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Part 1: Center-Based Programs
Early Head Start Program Profile
Child Development, Inc. Early Head Start
Russellville, Arkansas
October 27-30, 1997
Child Development, Inc., a community-based organization that operates both center-based and home-based child development programs, operates an Early Head Start program for 45 families in centers located in three rural Arkansas counties. The program serves mostly white, working-poor families, many of whom are headed by two parents. The program provides full-time child development services in its centers and offers parent training and case management in group sessions and during home visits. When they enroll in the program, parents must agree to spend two hours per week on self-improvement activities, including one hour per week of developmental activity with their child. Child development services are based on the premise that children should lead by expressing their needs and interests, and the staff should be there to support them.
OVERVIEW
Child Development, Inc. (CDI) is a multi-funded agency headquartered in Russellville, Arkansas, that operates an Early Head Start (EHS) program in three rural Arkansas locations: Morrilton (Conway County), Dardanelle (Yell County), and Clarksville (Johnson County). In addition, the agency operates a Head Start program for 1,004 3-to-5-year-olds in 26 centers and 14 home-based programs in 12 counties, a migrant Head Start program for 75 families in another county, developmental child care for children ages 6 weeks to 12 years, and state-funded Arkansas Better Chance programs. CDI also serves families through vouchers and block grants from the state Department of Human Services. CDI is currently the largest provider of comprehensive developmental services to children and families in Arkansas.
The EHS program evolved from Parent Child Centers (PCCs) that CDI had operated since 1991. As a long-time Head Start grantee, CDI has extensive experience operating both center-based and home-based child development programs. Throughout its 32-year history, CDI has participated in six major national research projects.
Community Context . Although these communities have large percentages of children living in poverty, unemployment is low, and many jobs are available in the manufacturing and poultry processing industries. Employment opportunities have attracted a large number of Spanish-speaking families to the area. CDI's target population has traditionally been working families.
Program Model . CDI operates a center-based EHS program. At each site, children attend an EHS classroom at the center from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Families who need child care during additional hours can obtain up to three additional hours of care before and after EHS program hours in developmental child care rooms also located at the centers. Families pay for this additional care directly or obtain child care vouchers from the state. Program staff members work individually with parents to provide parent training and case management services during monthly one-on-one training sessions. The program also requires parents to complete two hours of self-improvement activities each week, including one hour of developmental activity with their child and one hour of self-focused activity.
Families . The CDI EHS program serves mostly white families, but nearly one-quarter of the families belong to minority racial/ethnic groups. More than half of the families are single-parent families. About 20 percent of mothers were pregnant when they enrolled in the program. A relatively small proportion of families were receiving welfare cash assistance when they enrolled.
Staffing . At the time of the site visit, program staff members included a director, three family support assistants, and 11 teachers. The program director provides overall supervision and direction for the program. She visits the centers frequently to observe classrooms and provide feedback and training. A family support assistant at each center provides backup support and supervision for teachers, works with parents on family development issues, and organizes monthly parent meetings. Teachers at each center serve as the primary caregiver for a group of children. Teachers also provide case management and family development services to parents and other family members of the children in their groups. At a minimum, teachers hold at least one individual parent training session with the parents in their caseloads each month. Other CDI specialists are available to provide services, training, and other support for the EHS program when needed.
RECRUITMENT AND ENROLLMENT
Program Eligibility . To be eligible for the program, families must have incomes at or below the poverty level, have a child younger than 1 year old, and live in Conway, Johnson, Pope, or Yell County. The target population includes white, African American, Hispanic, and Asian American families. Parents who are not working or attending school or training also must agree to work towards self-sufficiency with assistance from the program.
Recruiting Strategies . Staff members used multiple strategies to recruit the initial group of families, including going door-to-door (with an interpreter when visiting the Hispanic community); talking to local health department personnel, school counselors, and other service providers; setting up a table in the lobby at Wal-Mart; visiting area employers; putting up posters and distributing flyers at support program offices, clinics, laundromats, and grocery stores; and arranging for public service announcements in local newspapers, on the radio, and on the local university's cable television station. At the time of the site visit, the program was receiving referrals from other service providers on a regular basis and had waiting lists at two of its three centers.
