Community Assessment Updates for Abbreviated Applications. Per sequestration, revisions have been listed herein and will
be addressed in greater detail in the 2014 Community Assessment. Additionally, our 2012 PIR will be uploaded to HSES upon
completion, August 2013.
GEOGRAPHIC AREA:
Sheltering Arms Early and Head Start Service Areas
(Approved Sheltering Arms service areas via Financial
Assistance Award and via approved partnership
agreements. The sections that are underlined are the actual
verbiage from the FAA).
Today, Sheltering Arms cares for more than 4,000 children and their
families annually through 16 neighborhood center based service
options in seven metropolitan Atlanta counties - Clayton, Cobb,
Douglas, Gwinnett, DeKalb, and Fulton Counties, GA: the city of
Jonesboro in Clayton County; the city of Marietta in Cobb County;
the city of Douglasville in Douglas County; the city of Lawrenceville
in Gwinnett County; the city of Chamblee in DeKalb County; and an
area within Fulton County west of I-75 except East Point, College
Park, Hapeville and the area east of I-285; also serving downtown
Atlanta, Reynoldstown, Union City, and Palmetto in Fulton County
(Service Area # EHS-GA –071). Through blended funding, centers
are open 12 hours a day, year round, to accommodate parents’
training or work schedules. Services range from early education and
school readiness preparation to parenting seminars and career
counseling.
Head Start
The above and more specifically:
Neighborhood Planning Unit V (NPU-V) in Fulton County - Mechanicsville, Summerhill/Capitol Homes,
Peoplestown, Adair Park, Pittsburgh communities
East Atlanta in DeKalb County - East Atlanta neighborhoods – Oakhurst, Whiteford, Cabbagetown,
Reynoldstown, Kirkwood, Edgewood, East Atlanta, Eastland Heights, East Lake Community and Gresham
Park which include the following zip codes – 30307, 30312, 30317 and 30316.
Clayton County neighborhoods Jonesboro (30236, 30238, 30296), Morrow (30260), Riverdale (30274,
30296), Kenwood (30214), and Forrest Park (30297)
Zip Codes: South of I-20 and West of I-75 - 30213, 30268, 30272, 30291, 30296, 30349
Early Head Start
The above and more specifically:
Neighborhood Planning Unit V (NPU-V) in Fulton County - Mechanicsville, Summerhill/Capitol Homes,
Peoplestown, Adair Park, Pittsburgh communities
East Atlanta in DeKalb County - Cabbagetown, Reynoldstown, Edgewood, Kirkwood, and East Atlanta
neighborhoods, which include - 30307, 30312, 30317 and 30316
Clayton County neighborhoods - Jonesboro (30236, 30238, 30296), Morrow (30260), Riverdale
(30274, 30296), Kenwood (30214), and Forrest Park (30297).
The Grantees in our shared Service Areas work in partnership to ensure all children that need services
receive services from the providers which are most conducive to them as well as the Grantee. For instance, if
we served a child in Early Head Start and the family relocates slightly outside our service area but would
rather stay at our center for continued services, we simply request in writing “Permission to Serve” from the
partner Grantee. Upon approval the actual email is placed in the child’s file at the center.
As previously mentioned, agency decisions to open new centers are almost always in conjunction with a
revitalization projection and/or within an Early Child Care consortium. Below is a brief yet unique
description of each of the communities in which our centers reside. These descriptions support Head Start’s
mission to provide services to those communities most in need.
Norcross
Norcross is a small town that was rural 20 years ago. Today it has become part of Atlanta’s northern
suburbs, and many of its approximately 65,000 residents commute to Atlanta from “bedroom communities.”
However, many of the residents who have always lived in this area have not fared as well. Nearly a third is
classified as “satellite city residents,” with less education and mobility than the affluent suburbanites who
have moved into the area. Most families served by our Norcross Center reside in Norcross and surrounding
communities, many in apartments or mobile homes. Parents find employment as clerical workers, entry level
office workers, in medical facilities, and as retail salespersons. Many two parent families have at least one
parent who is unemployed or working a temporary job while they seek employment as a result of lay-offs.
