Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Annual Report FY2013

Service Area

The Department of Human Services (DHS) provides services through contractual agreements with seven  agencies throughout Illinois, serving the entire state and two counties of Indiana.

Contractual providers are:

Funding

The Head Start Program is funded by: the U.S. Department of Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Head Start, and by Illinois General Revenue through the Bureau of Child Care. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reimburses meal costs through the Child and Adult Care Food Program administered by the State Board of Education.

Funding Source	Amount	Percent of Total Budget
HHS/ACF/OHS	$2,939,816	79.16%
IL General Revenue	$700,048	18.85%
USDA	$73,680	1.98%

Budget Information

Eighty-four percent of the total budget is allocated to delegate program operations, under the line item 6.f. contractual. Non-federal share is raised through agency and private donations of cash, goods, and services.

Line Item	ACF	Cash Match	Cash Non-match	In-kind Donations	USDA	Proposed Budget	Expenditures	Percentage Spent
Salaries	$274,515					$274,515	$257,172	93.68%
Fringe Benefits	$224,200					$224,200	$204,197	91.08%
Travel	$10,124					$10,124	$3,912	38.65%
Equipment						$0	$0	0.00%
Supplies	$1,016					$1,016	$103	10.14%
Contractual	$14,299			$30,300		$44,599	$30,098	67.49%
Delegates	$2,415,662	$534,264	$196,084	$200,690	$73,680	$3,420,380	$3,106,583	90.83%
Total	$2,939,816	$534,264	$196,084	$200,690	$73,680	$3,974,834	$3,602,066	90.62%

Enrollment

Centers operate on schedules that coincide, as much as possible, with parents' work seasons: from eight weeks in one location to seven months in another. In FY 2013, the program served 479 children from 330 families. Average monthly enrollment the seven-month period was 349%.

Audits

The administration for Children and Families did not conduct an on-site review during this fiscal year. No audit of the grant was conducted by the DHS Office of Internal Audits and the state audit of DHS had no findings related to the Head Start program.

Medical and Dental Examinations

Only 58% of the total children enrolled received medical examinations, but of the total, only 306 were enrolled for more than 30 days. Of those, (2% received physical examinations, and 97% were screened by a dentist.

Parent Involvement Activities

Each delegate agency elects a Parent Policy Committee which makes decisions at the local level and appoints representatives to the state Policy Council. Throughout the working season, the Council meets monthly to carry out the shared governance of the program with the DHS Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Advisory Board. Parents take part in the  annual grantee-wide planning meeting, and the Policy Council meets in March to approve the grant application.

Coordinators visit families monthly to help parents set and realize their own goals, and to support them in helping their children learn. Programs offer educational opportunities for parents based on their interests and needs:

Preparing Children

Delegates use the Creative Curriculum and the Anti-Bias Curriculum to prepare children for participation in Kindergarten. In addition, the program's child-guidance policy emphasizes teaching children how to solve disagreements reasonably while respecting the rights of other people. The Anti-Bias Curriculum provides lessons for children in advocating for social justice. Each child's development is assessed 2-3 times a season using the Galileo G3 Assessment, and his progress measured in the five essential domains identified in the Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework. Results are used to individualize instruction by expanding and planning activities that support children's interests, strengths and acquisition of new skills; and to enhance staff development and parent training.

The Creative Curriculum, Galileo Assessments and goals of the program's School-Readiness Plan are all aligned with the Illinois Early Learning Standards and the Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework.

Education Coordinators quantify the interaction between teachers and children by use of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System, an observation tool to assess classroom quality. Data from the 40 classrooms is aggregated and analyzed to evaluate the effectiveness of the educational program. In the three domains measured, program scores  exceeded the Head Start thresholds.

Programs facilitate the children's transition to public school by providing educational workshops for parents, arranging meetings with the district personnel, and assisting parents to register.