Enrollment . CDI's EHS program was originally funded to serve 45 children and their families. CDI's EHS program reached full enrollment in September 1996 and at the time of the site visit, had enrolled 52 families in the program, six of whom subsequently dropped out. All of these families are participating in the EHS research.
The Head Start Bureau recently awarded CDI's EHS program additional funds for quality enhancement and expansion. The program will use these funds to increase the number of program slots to 68 and to enroll an additional 23 families. The additional funds will add at least 46 families to the research sample (23 program families and 23 comparison group families). At the time of the site visit, the program director had not yet decided whether to add slots to existing centers or to open a fourth center.
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CDI's EHS centers are located in Clarksville, Dardanelle, and Morrilton, which serve as the county seats of Johnson, Yell, and Conway counties. The Dardanelle program also serves families from nearby Russellville, the county seat of Pope County. All of these communities are rural and have large percentages of children living in poverty. Unemployment in the area is low, and many jobs are available in the manufacturing industry. For example, parents are employed in manufacturing plants operated by Levi Strauss (clothing) and Sarah Lee (hosiery). Jobs are also available in poultry processing plants and in the restaurant industry. Although jobs are plentiful, most pay low wages, and many employers do not offer benefits such as sick leave and vacation time. Consequently, parents with young children face significant challenges managing work and family responsibilities. During the past three years, these communities have experienced a large influx of Spanish-speaking families from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and south Texas. Families have been drawn to the area by employment opportunities in the poultry processing plants operated by Tyson Foods and other companies. Although staff members report that they can obtain most services that families need, gaps exist in several areas, including affordable dental and vision care for adults, affordable housing and shelters for victims of domestic violence and homeless families, pediatricians in the Morrilton area, and pediatric specialists in all communities. CDI staff members report a high level of collaboration among community service providers. Because the area is rural, service providers must work together to make the most of available resources. At the time of the site visit, not many services were available for families who speak Spanish. CDI and other service providers were struggling to hire more Spanish-speaking staff, translate program materials into Spanish, and design services to meet the needs of this population. When CDI hires additional staff for its planned expansion of the EHS program, the agency will try to add at least one Spanish-speaking teacher to each EHS center. |
Families participating in the program possess several important strengths. Many are two-parent families with fathers who are involved with their children. CDI has traditionally served the working poor population, and almost all EHS parents work or attend school. At the time of the site visit, only five families were receiving cash assistance. Parents are motivated to learn more about their children's development and to improve their economic situations through education and employment.
Enrolled families also face significant challenges. Many parents lack self-esteem, and virtually all parents need better job opportunities. Although CDI's EHS provides seven hours of child care per day, many families need vouchers to cover the cost of additional child care. For some parents, lack of reliable transportation is a significant barrier to working and bringing their children to the EHS centers. Some parents also lack access to health, dental, and vision care.
CHILD DEVELOPMENT CORNERSTONE
Center-Based Child Development Services . CDI's EHS program provides child development services primarily through center-based child care in three locations. The program cares for 16 children in Clarksville, 16 children in Dardanelle, and 13 children in Morrilton. Each EHS center provides child care for seven hours per day (from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.), five days per week throughout the year.
