ANNUAL REPORT
Early Head Start
2012
Every child needs our help...
Dear Friend of EHS, As a mother of two little girls, I understand the impact that early childhood education can have on their future. Watching them learn through exploration and creative experiences brings such joy and delight to my life. It is important to me that other parents experience these proud moments as well. I know first-hand how critical it is to prepare families for early academic success. That’s why I am so dedicated to partnering with families as the Early Head Start Director for Maternity Care Coalition. Research has shown that children enrolled in early childhood education programs are better prepared for kindergarten, performing better than peers who did not receive such education. For every $1 invested in early education, over $7 may be saved in remedial cost, criminal justice, and welfare payments. Over the past eight years, we expanded to three sites and now serve more than 300 families from various cultural backgrounds across the Greater Philadelphia Area. As the largest provider of EHS services in Pennsylvania, we strive for excellence. We continually set high goals to help us measure and achieve success.
This commitment stems from knowing that we want our children to succeed in kindergarten and the years of learning that follow. Our school readiness initiative identifies 10 goals of success for every child enrolled and how we plan to help them meet their goals through individualized approaches to learning. Through collaborations with similar organizations in the area, we offer a community approach to improving our program. When I began my journey with MCC’s EHS program in 2007, the program was still very new in its development. Over the past five years, I am proud to say that we now have an exemplary EHS program that serves as a model for other organizations focused on early education in the area. Warmest Regards,
Tania Toomer
How we do it...
P arents are their children’s first teacher. Through our
home-based option we show parents how they can teach their children using objects readily available in the home.
< < < < < < < < < < < << < < < < < < < < < < Early Head Start (EHS) promotes child development through early education, parenting education, and support services to families enrolled in the program. Our EHS sites offer a learning environment that supports language, cognition , physical and social development. As Pennsylvaniaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest provider of EHS services, we strive to support our families in ways that best meet their needs and help them achieve their goals. We operate three EHS centers: South Philadelphia, Norristown, and Pottstown. In 2011 we served 568 families. Of the 405 children we served, 294 were new enrollees. Children in our program are as diverse as the communities we serve. We provided
283 translation services to non-English speaking participant families. Parents are their childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first teacher. Through our home-based option we show parents how they can teach their children using objects readily available in the home. We support pregnant women too. Women receive in-home support on a schedule that is convenient for them. This year we hosted 16 prenatal workshops across our three sites, and screened 153 women for perinatal depression. We also provided women with information about breastfeeding, fetal development, and risks of drug, alcohol, and cigarette use.
How do we support the whole family?
O ur EHS Advocates link families to appropriate
resources such as job training, education, and public benefits that improve their families overall health and wellbeing.
< < < < < < < < < < < << < < < < < < < < Without basic needs such as food and housing, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Our EHS Advocates link families to appropriate resources such as job training, education, and public benefits that improve their families overall health and wellbeing. Of the 568 families we served, 218 had at least one parent employed and 40 received job training referrals. We are proud to have hired two former program participants who now serve families in our home-visiting option. Research has shown that good physical health plays an important role in overall learning ability. Weconnect parents to resources that provide children with needed health assessments.
This year, 96% of our children were up to date on their preventive health service visits. We were able to get 100% of children served, enrolled in a health insurance program. Good health is more than a doctorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visit. We also make sure parents have access to dental care. This year, 75% of our children received dental screenings.
Parent involvement...
P art of what makes children successful in our EHS
programs are the interactions that parents have with them and each other.
< < < < < < < < < < < << < < < < < < < < Part of what makes children successful in our EHS programs are the interactions that parents have with them and each other. We have many opportunities for parents to get involved and take an active role in their child’s learning. Monthly parent meetings give parents the opportunity to make suggestions on ways to improve their child’s EHS experience. Dads play a vital role in their child’s learning. Our Male Involvement Initiative supports fathers through parenting education, financial literacy, and child development. We reached over 30 males this year
and provided information through a monthly newsletter and special activities. The program was also featured on WHYY, the local PBS affiliate, during a “Dads Can Cook” workshop where fathers learned how to create nutritious meals for themselves and their children. Learning is a family activity. We host field trips that allow families to have group learning experiences. This year, 200 families went to the Please Touch Museum for an afternoon of learning through exploration.
Connecting to the communities we serve...
B uilding relationships with other organizations in the communities we serve contributes to the success of our program.
< < < < < < < < < < < << < < < < < < < < Building relationships with other organizations in the communities we serve contributes to the success of our program. As a longtime service provider in South Philadelphia and Norristown, we coordinate services with public and private entities willing to commit resources to help us provide comprehensive EHS services. To date, we have over 40 community partnerships. In South Philadelphia, with support from the Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children, our South Philadelphia child care center received PA Keystone STARS 2 status and recognition by the credentialing body.
