2013 Annual Report
Children play a vital role in building flourishing communities and strengthening economic systems. We need to ensure that all children are provided solid support, care, and education in their early years which gives them essential tools to thrive now and in the future. In Arizona, 72 percent of fourth graders are reading below proficiency levels, a number that includes children from all socioeconomic levels. When looking at the bigger picture, we have to ask ourselves what factors are contributing to this staggering statistic? Is it our education system? Is it our teachers or parents? Or can it be the fact that we are not providing children the tools they need to prepare for school from birth? It is imperative that we educate our parents, community members, and decision makers on the importance of quality and accessible early childhood education. There are many elements that can prevent a child from receiving the supportive, nurturing, and loving start in life they deserve. Poverty is a tremendous threat that puts children at high risk for hunger, neglect, and homelessness. Child poverty is notably higher in Arizona than the national average. In Maricopa County alone, 82,000 households do not know where their next meal is coming from. When children are more focused on when they will eat or where they will sleep next, they cannot focus on learning. Food, water, and shelter are basic human rights, and no child should have to endure these kinds of hardships. We must come together as a community to find solutions to these tragic problems facing children every day. In the 22 years I have been at the Association for Supportive Child Care, I have seen many different issues arise, get resolved, and come back once more, threatening the well-being of children across our state and nation. It is time we find real, long term solutions instead of implementing temporary patches. Although our mission is to enhance the quality of child care for children in Arizona, we must work together to enhance the quality of life for children everywhere. Susan Jacobs Executive Director
716 jobs posted
339 job seekers
Child Care Professional Training
88
participants received three (3) college credits
I RF
Reading Is Fundamental
1,420
free books distributed to children
Arizona Kith and Kin Project Petra first attended the Arizona Kith and Kin Project trainingsupport group in the Fall of 2011. She completed all 14 weeks of training and at the end was highly motivated to further her education and career. Petra wanted more experience working with children and was offered the opportunity to assist the program by becoming a contracted Child Care Provider. She began helping with the on-site child care at the Kith and Kin training locations. At first, Petra started working at two locations. The following year, Petra was working with children at seven locations per session. Petra also had aspirations of furthering her education by obtaining her GED and learning English. She was very enthusiastic when she accomplished both of those goals. Petra continues to grow. Petra went from being a quiet, soft spoken person to an outgoing and driven individual. Recently, Petra was hired as a full time nanny for a family in North Phoenix, caring for two children ages four and seven. Even with a full time job, Petra is interested in continuing her work with the Arizona Kith and Kin Project. Petra’s success has impacted her and her family in significant ways. Petra obtained her GED, purchased a vehicle, obtained a full time job, is helping her daughter pay for college, and is currently in the process of purchasing a home.
435
child care participants in the Kith and Kin Health and Safety Conferences
93
14-week training support sessions held statewide
1,606
family, friend, and neighbor providers served
Arizona Kith Project
Arizona SELF-STUDY P R O J E C T
Since the late 1990’s, the Vista Colina Child Development Program has sought the support of the Arizona Self-Study Project (ASSP) in their pursuit of achieving and maintaining national accreditation. The child care program is under the umbrella of the Central Arizona Shelter Services, which provides temporary housing to families with children under the age of 18 who are homeless. The staff at Vista Colina are dedicated to the mission of ensuring stability for children in crisis by providing a safe, nurturing and developmentally appropriate environment. In 2010, Vista Colina was the first program to participate in ASSP and Quality First (QF) as a dually enrolled participant. They successfully navigated through the expectations of ASSP, the National Accreditation Commission (NAC) and QF, to achieve national accreditation in 2011. Vista Colina is currently participating in ASSP to work on their reaccreditation. They will be submitting for their validation visit in February 2014. Vista Colina takes pride in having a strong team that is especially mindful of not only the clients they serve, but also the expectations of maintaining their national accreditation status. ASSP staff who have worked with them, consistently share that Vista Colina program administration have been receptive and cooperative throughout this process. Through technical assistance, training, and classroom modeling, ASSP staff have supported the program with building strong interactions and relationships with the parents and children in support of accreditation. The focus of Vista Colina and ASSP is to ensure that the site is fully prepared for the accreditation experience as well as creating a healing environment for the children.