The program strives to provide high-quality child care in its centers. Child-staff ratios in the EHS rooms are 4 to 1, and the program has obtained National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) accreditation in its Dardanelle and Morrilton centers. CDI expected to obtain NAEYC accreditation for its Clarksville EHS program by the end of 1997. The staff also strives to adhere to the EHS performance standards, NAEYC's developmentally appropriate practices, and Arkansas' Environmental Scales. At the time of the site visit, all teachers had a child development associate (CDA) credential, an equivalent or higher degree, or were actively working toward a CDA. Each teacher is assigned four families whose children are close in age to promote continuity in caregivers and within groups of children. CDI's EHS program covers the full cost of the child care centers and provides infant formula and food for the children.
| The program's approach to providing developmentally appropriate child care is based on the premise that children should lead and the staff should be there to support them. By providing a responsive and stimulating child care environment, program staff members strive to promote confidence, curiosity, intentionality, self-control, capacity to communicate, and cooperativeness in children. |
All centers participate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Child and Adult Care Food Program, and staff members are trained in nutrition and food preparation for infants and toddlers. Parents must provide diapers, bottles, and infant formula if the family uses a formula not covered by the USDA program.
Although the program does not use a specific curriculum in its centers, WestEd's Program for Infant/Toddler Caregivers, a comprehensive training system for caregivers, provides the foundation for the program's approach to providing responsive care. In addition, teachers draw on a broad range of curricula and other resources including the work of Stanley Greenspan, Thelma Harms, and T. Berry Brazelton--to promote the intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development of infants and toddlers.
Other Child Care Services . Most parents enrolled in the EHS program work or attend school, and many families need more than seven hours of child care per day for their infants and toddlers. Because the EHS program is housed in centers that provide a range of developmental child care and Head Start services, the agency is able to provide up to three hours of additional child care services per day before and after the EHS program for families who need it. Parents must pay $27.50 per week for the additional hours or obtain a child care voucher from the state to cover the cost of care. At the time of the site visit, 17 families were using these wraparound child care services, and most of these families had vouchers to cover the cost of care.
Children who arrive before the EHS program begins receive care in a developmental child care room staffed by CDI child care workers. The child-staff ratio in these rooms is 6 to 1 for infants and 8 to 1 for toddlers (these are the state-mandated ratios). The group size is 6 for infants and 8 for toddlers. At 8:00 a.m., EHS teachers bring the children to the EHS room where they remain until 3:00 p.m. Children who stay at the center after that time are taken by the EHS teachers back to the developmental child care rooms, where they remain until their parents arrive. Child care workers in CDI's developmental child care rooms must have a high school degree and participate in 10 hours of in-service training per year. These caregivers also receive informal mentoring from EHS teachers. At the time of the site visit, the EHS program director was exploring the possibility of using a quality enhancement grant from the Head Start Bureau to provide wraparound care for EHS children in the EHS rooms and to maintain the child-staff ratio of 4 to 1 before 8:00 a.m. and after 3:00 p.m.
Other Child Development Services. The CDI EHS program works with parents to increase their knowledge and understanding of the educational and developmental needs of their children by providing information in newsletters, weekly parent-child activities for parents to do at home, home visits by teachers and family support assistants, one-on-one training sessions at the EHS centers, monthly parent meetings at each center, and daily contacts as children arrive and leave. Each EHS center also maintains a resource library for parents and the staff that includes materials on child development.
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Although the quantity of child care in the area is sufficient to meet current demand and some area centers provide good-quality care, there are not enough good-quality slots or slots for infants available. For example, in Clarksville, CDI's center provides the only licensed infant care in the area. With the increased availability of child care vouchers for families leaving welfare for work, many for-profit centers have opened. These centers compete for business by offering low rates. This is a self-defeating practice, because state reimbursement rates are set based on the current rates in the community. Competition by family child care homes and for-profit centers is pushing state reimbursement rates down, resulting in a lower level of quality in all centers. The unregulated child care market has also grown, further driving down the cost through competition. Finally, churches, public schools, and family child care homes with fewer than five children are exempt from licensing and are able to operate at a lower cost. All of these factors contribute to the lack of quality child care available in the community. Working parents face difficulties in trying to obtain state child care vouchers. Like many other states, Arkansas has focused more of its child care resources on families leaving welfare than on working-poor families. For example, families not on welfare must work for a full week before they are eligible for a voucher, so arranging and paying for child care during the first week of work is a challenge. Moreover, there are not enough vouchers for all families who need them, so many families must wait several months and reapply several times before obtaining a voucher. |
Child Development Assessments. Teachers conduct an initial developmental assessment of each child within 45 days of enrollment and at least every 90 days after the initial assessment. To assess children's development, the program uses the Early Learning Accomplishment Profile (ELAP). Based on the results of this assessment, teachers and parents develop individual child activity plans. The plans include the results of the ELAP, a summary of the child's strengths and weaknesses in six developmental areas, goals, and a plan for helping the child work on weak areas and achieve missed items from the ELAP. A target date is set for achieving each goal. Next, the teacher meets with the parent to review the results of the ELAP, review the child activity plan, and provide parent-child activities for the parent to carry out at home. Both the teacher and parent monitor the child's progress, and the teacher records the date that the child achieves each item in the plan.