Access to care continues to be a challenge for some women in Norristown. Through a collaboration and partnership with Montgomery OBGYN we are able to help women get access to critical health services before, during, and after pregnancy. In Pottstown we were invited to be a Community Partner with Pottstown Early Access to Kindergarten. This partnership supports a common goal for improving early education by providing parents and caregivers with the necessary tools to prepare children for lifelong learning.
What does success look like?
T he continued success of our EHS program helped us
meet or exceed our management and organizational goals in many ways.
< < < < < < < < < < < << < < < < < < < < The continued success of our EHS program helped us meet or exceed our management and organizational goals in many ways. We have begun focusing our efforts on School Readiness in response to a memorandum issued by the Office of Head Start. Our program and research staff have developed specific goals and will begin to measure childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s progress across four domains: including language and literacy, cognition and general knowledge, physical wellbeing and motor development, and social/emotional development. We will measure progress with the use of two evidence-based curriculums and the HELP Strands Assessment Tool for infant and toddlers.
To ensure that we are providing our clients with the best chance to have a positive outcome, we have a strong governing body that helps monitor the success and impact of our program. Parents have an understanding of what their children need to be successful in learning. Parents of children enrolled in our EHS program have the opportunity to be elected to the Policy Council. This elected group worked in conjunction with the Maternity Care Coalition Board of Directors to approve 15 new EHS staff members, the programâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s refunding application, and plans for the relocation of a program site.
Financials... Total Public and Private Funds Received for Program Year 2011-2012 FEDERAL SHARE USDA Adult & Child Care $64,613 Food Program (reimbursement) US Department of Health & Human Services EHS Program (2/1/11–1/31/12) • Base Program Operations • Training &Technical Assistance Sub-base Total
$2,119,982 $78,642 $2,198,624
• ARRA Expansion • Training &Technical Assistance • Expansion Start-Up Sub-total Expansion
$1,994,401 $112,839 $420,000 $2,527,240
• Base Operations • ARRA Expansion Total Non-Federal Funds
36% Salaries 8% Benefits 18% Professional Fees / Sub-contractors 4% Training & Technical Assistance 6% Rent / Utilities 3% Supplies
NON FEDERAL SHARE (NFS)
Program Year 2/1/11–1/31/12
$278,519 $208,956 $487,475
5% Other 11% Expansion Start-up 9% Donated Services, Rent, Supplies
TOTAL EARLY HEAD START PROGRAM $5,277,952
*Precentage of Non-Federal Share
10.30%
(NFS 20% match requirement waived to 10%)
Precentage of Administration
13.40%
*The non-federal share of $487,475 included cash contributions of $91,243 and non-cash contributions of $396,232. Cash contributors included the William Penn Foundation, Hess Foundation, Non-Profit Finance Fund, PNC Foundation, United Way, Pottstown Health & Wellness Foundation and individual and corporate donors. Non-cash contributions included donated supplies, rent, volunteer services, professional services and legal services provided by Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP.
F or every federal dollar we raise, we must raise 25
cents in matching funds. These contributions can come in the form of in-kind donated services, supplies, or cash.
< < < < < < < < < < < << < < < < < < < < For every federal dollar we raise, we must raise 25 cents in matching funds. These contributions can come in the form of in-kind donated services, supplies, or cash. Each year dedicated individuals and corporations work to help us meet our match goals. Morgan, Lewis, Bockius, LLP helped us to negotiate
leases and contracts. PNC provided us with a grant through their “Grow Up Great” initiative and many members of their staff have volunteered to help us during special events. Parents also contribute to our goals by volunteering in our classrooms.
FINANCES The Early Head Start program year, 2/1/2011 – 1/31/2012, spans over multiple fiscal years. Two independent audits were conducted by EisnerAmper LLP for Maternity Care Coalition’s fiscal years 2010 and 2011. Audit results showed no material weaknesses or significant deficiencies and also included an audit of compliance based on the compliance requirements in the U. S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-133. The A-133 audit reported no material weaknesses or significant deficiencies. Copies of the audit reports are available electronically on www.guidestar.org and www.maternitycarecoalition.org or contacting Trish Marchesani, Director of Finance and Administration at Maternity Care Coalition.
2011-2012 POLICY COUNCIL MEMBERS Marcus Tuggles President
Shameka Canty
Mary Hehl
Jeannine Cook
Victoria Tauber
Angela Kearney Vice President
Martin Eggelston
Mayra Vazquez
Christine Epps
Lashonda Watkins
EARLY HEAD START
Christine Fuentes
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Photo Credit: Jay Gorodetzer, Caitlin Sherman
215.972.0700 2000 Hamilton Street / Suite 205 Philadelphia, PA 19130 maternitycarecoalition.org