Empowering Families Through Education and Support

1. THE MISSION: HEAD START of Greater Dallas provides children with the foundation of skills and knowledge they need to be successful in school and life and fosters self-reliant families and communities.

2. FAMILY ADVOCATE OVERVIEW

3. Community HEAD START Family CHILD

4. Eligibility • HEAD START – Children three to five years old. • EARLY HEAD START – Pregnant moms and children six weeks to three years old (zero to three). • Families meeting the income guidelines.

5. Recruitment • Community agencies; • agencies serving children with disabilities; • hospitals and churches; • Schools (Kindergarten Round- Up); • radio, TV, newspaper, internet;& • community assessment.

6. Selection • 99 point screening system that prioritizes families for enrollment. • At-risk families with: • domestic violence issues; • child abuse issues; • mental health issues; • single parent families; • families with children with disabilities; • families who do not speak English; • children who are four; and • low-income families.

7. 2006 Income Guidelines 1 9,800 2 13,200 3 16,600 4 20,000 5 23,400 6 26,800 7 30,200 8 33,600

8. Enrollment • Enroll children throughout the year to meet and maintain center’s funded enrollment. • Vacancies are filled as soon as possible and no later than 30 days after vacancies occur.

10. Folder Review • Center team reviews database forms for completeness. • Family advocates note missing data for follow-up & identify families that need immediate services. • Center team sets up enrolled children’s folders.

11. Re-enrollment • Children who need Head Start for a second year pre-enroll. • Families update information. • Information is shared with families to maintain children’s academic progress and achieve family goals.

12. Attendance • Maintain 85% attendance. • Family advocates contact family after child has been out three consecutive days with a call, home visit or correspondence.

14. Family Partnerships • Home visits are made by Family Advocates to assess family strengths and needs. • Partner with families to set goals. • Refer families to in-house & community resources. • Chart each family’s progress toward self-reliance and follow up as needed to document outcomes.

15. FAMILY ADVOCATE • Intensive case management. • Parent support groups. • Parent education. • Community partnership.

16. Community Development HEAD START of Greater Dallas, Inc.’s nonfederal share is 20% of its grant each year. The nonfederal share for this year is over $8,000,000. The basic rule of thumb for achieving the nonfederal goal is to get goods and services donated in-kind before any federal money is spent.

17. Volunteers • We use: • parent and community volunteers, • community service volunteers, and • student interns. • Volunteers must be at least 15 years old. • Nonprofessional volunteers volunteer at a rate of $11.14 per hour. • Professional volunteers volunteer at their professional rate.

19. Board members volunteer at a rate of $100 per hour. • Policy council members volunteer at a rate of $50 per hour. • Advisory committee members volunteer at a rate of $25 - $50 per hour.

20. Donated Goods • Office furniture; • center furniture; • computer equipment; • computer software.

21. Space • Center space; • space for training; • meeting space; and • donated land.

22. Mileage • Parent mileage for dropping off and picking up their children at the center. • Mileage for board, policy council and advisory committee members. • Mileage for volunteers performing their volunteer assignment.

23. Consultant/Contract Services • Medical/dental discounts. • Special services discounts.

24. Other Nonfederal • Grants; • vendor discounts; • collaborations.

25. THE END