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Home My WebLink About20011138.tiff RESOLUTION RE: APPROVE APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL ASSISTANCE FOR EARLY HEAD START GRANT AND AUTHORIZE CHAIR TO SIGN WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, Colorado, pursuant to Colorado statute and the Weld County Home Rule Charter, is vested with the authority of administering the affairs of Weld County, Colorado, and WHEREAS, the Board has been presented with an Application for Federal Assistance for the Early Head Start Grant between the County of Weld, State of Colorado, by and through the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, on behalf of the Department of Human Services, Family Educational Network of Weld County, and the Department of Health and Human Services, with terms and conditions being as stated in said application, and WHEREAS, after review, the Board deems it advisable to approve said application, a copy of which is attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, Colorado, that the Application for Federal Assistance for the Early Head Start Grant between the County of Weld, State of Colorado, by and through the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, on behalf of the Department of Human Services, Family Educational Network of Weld County, and the Department of Health and Human Services be, and hereby is, approved. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Board that the Chair be, and hereby is, authorized to sign said application. The above and foregoing Resolution was, on motion duly made and seconded, adopted by the following vote on the 30th day of April, A.D., 2001. BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS WELD C UNTY, COLORADO La ATTEST: Lk, M. . Geile, hair Weld County Clerk to : i� ' �) k Glenn Va d, BY: Deputy Clerk to the Bo Willi m H. Jerke r APP D TO o.,�! RM: t J F41501 David E. Lon ty Attor ey . U tl 1 Robert D. Masden p 2001-1138 PG' • 'Vie HR0072 i MEMORANDUM tact\i\ ITO: Weld County Board of County Commissioners FROM: Walt Speckman, Executive Director, Division of\� Human Services COLORADO DATE: April 30, 2001 SUBJECT: Early Head Start Grant Proposal Presented before the Weld County Board of County Commissioners for approval is the Grant Proposal for Early Head Start (birth to three years old). The Early Head Start Grant is for $500,000.00. For further information please contact Tere Keller-Amaya at extension 3342. 2001-'1133 APPLICATION FOR - OMB Approval No.0348-0043 FEDERAL ASSISTANCE 2.DATE SUBMITTED Applicant Identifier 08CH0019 1.TYPE OF SUBMISSION: 3.DATE RECEIVED BY STATE State Application Identifier rLlig plication Preapplication 08CH0019 LJ Construction 0 Construction 4.DATE RECEIVED BY FEDERAL AGENCY Federal Identifier08CH0019 ®Non-Construction El Non-Construction 5.APPLICANT INFORMATION Legal Name: Organizational Unit: Weld County Division of Human Services Family Educational Network of Weld County Address(give city,county,State,and zip code): Name and telephone number of person to be contacted on matters involving 1551 N. 17th Ave. , P.O. Box 1805 this application(give area code) Greeley, Co 80632 Walt. Speckman, Exec. Dir. (970)353-3800 6.EMPLOYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER(E!N): 7.TYPE OF APPLICANT:(enter appropriate letter in box) 'Tr — 600 � 08 113 B A.State H.Independent School Dist. 8.TYPE OF APPLICATION: B.County I.State Controlled Institution of Higher Learning gji New 0 Continuation 0 Revision C.Municipal J.Private University D.Township K.Indian Tribe If Revision,enter appropriate letter(s)in box(es) E. Interstate L.Individual F. Intermuniclpal M.Profit Organization A. Increase Award B.Decrease Award C. Increase Duration G.Special District N.Other(Specify) D.Decrease Duration Other(specl/y): 9.NAME OF FEDERAL AGENCY: 10.CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCENUMBER: 11.DESCRIPTIVE TITLE OF APPLICANT'S PROJECT: 9 13 — 6 0 b PY2001 Early Head Start grant TITLE: and Startup request 12.AREAS AFFECTED BY PROJECT(Cities,Counties,States, etc.): Weld County Colorado 13. PROPOSED PROJECT 14.CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS OF: Start Date Ending Date a.Applicant b.Project 15. ESTIMATED FUNDING: 16.IS APPLICATION SUBJECT TO REVIEW BY STATE EXECUTIVE ORDER 12372 PROCESS? a.Federal $ 00 620,000 aleitS. THIS PREAPPLICATION/APPLICATION WAS MADE b.Applicant $ 155,000 00 AVAILABLE TO THE STATE EXECUTIVE ORDER 12372 PROCESS FOR REVIEW ON: c.State $ 00 DATE d.Local $ 00 b.No. 0 PROGRAM IS NOT COVERED BY E.O.12372 e.Other $ 00 ❑OR PROGRAM HAS NOT BEEN SELECTED BY STATE FOR REVIEW f. Program Income $ 0° 17.IS THE APPLICANT DELINQUENT O.N ANY FEDERAL DEBT? g.TOTAL $ 00 y�y 775,000 ❑Yes If"Yes,'attach an explanation. n No 18.TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE AND BELIEF,ALL DATA IN THIS APPLICATION/PREAPPLICATION ARE TRUE AND CORRECT,THE DOCUMENT