14
ASSP programs achieved national accreditation statewide
To whom it may concern: My name is Jessenia Alvarado. Through this letter, I would like to express how thankful I am for my personal growth in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and for helping me offer care for children from the comfort of my home. I can offer parents great service and peace of mind that their children are in good hands, caring for children with respect, responsibility and most important with a lot of love. It has been a wonderful experience because my children are socializing, sharing and learning from other cultures. My children feel happy and play in teams, which is a good way for the children to develop leadership and trust with each other. I am very thankful for the financial help the CACFP gives me, for their support, and for guiding me to a great work environment. Now I have the resources to feed healthy meals to my own children and for children in my care. Thank you CACFP! Sincerely, Jessenia Alvarado
387,574
meals reimbursed as well as 242,892 snacks
192 6
providers served
providers have been with ASCC’s CACFP for 20 years
Learning new things can be difficult; it can be even more difficult for a grandparent that has not taken care of children in a very long time. Edwin Diaz recently took the Child Passenger Safety training that the Child Care Injury Prevention Program offers and was amazed at how much he learned about child restraints and the importance of restraining a child when in a vehicle. Mr. Diaz stated that a lot has changed since his children were young (over thirty years) and for the services the program provides. He was also very appreciative and in disbelief that all anyone had to do was attend a class to receive as many car seats as they may need. The reason Mr. Diaz, who stated jokingly, took the class was because he was forced by his wife in preparation for caring for their two (2) grandchildren. He also stated that he did not believe he could learn anything by taking a class, especially one so long. Mr. Diaz said, “How much can one learn about installing a car seat, it can’t be that hard.� At the end of the training Mr. Diaz once again thanked the trainer and asked what other trainings were offered and said he would sign up for all of them.
57
trainings in 2013
98
115
221
cirbs distributed
375
car seats distributed
safety kits distributed
Pediatric First Aid, CPR and AED certifications awarded
Care C C Child Resource & R R Referral
Meeting Arizona’s Child Care Needs
86% of family child care providers and 68% of child care centers consider CCR&R a valuable resource. 90.2 % rated CCR&R staff courtesy as a five. A provider stated, “CCR&R is the best referral service I have been with. You are always available when I need help or to answer any questions I might have. Keep up the great job CCR&R!” Client comments on surveys included, “The representative that helped me was extremely nice and helpful. It was a great service and I should have used it ages ago. I recommend it to everyone I know” and “The agent was very helpful is helping me make my final decision.”
2,781
general information calls
14,795 requests for child care
Dahlie Ami attended the Fall 2013 Growing Up Great class at the First Mesa Elementary School in Polacca, Arizona. Dahlie works full time and her partner cares for their young son while she is at work. Dahlie expressed the best thing about the class was “the interaction with my child” and she appreciated “the chance to really express myself.” She was thankful to Sondra Soter, the Parent Education Facilitator and shared “you taught me how to PLAY.” Dahlie said, “because of you now I know I can be a great mother and a friend to all my children.” Dahlie and her partner made an effort to attend class sessions after she got off work and she even arranged to leave early from work to attend. Dahlie’s self- rating from one (not confident) to ten (very confident) on “I feel confident in my ability to help my child grow and develop” went from seven before taking the class to nine after taking the class. There was a lot of laughter, discussion, and even some tears in the classes as parents shared their dreams for their children’s future and the challenges of parenthood. Growing Up Great creates an atmosphere for parents to learn from each other and have opportunities to discover how to help their children learn. Each session allows time for parents to play and focus their attention on their children, to practice positive parenting skills and work towards the dreams parents hope for.
70
parents completed the five week session
Maria began her relationship with the ASCC Lake Havasu City Office as a recipient of the Access to Quality grant. Maria was a Department of Economic Security (DES) Certified Provider at the time and the materials she received through this grant encouraged her to expand her services and become a Department of Health Services (DHS) Certified Group Home. Maria is now enrolled in Tiered Trainings offered through the La Paz/Mohave Professional Development Program. Maria has completed Tier One and is now engaged in learning the business aspect of her program in Tier Three. Maria is even exploring the opportunity to become a recipient of the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Education scholarship so she can pursue her education and continue to grow.