Health Services. At the time of the site visit, virtually all children enrolled in CDI's EHS had a medical home and were up-to-date on immunizations and well-child examinations. Most children had health coverage through Medicaid or private health insurance, and a new program called AR Kids First extends Medicaid coverage to uninsured children whose families have moderate incomes. EHS assists all families in finding a physician for their child and tracks immunizations and well-child examinations to ensure that services are provided on schedule. Children are not permitted to attend the centers unless their immunizations are current. Family support assistants will arrange transportation to and from health care providers when necessary and will follow up to make sure that children receive needed services.
CDI operates a Medicaid Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) clinic and works with the local county health departments to provide services for EHS children and well-child examinations according to the EPSDT schedule. A nurse on staff at the Clarksville site conducts well-child examinations for EHS children at that center, and a nurse from the CDI central office travels to Morrilton and Dardanelle to conduct well-child examinations at those centers. Staff members make referrals to the health department and private physicians for any needed follow-up services.
Services for Children with Disabilities. If a teacher identifies potential developmental delays through the ELAP, the teacher refers the child for early intervention services, and the program director reviews the results of the ELAP. The teacher and the family support assistant at the center work with the early intervention provider to conduct additional assessments and to provide early intervention services as necessary.
Once the assessments have been completed, the CDI disabilities coordinator, the teacher, and the family support assistant meet with the parent(s) and the early intervention coordinator to develop an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) and to discuss coordination of services. Service providers such as speech therapists and physical therapists typically come to the center to work with the children in the classroom. In some cases, these specialists also provide training to EHS staff members so that they can do additional work with children on a daily basis. At the time of the site visit, 25 percent of children enrolled in the program had suspected or diagnosed disabilities or delays.
Transitions. The program expects to begin working with families on transition plans six months before they leave EHS. Parents and teachers will meet with the CDI transition coordinator to work out transition plans. Transition activities will include application to Head Start, visiting the new Head Start teacher, orienting the parents to Head Start, and making sure all assessments have been completed. If the child receives early intervention services, the teacher will also work with the child's case coordinator to develop a transition plan from Part C to Part B services. If families are not eligible for Head Start, the program will help them arrange ongoing child care with CDI, if possible, or in another center or preschool program if CDI has no spaces available. Staff members will also help them plan for paying for child care and apply for vouchers.
Once the assessments have been completed, the CDI disabilities coordinator, the teacher, and the family support assistant meet with the parent(s) and the early intervention coordinator to develop an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) and to discuss coordination of services. Service providers such as speech therapists and physical therapists typically come to the center to work with the children in the classroom. In some cases, these specialists also provide training to EHS staff members so that they can do additional work with children on a daily basis. At the time of the site visit, 25 percent of children enrolled in the program had suspected or diagnosed disabilities or delays.
Transitions. The program expects to begin working with families on transition plans six months before they leave EHS. Parents and teachers will meet with the CDI transition coordinator to work out transition plans. Transition activities will include application to Head Start, visiting the new Head Start teacher, orienting the parents to Head Start, and making sure all assessments have been completed. If the child receives early intervention services, the teacher will also work with the child's case coordinator to develop a transition plan from Part C to Part B services. If families are not eligible for Head Start, the program will help them arrange ongoing child care with CDI, if possible, or in another center or preschool program if CDI has no spaces available. Staff members will also help them plan for paying for child care and apply for vouchers.
