Western Kentucky University
Child Care Consortium
Head Start & Early Head Start Annual Report 2012
Western Kentucky University Child Care Consortium (WKUCCC), in the Child and Family Services
division of Training & Technical Assistance Services (T/TAS) in WKU’s College of Education and
Behavioral Sciences, serves nearly 100 children and their families at two sites in Bowling Green,
Kentucky – on the WKU campus and at the Housing Authority of Bowling Green’s Bryant Way
development. Services are provided through:
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funding directly from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for
Children and Families, Office of Head Start for the preschool Head Start program,
a contractual arrangement with Murray Independent Schools for Early Head Start, and
private pay and state funding to provide child and family development services for clients who are
not income-eligible for Head Start/Early Head Start and to offer extended day and year-round
programs for income-eligible children and families.
As a Head Start/Early Head Start program, WKUCCC’s primary mission is to provide comprehensive
early childhood development services for children birth to five. All children grow and develop in a safe,
nurturing environment in which they are given the opportunity to learn, experiment and experience
success. Additional supportive and developmental services are provided to children with special
needs and their families. The Consortium ensures that the children are provided with medical and
dental examinations, nutritious meals and mental health services.
WKUCCC’s family development
focus ensures that families have the knowledge and skills to support their children in achieving school
readiness and school success and to strengthen the entire family to accomplish individual and family
goals and pursue their dreams. Capable and committed partners enhance and expand WKUCCC
services to children and families and support staff in meaningful ways.
Through contractual arrangements called delegate relationships, WKUCCC provides funding for Head
Start services provided by Audubon Area Community Services (http://www.audubon-area.com/) and
Murray Independent School District (http://www.headstart.murray.kyschools.us/). In turn, as noted above,
WKUCCC is a delegate of Murray Independent Schools for its Early Head Start services.
Program and Financial Reviews
WKUCCC has had no audit findings in the last year. For more details please review at http://www.wku.
edu/ccc/financial_reports/wku_audit_2012pdf.
WKUCCC’s website at http://www.wku.edu/ccc/ provides easily accessible, up-to-date information about
program activities and access to monthly and quarterly financial and programmatic reports for
committees and board members.
WKUCCC was in full compliance with applicable laws and
regulations during its triennial review conducted in October
2009.
http://www.wku.edu/ccc/program_reports/letter_of_understa
nding.pdf
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FY 2012
Budget
Grantee Funding
FY 2013
Proposed Budget
Total Agency Public and Private Funds (External Grants and Contract Awards)
Federal
$13,406,247
$13,406,247
State
$2,581,896
$2,581,896
Other
$1,621,706
$1,621,706
$777,536
$777,536
$589,320
$589,320
Matching Funds for Head Start Services
$341,714
$341,714
Federal Funds for Early Head Start Services and
Training delegated from Murray Independent Schools
$203,416
$203,416
Matching Funds for Early Head Start
$ 50,854
$ 50,854
Funds from Child Care and Development Block Grant
and Private Pay
$389,386
$389,386
Funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture
$ 85,376
$ 85,376
$2,437,602
$2,437,602
WKUCCC
Federal Funds for Head Start Services and Training
for WKU Child Care Centers
Federal Funds for Head Start Services and Training
delegated to Audubon Area and Murray Head Start
WKUCCC Total All Sources
Head Start Grantee Expenditures FY 2012
Early Head Start Expenditures FY 2012
$140,000
$120,000
$100,000
$80,000
$60,000
$40,000
$20,000
$0
Head Start Total Funding FY 2012
Personnel
(62%)
Fringe Benefits
(25%)
Supplies (3%)
WKUCCC EHS EXPENSES
2012
Other(Includes
travel) (2%)
Indirect Costs
(8%)
Projected Budget 2013
Personnel
3% 4%
Fringe Benefits
34%
43%
Supplies
3%
2%
2
Travel
13%
Contractual
Other
Indirect Costs
Customer Impact – 2012
WKU Head Start and Early Head Start
Total number of children and families served including drops and replacements
Head Start
93
Early Head Start
16
Funded Enrollment
Head Start
75
Early Head Start
15
Average Monthly Enrollment served by WKUCCC
Head Start
100%
Early Head Start
100%
Percentage of Low Income served by WKUCCC
Head Start
17%
Early Head Start
2%
Total number of Head Start children with health insurance
Enrolled in Medicaid/EPSDT
93
88
Number with private health insurance/Tri-care
Number of Head Start children up-to-date on age appropriate preventive and primary health care
5
93
Dental Services
Number of Head Start children who have completed a professional dental examination during
the operating period or within 12 months
93
Of the children examined -- the children needing dental treatment
15
Head Start children who have received or are receiving treatment
11
The total number of Early Head Start children with health insurance
Enrolled in Medicaid/EPSDT
16
Number with private health insurance
0
Number of EHS children up-to-date on age appropriate preventive and primary health care
16
Dental Services
Number of Early Head Start children who have received dental screenings
3
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School Readiness
To prepare children and their families for transition to and success in school, WKUCCC pursues the Kentucky
School Readiness Goals and supplements them with local program goals which reflect the priorities from
assessments of WKUCCC children’s achievement and alignment with local school district and parent
expectations. WKUCCC’s formal assessment tool, Teaching Strategies GOLD, is supplemented by ongoing
informal assessments – anecdotal notes, skills checklists, portfolios, writing and art samples, formal third
party observations, parent input, service provider reports, photographs, and Response to Intervention (RTI)
and Individual Education Plan (IEP) monitoring. WKUCCC collects Child Outcomes data in eleven domains:
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Science Knowledge & Skills
Social Studies Knowledge & Skills
Physical Health & Development
Social & Emotional Development
Mathematics Knowledge & Skills
Cognition & General Knowledge
Approaches to Learning
Language Development
Literacy Knowledge & Skills
Logic & Reasoning
Creative Arts Expression
Teaching staff conduct formal child assessments three times a year and ongoing informal assessment.