231
providers served
Niños en Mi Casa Program “Suha Awni”, (pseudonym) is an Arabic speaking refugee from Iraq, who, along with her husband and two young children were relocated to the United States only four months ago. Through our community partner, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), an organization whose mission is to “Lead Refugees from Harm to Home”, she found out about the possibility of working in her home as a family child care provider. IRC recruited her to attend a Department of Economic Security (DES) orientation to find out more about the Niños Program and the DES family child care certification process. “Suha” attended the orientation and subsequently submitted an application to the Niños Program. “Suha” worked with her Specialist to safeguard her home according to DES regulations. With limited storage for everyday household chemicals that needed to be locked up, her Specialist gave her a locking trunk, part of the financial assistance that the Niños Program offers to qualifying applicants. This assistance also included resources for TB testing for the whole family, learning materials and toys, as well as help with child care liability insurance for her business. While “Suha” got her home ready, she still needed one more thing to complete the certification process. She needed to open a bank account in order for DES to be able to pay her via direct deposit, as she would be billing DES for caring for children of families who are authorized by DES for subsidized child care. She completed this last hurdle and within two months was certified as a DES Family Child Care Provider. “Suha” started caring for other Arabic-speaking children in her apartment complex, which, in turn, has allowed those parents to support their families by working outside of their homes and in their adopted communities.
244
trainings were offered, including DES Orientations, Developmentally Appropriate Practice and DES Billing trainings
Northern Arizona Early Childhood Training and Coaching Program ASCC provided intensive coaching support (ten sessions) to Hope Cottage, a shelter for women and families, to help them prepare for Department of Health Services (DHS) Child Care Center Licensure. They had a long time dream of providing on-site child care to residents who are seeking employment and attending appointments to improve their situation. Through training, they learned this would require licensure. With intensive coaching visits and training on the process from ASCC, Hope Cottage received DHS licensure on October 25, 2013. ASCC has continued to provide support to the program since that time and has scheduled additional trainings in 2014.
584
providers recieved coaching and training in Northern Arizona
Phone Friend Dial Up a Smile Phone Friend received a call from a child, age 11. The child’s mother was with him to assist calling Phone Friend because he is a child with special needs and had some difficulty talking and being understood. During the call, he became more comfortable and seemed to be having fun. He was able to play a trivia game on his own and was on the phone with Phone Friend for the full ten minutes. Before hanging up, Phone Friend thanked him for playing and his mother concluded by saying it was a great program to help their son communicate. His mother asked him if he would like to try calling again; he said yes. Phone Friend continues to provide services to children of different ages and abilities. A second grade teacher in Tolleson wrote, “Phone Friend is a great organization that the kids absolutely love and get excited about every year. The safety rules help them get familiar and practice so they are prepared when they aren’t in school”.
9,830 calls from children
11,114
children received Safety Training
808.5
hours were contributed by 26 volunteers on the Phone Friend warmline
98%
of teachers who filled out an evaluation rated the Safety Trainings as “excellent” or “very good”
Assessment The Quality First Assessment team added a new assessment tool in July 2013; the Toddler CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System). Team members were trained, became reliable, and have implemented the tool in centers and homes throughout the state of Arizona. The Toddler CLASS data will begin to be released to participating providers July 1, 2014 and will count towards their Quality First Star Rating in Fiscal Year 2016. Team members are reliable in the ECERS (Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale), ITERS (Infant/Toddler Environmental Rating Scale), FCCERS (Family Child Care Environmental Rating Scale), Pre-K CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System), and the Quality First Point Scale Assessment. A home care provider in Southern Arizona shared that she appreciates the observations provided by the Quality First Assessment Team. She stated that the information she receives helps her improve her program each year. The provider also noted that being able to use Quality First funding has helped her purchase developmentally appropriate materials for the children in her program to use.
395
programs were assessed by ASCC staff
Coaching At a program in Coconino County, a Coach encouraged the Director to become a member of the First Things First Regional Partnership Council. Since joining the Council, the Coach has seen an increase in the Provider’s engagement in the quality improvement process of her program. The Director will be implementing a more comprehensive curriculum and making changes in the program based on their Coach’s recommendations. Two Family Child Care Providers in Williams recently achieved a Four Star Rating and acknowledged Quality First Coaching for supporting their efforts to improve the quality of care they provide.