As Gwinnett County has one of the fastest growing Hispanic populations in the nation, more Hispanic children
are being enrolled in our centers in the County. However, many of these families are recent immigrants, and
cannot even afford subsidized tuition rates. At Norcross and Beaver Ridge Elementary Schools, the feeder
schools for the Center, 85% of the children qualify for free or reduced lunches, an indicator of a high rate of
low-income families in these neighborhoods.
Longview
Douglas County is a combination of affluent suburbanites who commute from ‘bedroom communities;” middle
and upper middle class residents who work locally, often in family-owned businesses; and low income families
who work in factories, service industries, offices, and support services. Douglas County’s population as of July
2001 was 96,006 persons, according to the U. S. Census Bureau, an increase of over 3,800 persons from one
year earlier. There are 6,735 children under the age of five, and of these, 529 live below poverty level.
There are 353 families with children under the age of five who live below poverty level, and there are 2,633
families with annual incomes below $15,000. There is only one other NAEYC-accredited child care program
in Douglasville in addition to Sheltering Arms and Ninth District Opportunity Head Start.
International Village
During the past two decades, north DeKalb County has been transformed from a blue-collar residential area
into Georgia's most culturally diverse community. In the last decade, the number of Asians has increased 687
percent and Hispanics 817 percent in the Chamblee area alone. Nearly 65 percent of kindergarten students
in Chamblee are foreign-born. Fifty-two languages can be heard in the halls of Cross Keys High School.
Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Hispanic businesses line Buford Highway. The area has more than 700
immigrant-owned businesses. Many families in this area cannot access government and nonprofit services
because of cultural, linguistic and transportation barriers. Because most new residents depend on public
transportation, traveling to different locations throughout DeKalb County for the services they need is
difficult. Without a safe, secure environment for their children, parents are unable to seek and maintain
employment, and are consequently hindered from taking their places as contributing members of the
community. The dramatic growth and diversity of the area’s ethnic population, and the impoverished
circumstances in which many live, present extraordinary challenges to the community.
Lillian Webb
According to the US Census, the population of Gwinnett County is 582,063 persons, of whom 25,760 are
children under three years of age. In 2001, there were 12,231 households receiving public assistance and
noncash benefits. More than half the children in Gwinnett’s elementary schools, on average, are on the
Federal free and reduced lunch program. According to the Department of Family and Children Services,
500 families are on their waiting lists for subsidized child care, about 250 families inquire about subsidized
child care each month, and approximately 4,400 children are on Medicaid in Gwinnett County.
Population figures, according to the Georgia Family Connection Partnership, indicate the population is: White
Non-Hispanic 50%, Black 21%, Hispanic 18%, Asian and Pacific Islander 9%, Multiracial 2%. They also
report that 75,400 children are enrolled in Medicaid or state funded insurance for children from low-income
families, 17,078 children birth through four years of age are enrolled in the WIC Program, 49,024 children
live with a single parent, and 10,070 children live in a household where neither parent is employed. The
Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper reports that unemployment in the County is at 10.8%.
Cobb
The center is located in a major "poverty pocket" just south of the city of Marietta, according to the Cobb
County Community Development Program. It has a capacity of 96 children, ages six weeks to five years of
age, and their families. In 2007, Sheltering Arms and community partners did a needs assessment that
showed there were 4,655 children under the age of five years old residing in the City of Marietta. Current
early education providers have a combined capacity of approximately 477 children. The Georgia Family
Connection Partnership's Kids Count reports that 62,539 children in Cobb County are enrolled in Medicaid
and state funded insurance for low-income families, 14,514 children birth to age four are enrolled in WIC,
and 8,358 children live in a home where no parent is employed. Eighty percent of those attending our
centers are children of families with incomes below $35,000/year. We reach out to immigrants and
refugees, and children who need to learn English before they start kindergarten. The Center's feeder schools
are the Dunlieth Elementary School and Sedalia Park Charter School. At Dunlieth, 100% of the children are
eligible for free and reduced lunches, and at Sedalia Park 85% are eligible.