HAS BEEN DULY AUTHORIZED BY THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE APPLICANT AND THE APPLICANT WILL COMPLY WITH THE ATTACHED ASSURANCES IF THE ASSISTANCE IS AWARDED. a.Type Name of uthorized Representative b.Title c.Telephone Number Mike Geil Chair. Weld County Boarc of County Commissioners (970)356-4000 d. f prized Representative e.Date Signed /Ltd Dy/3oJMJ/ Pre i u Ilion Usable Standard Form 424(Rev.7.97) Authorize for Local Reproduction Prescribed by OMB Circular A-102 • ado/-iii PART III-BUDGET INFORMATION SECTION A-BUDGET SUMMARY Grant Program Estimated Unobligated Funds New or Revised Budget Function Federal or Activity Catalog No. Federal Non-Federal Federal Non-Federal Total (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) � (f) (g) 1.EARLY HS 93.600 $ $ . $500,000 $125,000 $625,000 2.START UP $120,000 $30,000 $150,0001 3. 1 $0, $0 $0 5. TOTALS $ $620,000_ $155,000 $775,000 SECTION B-BUDGET CATEGORIES -Grant Program, Function or Activity Total 6. Object Class Categories '(1) EARLY HS (2) START UP I(3) STATE CC FU (4) (5) a. PersonnelI $179,277 $179,277 b. Fringe Benefits $41,233- $41,233 c. Travel $0- d. Equipment • $0 e. Supplies $21,780 $50,000 $71,780 f. Contractual $206,762 $206,762 g. Construction _ ._ h. Other $50,948 $70,000 $89,700 $210,648 i. $0 j $0 k. TOTALS $500,000 $120,000 $89,700, $0 $709,700 ,7. Program Income $ _$ $ $ $ I SECTION C-NON-FEDERAL RESOURCES (a)Grant Program (b)Applicant I (c)State (d)Other Sources (e)TOTALS 8. Early HS $125,000 $125,000 9. Start up $30,000 $30,000 10. $0 11. 12. TOTALS(sum of lines 8 thru 11) $155,000 $01 $0 $155,000 SECTION D-FORCASTED CASH NEEDS I Total for first year 1st Quarter I 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter 13. Federal $620,000_ $310,0001 $93,000 $93,000 $124,000 14. NonFederal $155,000 $77,500 $23,250 $23,250 $31,0001 15. TOTAL(sum of lines 13 and 14) $775,000 $387,500; $116,250 $116,250 $155,000' SECTION E-BUDGET ESTIMATES OF FEDERAL FUNDS NEEDED FOR BALANCE OF THE PROJECT FUTURE FUNDING PERIODS(Years) (a)Grant Program (b)First 1 (c)Second (d)Third (e) Fourth 116. Early HS i $500,000 I $525,000 $551,250 $578,813! 117. Startup $120,000 $126,000' $132,300 $138,915 18. $0 $0 $0 19. $0 $0 $0 _20. TOTALS(sum of lines 16-19) $620,000[ $651,0001 $683,5501 $717,728 SECTION F-OTHER BUDGET INFORMATION (Attach additional Sheets if Necessary) 21. Direct Charges 122. Indirect Charge $0 23. Remarks BUDGET NARRATIVE PA22 EARLY HEAD START PY2001 Personnel: $179,277 Pays for staff gross salaries, for the center model. Salaries for 6 teachers, 1 Service Coordinator, 1 Education Tech. Fringe: $41,233 Pays for Fica, Medicare, Disability, Life/Health/Dental insurance, retirement, and workers comp. Supplies: $21,780 Office/Copying/Postage—Cost of program office supplies, copying and postage used by the Head Start staff Cleaning----Covers the cost of cleaning supplies for classrooms. Classroom/Home Base—Pays for supplies used in the classroom, including teaching materials, construction paper,paint scissors, small equipment and diapers used in the classroom, etc. Medical/Dental—These funds are used to cover the cost of medical supplies, including first aid kits, toothbrushes, as well as small medical equipment used by our Health Coordinator. Kitchen—Kitchen supplies such as temp stacks,thermometers, etc. Contractual: $206,762 The cost of contracting with Family Connects for home-based services. Below is a breakdown of their costs: Personnel: Home Visitors $130,912 Service Coord $ 10,800 Program Coord $ 12,000 Total $153,712 Benefits $ 26,000 Operating Expenses $ 25,050 Local Travel $ 2,000 Total Contract $206,762 Other: $110,648 Parent Activities—Covers the cost for parent meetings and parent training which include travel reimbursements and child care costs. Pays for 2 parents to attend the Region VIII Head Start Training Conference and 2 parents to attend the NHSA National Parent Training Conference. Parent Literacy and educational activities are included in this amount. Child Liability Insurance—Our insurance is with Fritts Insurance Company and the cost is $3.80/child. Maintenance/Repair—pays for maintenance costs for the upkeep and repair of classroom and office equipment. Child Travel and Vehicle operating expenses—The Weld County Transportation Department will be providing transportation for enrolled children and families. Transportation to appointments for children with disabilities within the Head Start program is included in this amount. Parent travel to trainings ,meetings and activities is also included in this line item. Mileage—at $.305/mile for staff to travel to the sites for monitoring and training purposes. Also, reimburses staff for recruitment of children, home visits, in-state training, meetings, etc. Nutrition&Food—Pays for child meal costs not covered by funds received through the CACFP reimbursement and for adult food for teachers, teacher