FAMILY DEVELOPMENT CORNERSTONE
Needs Assessment and Service Planning. Family development services begin when staff members hold an enrollment conference with new families and begin completing the program's Family Service Journal. The program developed the Family Service Journal to serve as the program's family partnership agreement. The journal is intended to guide each family towards self-sufficiency and was developed for use during one-on-one interactions between parents and staff.
To assess needs and plan services, teachers work with families to conduct an initial needs assessment. They develop a child description for each child in the family, a family information summary about the family's strengths and needs, and a family priority sheet. Staff members use the journal to track and follow up on all referrals made.
Teachers and family support assistants also complete meeting planning sheets to document monthly parent training sessions. Families will take their completed journals with them when they leave the program.
Parent Training. An important component of the CDI EHS program's approach to the family development cornerstone is parent training, which encompasses education, skill building, and parent involvement in activities with children. Teachers and family support assistants each conduct individual parent training sessions with parents on a monthly basis. The training sessions typically last for 60 to 90 minutes and are conducted at the center or during home visits. Staff members work with parents to plan training sessions on topics of interest to parents. Teachers usually focus on topics related to child development and parenting, while family support assistants focus on topics related to self-sufficiency and self-improvement. Staff members also use these meetings to discuss needs, make referrals, identify resources, follow up on services received, assess progress towards goals, and set new goals.
| The CDI EHS program's family development services are based on the belief that the parent is the child's first and primary teacher. Staff members also believe that it is important to serve the whole family. In the family development area, the program works to empower pregnant women and parents with both the personal skills and parenting skills needed to assure optimum family growth. |
To participate in EHS, parents must agree to complete two hours of self-improvement activities per week, including one hour of developmental activity with their child and one hour of self-focused activity. To meet this requirement, parents can participate in parent meetings and individual parent training sessions, do parent-child activities at home, read materials about child development, attend school, read, exercise, or do other self-improvement activities.
Education and Employment Services. Each site has a parent learning center equipped with a computer and printer and a TV/VCR with a satellite linkup. Staff members are available to assist parents in becoming computer literate, and parents may use word processing, General Educational Development (GED), and literacy/ employability software at any time. CDI's media specialist assists staff members and parents in participating in distance learning programs, including GED programs and other personal and parenting training opportunities provided via satellite.
To arrange adult education and employment services, staff members refer families to family literacy groups and other programs located in each county. Each community has an adult education center that parents can use. Many parents prefer to begin with home study through public television and then progress to adult education classes when they feel ready. Through the adult learning centers and the parent learning centers at each CDI site, parents can work towards a GED, study for college entrance tests, participate in precollege programs, get job training in computer programs, develop resumes, and work on job readiness skills.
Several programs are available to assist parents in preparing for employment. A program for displaced homemakers conducts workshops for parents and provides support services such as transportation, child care assistance, and resume development. In Morrilton, the public schools work with adults and older teenagers in the area of job readiness. Through this program, parents can obtain information about career choices, take aptitude tests, and develop education and training plans. Finally, the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) program at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville provides retraining services to unemployed parents.
Health Services. The CDI EHS program works closely with a diverse group of community partners to arrange services for EHS families. When families are also involved with early intervention services, counseling, or programs operated by the Department of Human Services, staff members conduct joint planning to ensure that services are not duplicated. In addition, all families are referred to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, and many use the health department when they need immunizations and physicals.
The program also collaborates with several mental health service providers that work with low-income families. One of these agencies is available to provide on-site counseling services at one of the EHS centers. A licensed counselor at CDI provides initial assessment and precounseling services to children and families and makes referrals for ongoing counseling. Staff members can arrange for families to meet with this counselor, or families can contact this individual directly.