Model, The Elaine P. Draeger Model Teaching Center (December 2012)
The Model Teaching Center is located in the Centennial Olympic Park neighborhood in downtown Atlanta.
Atlanta, like Los Angeles, sprawls over a very large geographical area, and many lower income workers
commute to the downtown area by automobile and rapid transit because service, clerical, and unskilled
labor jobs are more plentiful and centralized in downtown Atlanta, and because the rapid transit system
does not reach into most of the surrounding suburbs. The Model Teaching Center was established in 1996 as
former Techwood/Clark-Howell Homes public housing residents were integrated into the new, multi-income
Centennial Place apartments, a Hope VI Public Housing Authority project. The townhouses were built at three
rent levels: public assistance, income-based sliding scale, and market rate. Low-income residents of the
apartments are given priority for enrollment in the Center, and approximately 25% of children enrolled live
in the neighborhood. A tenant's subsidy is strictly confidential, and market and subsidized units are rotated
to make them indistinguishable, thereby removing the stigma of a subsidy. Centennial Place Elementary
School is the Center's feeder school, where 61% of students qualify for free and reduced lunches.
South Fulton – East Point, Welcome All, Oakley Township, Stonewall Tell
When we were awarded the four centers in 1998 south Fulton County, the area was home to nearly ten
percent of the state’s population. When we took responsibility for the South Fulton Head Start, the four
existing centers were unlicensed and they were in fairly poor condition. The service area consisted of all
communities south of Interstate 20 West and west of Interstate 75. The centers were within the following
cities: Atlanta, Hapeville, Red Oak, East Point, and College Park, which are part of southwest and/or south
Fulton County – predominately African-American and low-income communities. According to the former
grantee’s Community Assessment, dated March 1, 1999, case management assessment, parent surveys, and
focus groups have determined that the social service needs of eligible children and their families are, but are
not limited to: Adequate Housing, Employment Assistance, Emergency Housing, Financial Assistance, Financial
Counseling, Mental Health, Mentoring Programs, Adult Literacy/GED, Interpretation/Translation, and Health
Insurance Coverage. We successfully had all four centers licensed and they achieved NAEYC Accreditation.
Then, a most decisive factor in serving the 550 Head Start and 80 Early Head Start children
in south Fulton County came when Sheltering Arms entered into a groundbreaking partnership with Fulton
County School System. This is later discussed in greater detail concerning “areas lacking adequate child
care.”
Early Learning and Literacy Resource Center d/b/a Educare of Atlanta
Identify the geographic service area and the targeted population(s) your Transition Coach will serve. Include
specific data that demonstrates the needs of the targeted population(s).
Educare of Atlanta is located in NPU-V (Neighborhood Planning Unit V), where many of Atlanta’s most
vulnerable families live in five neighborhoods located just south of Downtown. The two neighborhoods served
by the Center -- Mechanicsville and Pittsburgh, -- comprise a once-thriving African-American community that
has experienced a great deal of property disinvestment, population decline, and general economic decline
over the past 30 years. NPU-V is home to approximately 15,000 residents, where 35 percent of the
households include one or more children under the age of 18, only 32 percent of the households make more
than $25,000 and 18.3% are unemployed, according to the U.S. Census. In 2005, the Atlanta Regional
Commission estimated that there were 1,255 children between the ages of 0-4 in NPU-V. By 2010, they
project that number to grow by 23% to 1,544. Dunbar and Gideons Elementary Schools serve this
neighborhood. Both are Title I Schools; 100% of students at Dunbar are eligible for free/reduced lunches,
and 98% of students at Gideons are eligible.