aides and volunteers who are participating in mealtime activities. Subscription/Membership—professional and early childhood related publications, and memberships to professional organizations related to early Head Start children. Printing/Advertising—These funds are used for printing enrollment and attendance forms, brochures, etc. Also used for advertising related to program marketing,hiring and recruitment. Administrative Overhead—This cost is the administrative cost that the program incurs through DHS. These costs are compiled in an Internal Service pool and are charged to the programs based on the number of hours the admin staff spends on each programs it serves. The line includes a percentage of the executive director of DHS, the financial officer, the accountant, the fiscal techs, the personnel manager and the PBX operator, as well as the agency overhead costs that follow those personnel. Occupancy: $30,000 Pays the first year mortgage for the facility to be built for the center based option. Weld County has donated 4 acres of land for the construction of the Early Head Start site. The value of the property is $344,000. Upon acceptance of the grant, FENWC will provide the bureau with the information required in the facilities checklist, and construct the facility in accordance with Head Start Regulations TOTAL COSTS: $589,700 LESS: STATE CHILD CARE FUNDS -89,700 AMOUNT OF REQUEST $500,000 START UP COSTS PY 2001 EARLY HEAD START Start-up Costs: $120,000 Start up costs include supplies and materials necessary for the implementation of the Early Head Start Program. These items will include classroom supplies and materials, office equipment, gross motor apparatus, and initial staff training. Also included in this item will be time for the initial planning and purchasing functions. INKIND CONTRIBUTIONS PY2001 EARLY HEAD START GRANT AND START UP Contractor Inkind----Family Connects will donate space for learning groups at a value of$23,760 and volunteer time at a value of$27,930. Donation of land to build Early Head Start Center—$344,000 Total Inkind—$395,690 Total Inkind needed----$155,000 PROJECT DESCRIPTION SUMMARY The Family Educational Network of Weld County (FENWC), 1551 North 17 Avenue/P.O. Box 1805, Greeley, Colorado 80632 provides a comprehensive early childhood education program which focuses on early childhood development and provides support to families within Weld County Colorado supported by the Head Start framework. FENWC currently serves 517 Head Start eligible children, 250 Migrant Seasonal Head Start eligible children (birth through 4), 88 State funded eligible children and 12 students who pay for services. The Family Educational Network of Weld County is collaborating with Family CONNECTS. Family CONNECTS operates the Parents as Teachers programs for families living in rural Weld County. Family CONNECTS coordinates child identification services for children birth to kindergarten age, and is the lead agency for ensuring implementation of IDEA (Individuals Disabilities Education Act), Part C - Early Childhood Connections. Other partners include First Steps who provides prenatal education, United Way's Birght Beginings a neo-natal home visiting program,and CARE who provides parenting education and support. We are submitting this proposal for Early Head Start, for a total request of $500,000.00 (on-going funds) from the Department of Health and Human Services. We are also requesting $125,000.00, in one time start-up costs. We are anticipating a minimum of in- kind contributions of $125,000.00. The non-federal match would come primarily from parent hours, reductions in service provision costs provided by community partners, and occupancy. The intent of the Early Head Start Collaborative Project Proposal is to create services and supports that expand, enhance and promote 60 families' abilities to nurture and promote competence in their children, obtain the goals and priorities established by their family that accomplish self-sufficiency and increase families involvement in being contributing community members. There will be 24 children and pregnant women served in an Early Head Start Center Based model and 36 rural families served using the Parents as Teachers home visiting prevention/intervention model throughout Weld County. We have decided to use both models in order to offer choice to parents and best meet the needs of the individual family. By having the center-based full-day/full year option as well as the home-base model we will be able to better assist families participating in Welfare Reform Activities and enter the work force. We will have the program fully operational within one year of notification by the National Office of grant acceptance. The Early Head Start Project will provide services to families in the cities and towns of Greeley, Frederick, Firestone, Dacono, Erie, Mead, Platteville,Gilcrest,Johnstown/Milliken, Hudson, Ault, Pierce, Eaton