Throughout the year during home visits and parent conferences, staff discuss assessment results with
families. Child Outcomes Reports are generated for each classroom and the program as a whole to track
children’s progress and continuously develop strategies to improve child outcomes and enhance staff
capabilities to guide children’s development.
Portfolios maintained on each Head Start child include notations and work samples from the informal
assessment process. They include children’s work completed during both small group and individual activities
that reflects milestones in their development. Tracking developmental progress through anecdotal notes and
other informal strategies enables WKUCCC to continuously update individual goals to address needs and
developmental stages of each child.
A WKU Developmental Psychology professor, her undergraduate and graduate students worked with
teachers to enhance their skills in supporting and promoting children's emerging abilities to understand their
own and others emotions and to control and manage their own emotions. After providing training to our
teachers, they measured the effects of this training on teacher attitudes and behavior and on children's selfcontrol skills. The students are currently analyzing the information collected and hope to continue this applied
work on social and emotional development.
Transition Activities
Special transition activities assist families moving from Head Start to the schools.
Families receive telephone numbers for public schools which their children will
attend, procedures for Kindergarten registration, and lists of skills that children will
need for successful transition. Teaching staff perform transition activities in the
classrooms and parents practice at home to ease the movement of children to the
next setting. Parents learn how to effectively communicate with public schools
and what they can do to support children’s transitions. Along with individualized
activities, parent meetings regarding Kindergarten preparation are held and
arrangements are made for families to visit the schools their children will attend.
One of the determinants of a child’s success in school readiness is his or her
family’s meaningful engagement in the child’s education. WKUCCC has
accomplished this through a variety of parent involvement and family engagement activities.
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Parent Involvement Activities and Family Engagement
The parent/program partnership is at the core of WKU CCC’s child and family development initiatives.
Parents and staff work together to enhance children’s school readiness. Staff support parents in
establishing and pursuing individual and family goals in areas from completing college to securing
reliable transportation. Teachers and Family Services staff meet regularly with parents to encourage and
support their involvement in the program and in the community. Here are some examples of WKUCCC’s
partnership with parents.
Through partnerships with the LEAs and Parent Committee Meetings, WKUCCC worked with families on
school readiness and transition to Kindergarten as they affect the entire family.
The role of families in children’s literacy was strengthened through collaboration with United Way and the
Dolly Parton Imagination Library program. Through the program, children receive one book every month
in the mail which helps enhance literacy skills in the home.
Staff focused throughout the year on increasing parent participation in program activities, specifically the
Policy Council, Health Services Advisory Committee, parent meetings and training. In addition, parents
were skilled and committed volunteers in WKUCCC classrooms.
WKUCCC engaged parents electronically in the program and improved delivery of services to families by
developing a website that is more user-friendly, especially for our growing student population, and the
creation of secure individual classroom web pages.
The Barren River District Health Department’s commitment to WKUCCC is evidenced in its wide variety
of primary care, including well-child checks, counseling, and nutrition education services coordinated
through the program that support WKUCCC families and involve them directly in their children’s health.
Graduate students from the Communication Disorders program provided activities based on a phonics
curriculum to enhance language and literacy skills for children making transitions to Kindergarten.
