skills 26%, and language at 25%

15 P E R S O N N E L D I R E C T O R Y Denver s Great Kids Head Start 201 West Colfax Avenue, Dept Denver, CO Main Number: Fax Number: Maria Guajardo, Ph.D., MOEC s Executive Director Maria.Guajardo@denvergov.org Al Martinez, Ph.D., Head Start Director Al.Martinez@denvergov.org Adella Arredondo, Administrative Support Assistant III Adella.Arredondo@denvergov.org Christopher Auer, Disabilities/Mental Health Administrator Christopher.Auer@denvergov.org Connie Baca, Executive Assistant Connie.Baca@denvergov.org Berma Benson, Education Program Administrator Berma.Benson@denvergov.org Sue Day, Senior Accountant Elizabeth.Day@denvergov.org Kay Franklin, Chief Fiscal Officer Kay.Franklin@denvergov.org Edwin Jimenez-Galvan, Family Services Administrator Edwin.Jimenez-Galvan@denvergov.org Vincent Miller, Data Program Manager Vincent.Miller@denvergov.org Gloria Richardson, Health Administrator Gloria.Richardson@denvergov.org

16 201 West Colfax Avenue, Dept Denver, CO Main Number: Fax Number: Cover shot: Denver s Head Start students enjoying the flowers at the Denver Botanic Gardens.