Western Kentucky University Child Care Consortium
Head Start & Early Head Start Annual Report 2013
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 Housing
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 from birth to age five. All children enrolled in our
program 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_2013.pdf.
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 received its triennial Federal monitoring review on April 14-19, 2013. The Federal Report
details can be viewed at
http://www.wku.edu/ccc/program_reports/acf_review_report_2013.pdf.
WKUCCC has completed an improvement plan for the two areas of noncompliance found during the federal review, and has been notified that those
non-compliances have been removed.
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Grantee Funding
Total WKU Agency Public and Private Funds (External Grants and Contract Awards)
Federal
$11,537,379
State
$2,932,041
Other
$1,296,770
WKUCCC
Federal Funds for Head Start Services
Federal Funds for Head Start Services - delegated to
Audubon Area and Murray Head Start
Matching Funds for Head Start Services
Federal Funds for Early Head Start Services delegated from Murray Independent Schools
Matching Funds for Early Head Start
Funds from Child Care and Development Block Grant
and Private Pay
Funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture
WKUCCC Total All Sources
Revenue
2013
$737,182
Expenditures
2013
$737,182
$558,737
$558,737
$323,980
$323,980
$204,881
$204,881
$ 51,220
$ 51,220
100%
$381,537
$380,881
99.83%
$ 84,470
$2,342,007
$ 83,058
$2,339,939
98.33%
% Spent
100%
100%
100%
100%
99.91%
The FY13 expenditure analysis is summarized in the chart below. Personnel/fringe expenses
represent the majority of program costs, comprising 82% of Head Start budget and 85% of EHS
budget. Fringe benefit costs increased slightly due to increase in Kentucky retirement rates.
The proposed budgets for each program are not expected to significantly change from the 2013
budget amounts. Health insurance rates will increase in 2014, impacting fringe rate share.
Head Start Grantee Expenditures FY 2013
$500,000
$450,000
$400,000
$350,000
$300,000
$250,000
$200,000
$150,000
$100,000
$50,000
$0
Early Head Start Expenditures FY 2013
Personnel (58%)
$140,000
Fringe Benefits
(24%)
$100,000
Personnel
(58%)
Fringe Benefits
(27%)
Supplies (3%)
$120,000
$80,000
$60,000
Supplies (4%)
$40,000
$20,000
Other(includes
travel) (6%)
WKUCCC 2013 HS GRANTEE
EXPENSES
$0
Indirect Costs
(8%)
Head Start Total Funding FY 2013
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WKUCCC EHS EXPENSES
2013
Other(Includes
travel) (5%)
Indirect Costs
(8%)
Customer Impact – 2013
WKU Head Start and Early Head Start
Total number of children and families served including drops and replacements
Head Start
91
Early Head Start
23
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
Number with private health insurance/Tri-care
Number of Head Start children up-to-date on age appropriate preventive and primary health care
91
(100%)
81
(89%)
10
(11%)
91
(100%)
Dental Services
Number of Head Start children who have completed a professional dental examination during
the operating period or within 12 months
Of the children examined -- the children needing dental treatment
Head Start children who have received or are receiving treatment
91
(100%)
3
(3%)
3
(3%)
The total number of Early Head Start children with health insurance
Enrolled in Medicaid/EPSDT
Number with private health insurance
Number of EHS children up-to-date on age appropriate preventive and primary health care
22
(95%)
1
5%
22
(95%)
Dental Services
Number of Early Head Start children who have received dental screenings
3
23
(100%)
School Readiness
To prepare children and their families for transition to and success in school and life, WKUCCC has adopted
the Kentucky School Readiness Goals, and supplements them with local program goals, which reflect the
results from assessments of WKUCCC children’s achievement. In addition, the local goals are aligned with
the expectations of the local school district and parents. 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 cutcomes 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 informal assessment id ongoing.
During home visits and parent conferences, staff discuss assessment results with families and gather parents
input as to their aspirations for their children. Child outcomes reports are generated for each classroom and
are aggregated for the program as a whole, so that each child’s experience can be individualized and so
training and resources allocation decisions can be made.
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 and 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 as well as to control and manage their own emotions. After providing training to our
teachers, the effects of this training on teacher attitudes and behavior and on children's self-control skills
improved the learning environment in a positive way. 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, Family, and Community Engagement
The WKUCCC Parent, Family, and Community Engagement overall goal is families will be engaged in
the lives of their children and have the skills to support and advocate for their children’s academic
success,
WKUCCC extends the campus community to include both centers and to embrace students and nonstudents whose children are enrolled in the program. That university connection offers the opportunity
for families to advance their own learning interests through education, training and other experiences that
support their parenting, careers and life goals. Training is conducted during Parent Meetings and
parents are encouraged to enroll at WKU or WKU’s Commonwealth School and to take advantage of the
university’s Counseling Center, Financial Aid Services and other resources. Parents can learn from
community partners who visit the center to address family needs and interests. Activities are conducted
at the centers throughout the year to involve and engage parents, and information is distributed via our
parent websites. Activities are sent home to help families engage in learning with their children. Families
are offered the opportunity and encouraged to volunteer or to simply visit and observe at WKUCCC
centers anytime. Below are some examples of WKUCCC’s partnership with parents.
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A Fall Festival was held where WKUCCC families visited informational booths including school
readiness, resume writing, health and safety, healthy nutritional habits. Parent and child activities
(including take-home activities) were also available for families and children to spend quality time
together.
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 continuing to maintain that is more user-friendly, especially for our growing student
population.
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.
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Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education graduate interns organized a Car Seat Check for all
WKUCCC families.
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Consistent with the Head Start culture, at WKUCCC food brings us together! A holiday
celebration breakfast was provided for all families, offered a great opportunity for parents,
teachers, and children to spend quality time together as 2013 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
read-aloud 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 Planned expenditures will be budgeted 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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