and other small rural towns within Weld County. FENWC works with various agencies to identify the needs of families, and determine eligibility according to funding sources. Programs are individualized so that they are responsive to the needs of each child and family. The following services are available to families and children through FENWC. Education Services. Individual Development Plans are implemented to stimulate social, emotional, motor and intellectual learning experiences, self-reliance, self-esteem and self- confidence, thus a solid ground work is established for future educational success. Health Services. The Health Component works in collaboration with various agencies and private providers to provide a broad range of medical, dental and mental health activities. Health and nutrition education is provided to the parents to promote sound physical and mental child development. Disabilities Services. Children with disabilities are identified, and services are provided for them. Once a child is identified as being in need of disabilities services, an Individual Education Plan (IEP), or Individual Family Services Plan (IFSP) is developed using a multi- disciplinary team approach. Once the IEP/IFSP are developed appropriate services, resource and supports are provided to meet the needs of the child and family, in conjunction with the Local Education Agency. Family Services. Family Services works directly with various social agencies to obtain needed assistance for families, and provide them with social services, educational and employment training, to enable them to improve the quality and condition of their lives. Parent Involvement. Parent Involvement works with parents to promote self-sufficiency, create a healthy home environment, assist parents support their children through their educational careers and support program staff to view the parents as the child's primary educator. FENWC considers parents an integral part of the total staff. Parent participation is encouraged in the decision-making process of their children's education, as well as decisions concerning the over-all operation of the program. We support parents in their role, and jointly develop goals for their children, as we recognize parents as the primary educators of their children. Attached are minutes from the Parent Policy Council demonstrating their support and approval of our Early Head Start proposal. The Family Educational Network of Weld County is committed to providing at-risk children and families with a developmentally appropriate, comprehensive program which will promote self-esteem, foster social-competence, develop independence, and enable children and families to experience future successes. FENWC has also operated the Migrant Seasonal Head Start Program for twelve years. The Migrant Head Start program serves infants and toddlers as well as preschool age children, demonstrating that FENWC has the experience and vast knowledge of issues facing children and families with infants and toddlers, as well as the ability to work with children in this age group. Funding for FENWC comes primarily from Federal Grants, Administered by the Department of Health and Human Services/Administration of Children and Families/Head Start Bureau. Other funding sources come from the State of Colorado, passed through local school districts. Children may qualify through the following funding sources; The Head Start and Migrant Seasonal Head Start Programs, Colorado Pre-school Program, School District' Special Needs Funds, and families paying for services. FENWC currently has twelve Head Start sites located throughout Weld County, and nine Migrant Seasonal Head Start sites located throughout Northern Colorado. The Division of Human Services (DHS) is a comprehensive, integrated human service agency under the Weld County Board of County Commissioners. The Division of Human Services has served the Weld County Community as a Community Action Agency since 1978. It is the designated agency under the Community Services Block Grant. The Division of Human Services has under its umbrella: The Family Educational of Weld County (Head Start, Migrant Seasonal Head Start Programs, and State Funded Early Childhood Education Programs), Employment Services of Weld County, and the Area Agency on Aging. See Appendices. The Division of Human Services Family Educational Network of Weld County, in cooperation with Family CONNECTS is proposing the implementation of an Early Head Start Program, to initiate early comprehensive programs and services under the whole family concept, which encourages positive child development, mental health and family self-sufficiency. By selecting low-income families with a pregnant mother or a child birth to three years of age our early intervention proposal will foster a healthy life situation for the child and increase the parenting and self-sufficiency skills of the