Consistent with the Head Start culture, at WKUCCC food brings us together! During a luncheon
provided by WKUCC for our families, a local mental health consultant shared information on behavior
management and helped parents cope with challenging behaviors. A fall festival celebration brought
together many WKUCCC families, offering a great opportunity for parents, teachers and children to
spend quality time together as 2012 drew to a close.
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WKUCCC School Readiness Goals for Children, Parents,
Families, Community, Staff and Program
Physical Development and Health
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Children will demonstrate control of large muscles for movement, navigation and balance.
Children will demonstrate control of small muscles for purposes such as using utensils, self-care, building,
writing and exploring.
Children and families will practice healthy and safe habits.
WKUCCC Goal - Children will demonstrate fine-motor strength and coordination utilizing fingers and
whole arm movements to manipulate and explore objects.
Social and Emotional Development
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Children will develop and demonstrate positive interactions and relationships with adults and peers.
Children will develop and demonstrate the ability to recognize and regulate emotions, attention, impulses
and behavior.
WKUCCC Goal – Children will establish and sustain positive relationships with adults and make friends
with peers.
WKUCCC Goal – Children will be able to accurately identify basic emotional reactions of others and their
causes.
Approaches to Learning
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Creative Arts Expression – Children will show interest and participate in a variety of visual arts, dance,
music and dramatic experiences.
Approaches to Learning – Children will demonstrate flexibility, inventiveness, curiosity, motivation,
persistence and engagement in learning.
WKUCCC Goal – Children will explore and gain an interest in visual arts, musical concepts and expressions,
dance movements and concepts, and drama through actions and language.
Language and Literacy
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Language Development – Children will use language to express their wants and needs.
Language Development – Children will engage in conversations, follow directions and comprehend
language.
Literacy Knowledge and Skills – Children will demonstrate knowledge of print and develop the awareness
that print conveys meaning.
English Language Development – Children who are dual language learners will demonstrate competency
in their home language while acquiring proficiency in English.
WKUCCC Goal – Children will demonstrate knowledge of print and its uses by: interacting during readaloud and book conversations, showing an appreciation of books, and orienting books correctly by turning
pages from front to back and indicating where to start reading and the direction to follow.
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Cognition and General Knowledge
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Logic and Reason – Children will use reasoning skills and symbolic
representation to find multiple solutions to questions, tasks, problems and
challenges.
Mathematics Knowledge and Skills – Children will use math in everyday
routines to count, compare, relate, pattern and problem solve.
Science Knowledge and Skills - Children will explore their environments
through observations, manipulation, asking questions, making predictions and
developing hypotheses.
Social Studies Knowledge and Skills – Children will examine their families,
explore their community, its history and events, and interact with people and
the environment.
WKUCCC Goal – Children will observe and imitate problem solving skills by seeking teacher and/or peer
assistance and implementing a solution.
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WKUCCC Goal – Children will verbally count to ten and count up to five objects accurately using one
number name for each object.
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WKUCCC Goal – Children will demonstrate a basic understanding of people and how they live.
Parent, Family and Community Engagement
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Families will be engaged in the lives of their children and have the skills to support and advocate for their
children’s academic success.
Parents and family members will advance their own learning and interests through education, training
and other experiences that support their parenting, career and life goals.
Parents and families will support and advocate for their children’s learning and development as they
transition to new learning environments.
Family literacy, financial literacy and skills will increase through targeted, individualized activities in the
center, in the community and at home.
Professional Development
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Every staff member will have an individual development plan that includes school readiness goals and/or
focus.
Staff will receive training on the school readiness plan and overall school readiness initiative and targeted
training based on analysis of school readiness goals.
Agency Systems
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Agency systems will clearly and intentionally articulate school readiness activities, supports and strategic
directions.
Record Keeping and Reporting
o Forms will be reviewed and revised to address elements of the school readiness plan.
o Progress toward accomplishing school readiness goals will be reported regularly.
Self-Assessment and Ongoing Monitoring
o Current practices will be evaluated to ensure the accomplishment of our school readiness goals.
o The School Readiness Committee will be involved in the assessment of the school readiness
initiative.
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Communication
o Regular communication about progress on school readiness goals will occur with families, staff
and community partners.
Program Governance
o Fully engage members of the Policy Council and Board of Directors in the implementation of our
school readiness plan.
Fiscal Management
o A sufficient amount of the budget will be available to accomplish school readiness goals.
Planning
o Analysis of school readiness outcomes will be incorporated data driven decision making to inform
our planning process.
Human Resources
o CLASS scores will be used to target both group and individual training for preschool classroom
staff.
Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment and Attendance
o Attendance will be correlated with child outcomes scores.
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