DEMOGRAPHIC MAKE-UP
The following information is a compilation of our most recent community assessment as well as the Program
Information Report (PIR). Reviewing our most recent Program Information Report from July 2011, further
summarizes the requirements of 45 CFR 1305.3(c). All of which are commanding evidence of the continued
need and funding of our Early/Head Start programs. We had proposed to continue our current enrollment
levels and locations for the 2011-12 program year. All but one county and three centers do not have
Early/Head Start funding, as they reside in another grantee’s service area. Agency Demographics is
outlined next and Early/Head Start follow later in conjunction with Outcomes.
However, with the Sequestration Reductions we eliminated 24 Early Head Start slots at 3 of our centers The Cobb Center in Marietta, Cobb County - 8, The Elaine P. Draeger Model Teaching Center in Atlanta,
Fulton County - 8, and the East Lake Villages center in Atlanta, DeKalb County. We continue our
comprehensive services to our revised capacity of 2,302 children and families, 683 which are funded by
Head Start and 272 funded by Early Head Start. Refer to the next page for Center breakout by city,
county and Early/Head Start children.
Community Assessment
The most direct evidence of need which led to these proposals comes from the high number of very lowincome families who apply for Sheltering Arms services. Many cannot be accommodated, or enroll their
children and struggle to pay tuition fees. The mission of Sheltering Arms is to empower families and
strengthen communities by providing exceptional, affordable care for young children of working families.
Early Education at Sheltering Arms is made affordable by assisting low-income families to obtain subsidies,
and by raising funds for scholarships to help make up the difference between cost of care and what families
can afford. However, subsidies and scholarships are never enough to pay for the full cost of care. The
amount the state pays for care is significantly below market prices. An analysis of the demographics of our
clientele and those on our waiting list has led to the realization that there are many Early/Head Start eligible children enrolled in our neighborhood centers, and has led to a commitment to offer a comprehensive
Early and Head Start program where these eligible children and families are already being served or are
waiting to be served.
Our community assessment denotes demographic information descriptive of the service area, emerging
trends, primary languages of the families, and primary industries. The Sheltering Arms Community Assessment
is a collection of data from a variety of sources that informs our decision-making process around all program
areas. While it is compiled into notebook form every three years, it is actually an ongoing assessment of the
communities in which we operate. Each year, information is added and any changes/developments are
reported in an annual update.
SUMMARY AND OVERVIEW
Herein is the data from our 2012 Community Assessment. It begins with general demographic, social,
economic, and housing characteristics of Georgia, then Metro Atlanta. Following the state data, you will find
information about each county in which we operate. The same information is included for each county and it
flows in the following order:
KIDS COUNT Data (Education, Economic Well-Being, Family/Community, Health, Safety/Risky
Behaviors)
Demographic, social, economic, housing, and school enrollment characteristics (US Census Bureau)
Area Labor Profile(Georgia Department of Labor)
Births and births to teens (Georgia DHC)
Infant Mortality Rate/Infant Deaths (Georgia DHC)
Child Protective Services cases (Georgia DHR)
Population of children under 5 years of age (Georgia DHR)
Children in Childcare by Age (Georgia DHR)
Food Stamp Recipients (Georgia DHR)
TANF recipients (Georgia DHR)
Child Protective Services Data (Georgia DHR)
NAEYC Accredited Centers (NAEYC website)
PreK Programs (DECAL)
Children with IFSP (Babies Can’t Wait)
School System Information & Reports (Georgia DOE) – including information about children with
special needs
Metropolitan Atlanta Family & Children County Profiles (prepared for the United Way Early
Learning Commission – added in 2006)
Waiting List Numbers
Parent Survey Results from 2008
General information about communities/cities in which centers are located
Census 2000 data
Additional information about more specific areas of the communities or about specific emerging trends is
available, but not included in this part of the assessment (due to the volume of paper involved).