When families enroll during pregnancy, teachers and family support assistants meet with parents monthly and conduct parent training in the areas of prenatal health, birth, and newborn care. The program refers all pregnant women to area physicians and clinics and provides transportation to prenatal appointments if necessary. In addition, the program also refers these parents to birth preparation classes at local hospitals, and staff members are available to attend classes with expectant mothers if requested.
Other Services. Several civic organizations provide material assistance to EHS families. For example, last year the Junior Auxiliary in Clarksville worked with a teen parent for a year. In addition to paying medical bills, this group provided emotional support, tutoring, clothing, and other material goods. Other groups, such as the United Way and area churches and clubs, have paid for eyeglasses and dental services for parents in the EHS program.
Father Involvement. Although the program has not organized special events for EHS fathers, many EHS families are two-parent families with fathers who participate in the program. Some fathers attend parent meetings, and several have volunteered in the EHS classrooms. Fathers also make repairs in centers, participate in fund-raisers, and attend parent group outings and social activities.
Parent Involvement in the Program. Each center has an EHS parent group that elects a representative to interact with CDI's advisory boards and to participate in CDI's policy council. Parent groups meet monthly, usually at the centers. Sometimes, however, the program makes arrangements for other activities, such as outings to restaurants, recreation areas, bowling, hayrides, and plays.
Parent groups also organize fund-raisers for the centers. This year parents have used the funds raised to purchase a new washing machine for one center, purchase toys for the centers, and make other center improvements.
Many parents do volunteer work in the centers. Shortly after enrollment, parents submit references and undergo a background check so that they can volunteer in the classrooms with the other children. Parents provide backup support to teachers, read to children, answer phones, and do office work and cleaning. Parents who cannot come to the centers during working hours make materials for the centers, make repairs at the centers, put up bulletin boards, make bibs and cot sheets, and staff booths at community fairs.
STAFF DEVELOPMENT CORNERSTONE
The CDI EHS program is committed to providing staff with ongoing training, supervision, and mentoring and providing adequate salaries, benefits, and a pleasant work environment to maintain high morale and minimize turnover. CDI has a career development policy giving first priority to current staff members when new positions become available.
Training. CDI provides EHS staff with extensive training in a variety of topics. EHS staff received more than 80 hours of preservice orientation covering the EHS cornerstones and principles, case management, family-centered services, effective listening and communication, effective home visiting, building relationships, development and implementation of child activity plans, services and support for families with disabilities, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid, and continuous and responsive caregiving.
EHS staff members also participate in annual preservice training conducted by CDI for all Head Start staff members prior to the beginning of fall Head Start enrollment. This training includes cross-training in all Head Start components, developmentally appropriate practices, and family-centered services.
All of the pre- and in-service training conducted by CDI provides continuing education credits (CEUs) through Arkansas Tech University. CDI has also developed training videotapes and owns an extensive collection of other training videotapes developed by early childhood experts. The videotapes rotate from center to center on a monthly basis for use by staff members on-site.
EHS teachers also receive regular individual and small-group training on-site from the EHS director, their center's family support assistant, CDI specialists, and mentors. In addition to on-site training, teachers participate in regular in-service training sessions conducted by CDI's executive director, specialists, and other CDI staff members, as well as consultants from the Technical Assistance Support Center (TASC), Resource Access Project (RAP), and other community and state agencies.
Family support assistants receive monthly training at CDI's central office on advocacy, empowering parents to meet their own and their family's needs, and obtaining resources and making referrals. The training focuses on a wide range of topics, including child abuse, substance abuse, child development, domestic violence, social service needs, and cultural issues. During the past year, EHS staff members participated in an in-depth training series based on WestEd's Program for Infant/ Toddler Caregivers that was conducted by the program's TASC consultant.
At CDI's request, Arkansas Tech University developed an early childhood associate of science degree requiring 21 credit hours of courses. CDI will pay all tuition and fees and provide release time for staff members to complete the 12 credit hours needed to prepare for the child development associate (CDA) credential and will work with staff to facilitate completion of the associate's degree. CDI can also arrange for staff members to participate in an alternative CDA program for those who do not wish to take college courses.