331
child care programs received coaching from ASCC staff
“I am so proud to be the first ever T.E.A.C.H. Bachelors Degree graduate from the T.E.A.C.H. Program. The T.E.A.C.H. Program helped me reach this point in my life in so many ways and I am so thankful for everyone who helped me throughout my college career. I make a difference every day by helping shape the minds of young children. I love teaching young children and being able to positively influence them at such a young age.” – Markie Garrison “I am very fortunate for the support from the T.E.A.C.H. Program. They have given me the tools to strive and continue my commitment to work hard and make a difference in the lives of children. I would have not been able to accomplish this without the T.E.A.C.H. Program.” – Christian Moreno
944
recipients receiving scholarships statewide
5
recipients receiving Bachelor’s Degree scholarships
514
child care programs are sponsoring T.E.A.C.H. recipients
250
children’s books distributed
1
live turkey attended courtesy of Jungle Jill
203
Children at Play participants
4,395
training hours earned by child care providers
700
conference attendees
146
uniquely decorated bowling pins given to children
5
children only bowling teams
185
Child Care Bowl participants
$51,669.90
ASCC staff raised for United Way in 2013 through payroll deduction
Board of Directors President Brenda Fleming, Ed.D. Retired ASCC Program Manager Vice President Glen Honig Fender Musical Instruments Corporation Treasurer Mark C. Meschino M&M Productions Secretary Beth Swadener, Ph. D. Arizona State University Kimberly Crowther Miller Community Engagement Director DC Ranch Community Council Leslie Anderson Millennium High School Jodi Beckley-Liggett Planned Parenthood Arizona Sonia Filan Mesa Community College Elsie G. J. Moore, Ph.D. Arizona State University Larry Van Quathem Merrill-Lynch Martie Martin, Ph.D. Retired Mesa Community College Susan Jacobs ASCC Executive Director
With Appreciation to Our Funders Arizona Community Foundation Arizona Department of Education Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation Arizona Governor’s Office for Children, Youth and Families Arizona Republic Boeing Child Care Services Association City of Chandler City of Tempe Department of Economic Security First Things First Flagstaff Community Foundation International Rescue Committee Ms. Foundation Season for Sharing United Way of Northern Arizona United Way of Yuma Valley of the Sun United Way ASCC’s generous friends in the community
Statement of Support and Fund Equity
Changes in restricted net assets: Support and revenue Grants & Contracts United Way Allocation Donations Interest Income Other Total unrestricted Support & Revenue Net assets released from program purpose restrictions Total restricted support & revenue & net assets released from purpose restrictions Expenses: Program Services Child & Adult Care Food Program Child Care Resource & Referral First Things First Funded Programs Ninos en Mi Casa Phone Friend Arizona Self Study Project Other Supporting services Management and general Fundraising Total Expenses Increase in unrestricted net assets Changes in temporarily restricted net assets: Grants restricted for program purposes Net assets released from program purpose restrictions Increase in temporarily restricted net assets Increase in net assets Net assets at beginning of year Net assets at end of year
Year Ended
Year Ended
December 31, 2012
December 31, 2013
Audited
Unaudited
$13,065,697 $208,465 $40,910 $1,745 $133,190 $13,450,007
$14,336,251 $210,263 $40,211 $1,680 $142,986 $14,731,391
$250,614
$210,000
$13,700,621
$14,941,391
$1,212,041 $1,207,747 $8,957,423 $566,776 $170,901 $782,565 $214,706
$1,111,802 $1,228,783 $9,693,066 $666,223 $159,196 $836,898 $184,205
$444,158 $17,006 $13,572,323
$459,168 $29,982 $14,369,323
$128,298
$572,068
$253,901
$222,750
$-250,614 $3,287 $131,585 $3,088,467 $3,220,052
$-210,000 $12,750 $584,818 $3,088,467 $3,673,285
Program Expenses and Funding Sources $10,000,000 $9,000,000 $8,000,000 $7,000,000 $6,000,000 $5,000,000 $4,000,000 $3,000,000 $2,000,000 $1,000,000 $0
ASSP
CACFP
CCR&R 2009-2012
FTF Funded Programs
Ni単os
Phone Friend
2013
Grants and Contracts
97%
United Way
1.5%
Donations and Other Sources
1.5%
Contact Information To contact ASCC, dial 480-829-0500 or 800-535-4599 and enter the program extension. Arizona Child Care Job Bank
1213
Arizona Kith and Kin Project
2243
Arizona Self-Study Project
1202
Child and Adult Care Food Program
1109
Child Care Injury Prevention Program
1233
Child Care Professional Training
1137
Ni単os en Mi Casa Program 1133 Quality First Coaching 1118 Quality First Assessment
2226
T.E.A.C.H. ARIZONA
1145
To reach the following programs, please call: Child Care Resource and Referral 602-244-2678 (Metro Phoenix) 800-308-9000 (Statewide) Phone Friend 602-253-9099 (Maricopa County) 800-308-2000 (Toll Free) Ni単os en Mi Casa Program Coconino County 928-714-1716 (Flagstaff) 800-222-3574 (Toll Free) Northern Arizona Early Childhood Training and Coaching Program 928-714-1716 800-222-3574 (Toll Free) La Paz and Mohave County Early Childhood Programs 928-453-5221 www.asccaz.org
3910 South Rural Road, Suite E Tempe, Arizona 85283