TRENDS
Some of the emerging trends that we have seen in the last few years include an increase in enrollment for
Hispanic families as the population has slowly increased in all areas. However, numerous Hispanic families
have left the state with the threat of the immigration laws. Fortunately in some of our non-Early/Head Start
slots, we have been able to supplant the tuition fees through funding from the Goizueta Foundation. The
Immediate Need-Based Fee Assistance Fund enables us to support Hispanic families impacted by the
economic downturn. Scholarships were given to children in a wide range of demographics and geographic
areas. Other trends include as high gas prices, have also made it even more difficult for families to achieve
financial stability. Families also continue to struggle with financial hardships as the unemployment rate has
continued to increase and many have lost jobs or had hours cut. Georgia has one of the highest foreclosure
rates in the country and affordable housing continues to be an issue for many families. As a result, we have
seen an increase in the number of homeless families we serve. We continue to work closely with our partner
LEAs to support the RTI process for special needs children. In an effort to ensure that we exceed our 10%
funded enrollment, we continue to have dialogue about starting inclusion classrooms in Fulton County and City
of Atlanta. Fortunately we do have two inclusion classes; however the classes are in centers that only have
Early Head Start and no Head Start. Our four South Fulton centers continue to experience rapid growth
economically, including new residential construction and the expansion. More families with higher income
continue to move into the area.
Our continued analysis of the data solidifies for funders, including Early/Head Start, the need for our
continuing operation at all 16 centers. However, The Board and Policy Council were in discussion over
the viability of the Carl Rhodenizer center in Clayton where we serve 16 Early Head Start Children and 8
Head Start. The fact that this was the only facility we leased and our Board prefers we own, and the
age and maintenance of the facility, at the last Board meeting the decision was made to close the Carl
Rhodenizer center effective July 31, 2013. Families, staff and community partners received formal
letters explaining the closure and the process. Staff at the center continues to work with families to place
children at Sheltering Arms centers or other reputable early learning centers. Members of the staff were
given first priority for open positions at centers and the majority have been placed.
We continue to recruit and serve the children most at risk in our Early/Head Start program. We now have
Early/Head Start funded slots in 12 of our 15 centers. The data also supports the need to reach out to
children from a variety of ethnic backgrounds and socio-economic levels. We continue to believe that all
children and families benefit from a blended-funded program so that the most vulnerable children and
families are not isolated. As we plan recruitment efforts for both children and staff, we continue to look at
the demographic and economic characteristics of our neighborhoods and try to focus recruitment efforts on
creating a true reflection of the community we serve.
As taken from the website of “Every Child Matters,” these alarming statistics further support the need for
services. There are 2,583,792 children under 18 in Georgia. Many face strong challenges.
Statistics on Children Remain the same on the website:
• Children Living in Poverty (2009) - 568,000
• Children Living with a Single Mother (2008) - 680,567
• Children Not Covered by Health Insurance at Any Time (2008) - 290,000
• Share of Medicaid-enrolled children not getting dental care (2007) - 58%
• Additional Children Covered by Expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program - 181,000
• Total number of child abuse and neglect reports (2009) - 39,835
• Child Abuse Victims (2009) - 23,249
• Child Abuse Deaths (2001-2009) - 574
• 3-5 Year Olds Not Enrolled in a nursery school, pre-school, or pre-kindergarten education program
(2009) - 157,000
• % of 4th Graders Scoring below Basic Reading Levels (2009) - 34%
• Home Foreclosures (2008-2009) - 191,364
• Kids Count Overall Rank (2009) – 42
In late October 2009, Every Child Matters released a report “We Can Do Better: Child Abuse and Neglect
Deaths in America” during a public rally on the lawn of our nation’s capitol. According to the report, nearly
five children die in America every day from abuse or neglect. In fact, federal data show that 10,440
children in the U.S. died from abuse and neglect between 2001 and 2007, but experts say the real number
may be as many as 5,000 higher. A weak economy and resulting state budget cuts are putting even more
children at risk, as evidenced by the multitude of newspaper stories from across America that link an increase
in child abuse to the worsening recession.