Supervision and Support. Teachers work in the classroom for seven hours per day (8 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and spend one hour per day in training, working with parents, or doing paperwork. Staff members also use this time to talk about issues, share ideas, and plan activities. This planning hour provides the staff with an important opportunity for peer support. New teachers are also assigned mentors, who help them learn to do home visits, help them learn how to complete paperwork, and serve as a training resource.
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Arkansas implemented its welfare reform program in July 1997, so the community had not yet felt the full impact of the new program. Approximately 13 percent of EHS families were receiving cash assistance when they enrolled in the program. Under the new policies, TANF recipients are required to work within one month of receiving benefits. Parents of infants under 12 weeks are exempt from the work requirement, and other parents of infants under 12 months are exempt if child care is not available. Families may receive TANF cash assistance for a maximum of two years. Because there is a 12-month time limit, communities expected to feel the program's impact in 1998. CDI staff members think that there are enough jobs in the community to employ everyone who leaves welfare for work, and they report that many families have gone to work before reaching the end of their time limit. For example, according to the center director in Clarksville, at the time of the site visit only 33 families in Johnson County received cash assistance. In addition, the state now provides more support services for families leaving welfare for work, such as transportation and child care subsidies for up to three years after parents begin working. CDI staff members believe that these support services, especially child care, will enable parents who leave welfare for work to stay employed. CDI's target population has traditionally been working-poor families, so not many families enrolled in EHS receive welfare. At the time of the site visit, only five families in the program received cash assistance. Consequently, program staff members do not expect welfare reform to have a significant impact on the program. |
The EHS program director visits each center on a weekly basis to provide supervision, training, and support. Family support assistants at each center provide daily supervision and support for teachers and convene a staff meeting with teachers each week. In addition, family support assistants provide backup assistance in the classroom to provide release time for teachers to meet with parents.
The program is staffed by teachers and family support assistants who were laterally transferred from the PCC program and CDI's Teen Parenting Program, which ended in May 1995. Initially, caregivers in the EHS classrooms were hired as teachers and assistant teachers, and the salary scale was lower than the scale for Head Start teachers. However, in October 1997 the agency upgraded all assistant teachers to teacher positions and placed all EHS teachers on the same salary scale as the agency's Head Start teachers.
Staff Turnover. Three of 14 staff members left the program during the year prior to the site visit. The family support assistant at one site was promoted to center director. One teacher left the program to move out of state, and another teacher left the program for personal reasons.
COMMUNITY BUILDING CORNERSTONE
Staff members believe that CDI and the EHS program must become part of the total community by building a reputation as a team player, collaborating with other community service providers, creating linkages with the business community, including community representatives on its advisory boards, and building community among EHS families.
Program Collaborations. The CDI EHS program benefits from the many collaborations CDI has already established. In 1997, CDI had written partnership agreements with 24 state and local agencies and informal verbal agreements with 31 agencies.
Interagency Collaboration. CDI and EHS staff members also participate in many state, regional, and local interagency coordinating groups, such as Children and Adolescent Service System Providers (CASSP) teams, Child Protection Teams, Welfare Reform Committees, and Child Sexual Abuse Teams. EHS staff members have also worked on forming relationships with local industries and making arrangements with them to visit parents during their lunch break at their workplace.
The CDI EHS program also benefits from CDI's two advisory committees: the Education, Social Services, and Parent Involvement Committee and the Health, Mental Health, Nutrition, and Disabilities Committee. There are no separate advisory committees for EHS, but each EHS parent committee has a representative who can work with the advisory committees. In 1997, these advisory committees involved more than 20 community representatives. In 1998, this structure will be modified to create an advisory committee for each county. These county committees will be divided into subcommittees according to subject areas.
Community Building Among Parents. In addition to building community among local agencies and businesses, staff members feel that building community among EHS parents is important, because many of the families have the same needs and can help each other by sharing baby-sitting and transportation. Moreover, they believe that peer interaction can be an effective way to influence behavior. The program encourages families to participate in community activities by planning field trips, posting notices of community activities on bulletin boards in each center, and helping parents become involved in the public schools. Staff members have also worked to build community among EHS parents by forming parent groups at each EHS center. Monthly parent meetings are held in the evening during hours when most parents are not working.
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT AND LOCAL RESEARCH
Early Program Support. CDI's EHS staff have received training and technical assistance from several sources. Staff from Zero to Three worked closely with the EHS program director to develop the program's continuous improvement plan. CDI's TASC consultant visited the program monthly from January through June 1997 to train seven staff members on WestEd's Program for Infant/Toddler Caregivers. CDI's RAP consultant provided or arranged for staff training on family relationships, cultural issues, and home visiting. Others who have provided training to EHS staff include local Part C providers, local community service providers for non-English-speaking populations, substance abuse treatment specialists, domestic violence counselors, child abuse specialists, and mental health specialists.
Continuous Program Improvement. Continuous improvement is primarily the responsibility of CDI's EHS program director. She has used the self-assessment, the family need assessments, and staff self-assessments to develop a continuous improvement plan. She also has involved staff from all levels, parents, and community members in developing the plan. During the past year, she has updated the plan on a quarterly basis by revising the staff training plan and documenting training completed.
Local Research. A team of researchers at the University Affiliated Program/ Department of Pediatrics at the University of Arkansas, who specialize in research on early childhood development and children from low-income families, are serving as the CDI EHS program's local research partner. They are studying adult relationships in EHS and investigating the role these relationships play in moderating the effectiveness of the program.
During the past year, the team has been working on an assessment of EHS mothers and their relationships with their own mother figures, usually the focus child's grandmother. For those young mothers who receive substantial support from the focus child's grandmother or another mother figure, the local research team is conducting a videotaping protocol during a local research data collection visit. During the videotaping session, a researcher asks the mother or grandmother to initiate a discussion about an unresolved problem and then talk about how to resolve it. After this discussion has ended, the researcher asks the mother and grandmother to switch roles and repeat the process with a second unresolved issue. Out of 50 local research data collection visits completed at the time of the site visit, approximately 45 percent had a suitable grandmother figure for conducting the videotaping. The videotapes will be coded by the protocol's developer at the University of Chicago.
The local research team is also gathering additional data about the parents and their own characteristics and behavior. The team is attempting to learn about their behaviors, especially in the areas of independence, productivity, and relationships. At six months after enrollment, the local research team is collecting data on the parents' level of physical activity, nutritional status, nutrition behavior, and drug use. In addition, at that time local researchers assess the parents' involvement with the child and the parents' attachment to the child using an adult attachment scale. At 15 months after enrollment, the local research team will gather data about the history of infant feeding, maternal activities such as exercise and television usage, household nutrition patterns, the household food environment, and food frequency. A nutritionist on the university's faculty helped the team design its nutrition component.
PROGRAM SUMMARY
The CDI Early Head Start program provides much-needed center-based child development and child care services to working-poor families in four rural Arkansas counties. CDI provides wraparound child care to accommodate the schedules of working parents. The program emphasizes parent training and requires that parents spend two hours per week on self-improvement activities. At the time of the site visit, the program had just received quality improvement funds and planned to increase enrollment. Staff members were also considering using some of these funds to provide higher-quality wraparound child care as part of the EHS program.
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Jana Gifford
Child Development, Inc.
P.O. Box 2110
Russellville, AR 72811-2210
LOCAL RESEARCHERS
Robert Bradley
UALR - Center for Research
2801 S. University
Little Rock, AR 72204
Richard Clubb
UA - Monticello
AUM - Division of Social Services
Monticello, AR 71656
Mark Swanson
UAP of Arkansas
501 Woodlane, Suite 210
Little Rock, AR 72201
Leanne Whiteside-Mansell
UALR - Center for Research
2801 S. University
Little Rock, AR 72204
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