GEORGIA HEAD START FAMILIES FACE CHALLENGES
In 2008, Head Start in Georgia was serving 24,535 families through 34 Early/Head Start Programs. These
families face a number of challenges in raising young children. From 2011 PIR data, 26,429 families were
served and the data remains increasingly astonishing. For example:
All six counties (now 5, August 2013) served are included in our comprehensive Community Assessment, inclusive of
the following information. DeKalb County’s actual demographics will be uploaded with the refunding applications
to serve as an example. Rather than enclose or upload the entire community assessment on all seven counties (over
1,500 pages), we have chosen one for review. This summary of findings as well as the aforementioned confirms our
need and request for continued funding to the children and families of the metropolitan Atlanta area, (45 CFR
1305.3(b) Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment and Attendance)
The demographic make-up of Head Start eligible children, including number, location, and ethnic and racial
composition.
Other child development programs serving Head Start eligible children.
The estimated number of children with disabilities.
Data regarding the education, health, nutrition and social service needs of Head Start eligible children.
The education, health, nutrition and social services needs of Head Start eligible children, as defined by their
families and community institutions.
Resources available in the community.
CHILD CARE IS ONE OF THE TOP FIVE BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT
In 2008, Sheltering Arms became a partner with the Atlanta Civic site, an initiative funded through the Annie E.
Casey Foundation. The initiative focused on some of the most vulnerable neighborhoods in Atlanta and strived to
strengthen and support the residents of those communities to become self-reliant. Because this area of Atlanta had
one of the highest unemployment rates and because childcare was one of the top 5 barriers to employment, the
Casey Foundation and other funding partners came together to build a child care center to be managed by
Sheltering Arms, the Early Learning and Literacy Resource Center. Community Assessment data showed a clear
need for Early and Head Start funding in this area. In the targeted neighborhoods, there are approximately 3500
children under the age of 5 and almost 60% of them lived in poverty.
Our Community Assessment data also demonstrated a need for additional Early/Head Start slots in several of our
other centers. In Clayton County, DeKalb County (City of Atlanta), and South Fulton County, there are more children
living at poverty level than there are E/PHS slots to serve them. Our waiting list data shows that there are many
income eligible children currently waiting for childcare. Furthermore, Sheltering Arms lost a large percentage of
funding from United Way which was used to fund tuition scholarships for low income families. This impacts our
ability to offer affordable childcare to those families who need it.
CHILD POVERTY
According to a recent Atlanta Regional Commission's publication, Atlanta Region Outlook, "Atlanta's child poverty
rate is higher than for all comparable metropolitan areas except Houston and Seattle. While these rates are bad,
the situation would be easier to accept if they were improving, but this is not the case. According to Georgians for
Children, "Poverty status is the most important indicator for neglect cases -- which can manifest as inadequate
supervision because a parent cannot afford child care or adequate food, clothing, or shelter." The Children's
Defense Fund reports in their State of America's Children Yearbook that "poor children face greater risk of stunted
growth, anemia, repeated years of schooling, lower test scores, and less education, as well as lower wages and
lower earnings in their adult years."
LACK OF ADEQUATE CHILD CARE FOR POOR FAMILIES
In its evaluation of Family Workplace Solutions, the Atlanta Regional Commission concludes that "Quality child care
is one of the most pervasive needs of families in the Atlanta region." Estimates from the Georgia Department of
Family and Children Services office also reveal that many more families need subsidies for child care than there are
state/federal funds available. If parents cannot find or afford high quality early education, they cannot work to
support their children. The Children's Defense Fund tells us, "The best antidote to child poverty is employment that
provides parents with adequate wages to support their families . . . We need to help these families become more
economically secure and self-sufficient, so that every child has the chance to grow up free from the constraints of
poverty." Obviously, quality is the benchmark for Sheltering Arms. Child care centers in Georgia are not required
to be licensed, one of two states nationally. All 16 centers are licensed by Bright from the Start, Georgia
Department of Early Care and Learning, as well, all centers have achieved National Association for the Education of
Young Children (NAEYC) Accreditation.
Because of the aforementioned, firm programmatic decisions were made in the following areas, thus enabling
Sheltering Arms to remain one of the premier child care agencies providing the highest in early education and
family services. (45 CFR 1305.2(c))
The program's philosophy and long-range and short-range program objective. This is addressed in our
mission and value statements above.
The type of services and program option or options to be provided. Our center based option was
addressed in our history opening statement.
The recruitment area of the program. Our recruitment areas were defined in the initial paragraphs under
“Objectives and Need for Assistance.”
The locations of centers and home-based programs. Our locations were defined in the initial two paragraphs
under “Objectives and Need for Assistance.”
Set the criteria that define the types of children and families that will be given priority for recruitment and
selection. (See below)
School readiness means better school performance.
Concerning some of the programmatic decisions listed above, a most decisive factor in serving the 698 Head Start
and 296 Early Head Start children in south Fulton county came when Sheltering Arms entered into a groundbreaking
partnership with Fulton County School System. When Sheltering Arms took responsibility for the South Fulton Head
Start program in 1999, the four existing centers were unlicensed and they were in fairly poor condition. Since then,
all four centers have achieved licensure and accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young
Children. These were the first centers to be accredited in the South Fulton service area that includes East Point,
College Park, Hapeville, Union City, Fairburn, and Palmetto. This status has now transferred to our four replacement
sites. Sheltering Arms entered into 40 year land lease with Fulton County Schools. By partnering with Fulton County
School and relocating Sheltering Arms facilities on school campuses, the school system believes it can achieve the
following objectives:
Because of the importance of the early years of brain development, and the proven impact of quality early
childhood education on school success, Fulton County Schools view this partnership as a strategy for improving school
performance. By reaching more children earlier with high quality learning experiences, the school system believes
children will enter school with the skills necessary for success in the classroom.
Seamless transitions between early childhood programs and school benefit children and teachers. There is
more continuity for children as they move between preschool and elementary school and better
communication between elementary and preschool teachers. This means children’s are more quickly and
adequately addressed as they transition to elementary school, and they begin the school year ready to
learn. Children are ready for school, and school is ready for them. It also means family support and
involvement that began at the preschool level continues uninterrupted, maintaining a healthy home
environment for learning.
On-site early care and education aids in the recruitment and retention of good teachers. The partnership
provides high quality, affordable, reliable, accessible early care and education for school employees and
parents and the community-at-large. On-site care helps working parents stay in the workforce, improves
employee performance and productivity, and attracts quality employees. This is especially important now
because of an acute shortage of qualified teachers. Fulton County School Employees will receive priority
enrollment at the new Sheltering Arms centers and are eligible for tuition discounts.
Consistent tracking of student performance from birth through grade five helps create new models and best
practices for preparing children for school success. Sheltering Arms and Fulton County Schools have agreed
to work together to track student performance beginning in infancy. In addition to providing valuable
information on how early childhood programs impact student performance on a long-term basis, this study
facilitates a more consistent, comprehensive approach to education from high chair to high school. While
Sheltering Arms and the Fulton County School System are committed to the full use of their internal resources
for evaluation and tracking, the partners believe there is great potential for valuable research with this
initiative. They will approach outside funding sources and research institutions in order to broaden the scope
of the data, the depth of the analysis, and the distribution of the results.
Each of the four sites has 16 classrooms, serving approximately 245 children each. They house 550 Head Start
children, 96 Early Head Start children, 414 PreK lottery funded children, with 260 of those in Head
Start/PreKindergarten blended classrooms, and the remaining are tuition and scholarship children. Below are two of
our south Fulton sites.