family. The major goal of our proposal is to foster a healthy environment and growth opportunities to decrease the dependency of the family on social programs and break the cycle of poverty and problems associated with poverty. Another goal is to create a seamless system of Early Childhood Education and care by transitioning infants/toddlers and their families into the Regional Head Start Program (preschool age) and other early childhood educational programs in the community. OBJECTIVE AND NEED FOR ASSISTANCE The Weld County, Division of Human Services' Family Educational Network of Weld County(FENWC) early childhood program, is committed to providing low-income children and families with comprehensive, developmentally appropriate programs that promote self- esteem, social competence, and maximize a child's educational potential. The Family Educational Network of Weld County works with parents so they may gain the confidence needed to work with their children at home and in school settings. Parents are encouraged to be active at their child's school and partner with teachers and professionals that support their children. Parents are also encouraged to further their own education and work skills to enable them to secure employment. FENWC helps connect parents to the support services needed to reach their educational and employment goals. Therefore, it may be stated that primary objectives of the Family Educational Network are to provide the following services to eligible Early Head Start children to foster a higher degree of social and early learning competence: 1) Medical/Dental/Mental Health Services, 2) Nutritional Services, 3) Social Services, and 4) Parent Related Services. The Family Educational Network of Weld County also encourages active parent involvement in the following activities: 1) Parent Policy Council,2) in the classroom as paid volunteers, or observers, 3) volunteers in the component areas, 4) working with children at home, and 5) taking the lead as the primary educator of their child. The Family Educational Network of Weld County currently provides Head Start services to families in Weld County with sites in the following locations: Greeley - There are seven sites in Greeley, providing services to children living in Greeley, Evans, Nunn, Ault, Pierce, Eaton, Windsor, Severence, Gill, and Kersey. Six of the sites are located on elementary school campuses and the seventh is located in a Section VIII, Housing Complex. Milliken - Provides services to the towns of Johnstown and Milliken. This site is located on the Milliken Elementary School campus. Frederick-Serves the towns and rural areas of Firestone, Frederick, Dacono, Erie, Mead, and parts of Platteville. Gilcrest - Enrolls children from the towns and rural areas of Gilcrest and LaSalle. School District RE-1, provides free space in the elementary school. Platteville- Expands services for School District RE-1,for families living in Platteville and the surrounding areas. School District RE-1 provides a classroom at no cost to the program. Hudson - Provides services for children in the towns and rural areas of Hudson, Keenesburg, Prospect Valley and Roggen. These classrooms are also located on elementary school campus. As well as providing Head Start services the Family Educational Network of Weld County also is the grantee for a Migrant Head Start Program (0-5 years old) for the northern region of Colorado, consisting of nine centers. STATISTICAL DATA Weld County Population There are 32 municipalities in Weld County: Greeley, the principal town in Weld County is located in the central part of the county and contains approximately 45% of the county's population. The population density per square mile has increased from 4 people in 1980, to 31 people in 1990, and is projected to increase to more than 57 by 2010. Approximately 25% of the population resides in an 800 square mile area in the southwestern part of the county. The population density for this area is approximately 149 people per square mile. In 2000, Weld County's population was 180,936 individuals, indicating an eight year growth rate of 21%. Of the 63 counties in Colorado, Weld County ranks eighth in total population, and is the 4th largest growing county in the state. In fact, Weld County is classified as an urban county by the Demographic Section of the Colorado Division of Local Government. Weld County is diverse in that it is an urban county as well as a vital rural agricultural region. Ethnic Distribution White 72% Hispanic 27% Black/Other 1% Economic/Income Profile The most current and complete statistics reflect the income levels and profiles from 2000 The economy has changed from a predominately agricultural economy to a more diversified economy, including an increase in the service and manufacturing industries. Though most of Weld County land is devoted to agriculture,just, 7%of jobs are in farming. Twenty-nine percent (29%) of work is in technical, sales and administrative support jobs. Twenty-two percent (22%) of the jobs are in managerial or professional positions, sixteen percent (16%) are in transportation, assembly and machine work. In each of the following is thirteen-percent (13%) of the jobs, private household and service jobs and precision, production and repair jobs. Weld County Per Capita Income (2000) $21,803.00 Colorado Per Capita Income (2000) $29,994.00 Weld County Median Family Income (2000) $37,241.00 Colorado Median Family Income (2000) $52,000.00 Cost of Living Summary (19991 (the rate of inflation for Weld County for 1999, was 4%, Denver-2.6%, and the U.S. 1.6%, the ACCRA Cost of Living Index for Greeley is 102.5%, the US Index= 100%) The average cost of living for a family of four is $29,808.00 per year. The break out of 5 costs is as follows: Rental Housing (3 bedroom house) $730.00 Gas & Electricity 73.00 Phone 21.00 Cable 47.00 Food 541.00 Clothing 36.00 Medical (one office visit) 110.00 Automotive (Insurance, maintenance, gas & payments) 470.00 Recreation 146.00 Miscellaneous 310.00 Total expenses per month 2,484.00 Child Poverty Rate/ Information (Weld County, 1998) - 6,839 children or 18.9%, of Weld County's children live in poverty. - Families receiving TANF Benefits, including "Child Only" cases (200+): 504 (This number is down from 1,802 in 1993). - Families receiving Medicaid only: 2,284 (This number has increased from 1,543, in 1993.) - Approximately 750 "Seasonal Agricultural Farm Worker" families do not receive supplemental assistance from the Department of Social Services. Unemployment Rate, March 2000 (Labor Force - Weld County - 85,447) - Weld County 3.2% - Greeley 3.2% - Colorado 2.8% - National Average 4.4% Greeley/Weld County does not have much of an issue with unemployment, however; the underemployment rate is significant. A recent article published by the Greeley Tribune revealed that Greeley's wages for comparable positions are well below the state average. As noted above, the TANF recipient rate has reduced drastically, therefore, demonstrating the success of Weld County's Welfare to Work programs. Even though the Welfare to Work Programs have been successful in employing participants, the wages remain low, as a result; FENWC does not have an issue of decreased eligible families due to newly found working statuses. Birth Statistics for North Colorado Medical Center — Monfort Family Birth Center • Average births per year range from 2100 —2250. 6 • In 2000 there were 2531 births. • 13% - 18% of the mothers delivering babies are monolingual Spanish speaking. • 10- 13% were teen mothers under the age of 18 years old. • 30 - 32% of the parents have less than a 12th grade education. • 8-10% of the families have no medical insurance or public assistance for health care. • 10-15% of the mothers received late or no prenatal care. • 10-14% of the mothers had were identified by nursing staff to have bonding or social emotional needs(abuse history, domestic violence,divorce,drug/alcohol dependence, incarceration). • 19 babies tested drug positive at birth. • 115 infants were referred for follow-up hearing evaluations. • 24% of the families were supported through referrals to agencies, supports and resources in the community. Public Education - There are 13 public school districts in Weld County. District Common Name # of Students % Hispanic # est. 0-5 SPED children RE-1J St. Vrain Valley 2,840 20% 6 RE-1 Gilcrest 1 ,937 44% 21 RE-2 Eaton 1,383 21% 9 RE-3J Keenesburg 1,601 21% 22 RE-4 Windsor 2,479 17% 14 RE-5J Johnstown/Milliken 1,618 40% 21 Dist. 6 Greeley/Evans 16,091 41% 206 RE-7 Kersey 1,094 22% 6 RE-8 Ft. Lupton 2,642 48% 22 RE-9 Ault-Highland 884 21% 17 RE-10J Briggsdale 138 4% RE-11 New Raymer 121 3% RE-12 Grover 133 5% Total Student Enrollment 32,961 Total Estimated Children (3-4) with Disabilities . . . 244 Total Estimated children (0-3) with Disabilities . . .100 (142 active Percent Hispanic . . . . 24% 35-50 trs) Data gathered by the Goals 2000 Advisory Team on public school student enrollment reflects the following: thirty nine point five percent (39.5%) of student families qualify for free lunch program as compared to the state average of 21.8%, twenty-two point four percent(22.4%)of students live in single parent households;four point one percent(4.1%) of youths lack employment; seven percent (7%) of teen students become pregnant; and four point seven percent (4.7%) of students drop out and fail to graduate. Colorado Department of Education(CDE), Early Childhood Initiatives has completed family needs assessments, comprehensive on-site evaluations and required a community self- assessment plan annually for Weld County since1995. Family CONNECTS is the local agency responsible for implementation of services required under IDEA - Part C (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act- Birth to Three Years). CDE is the lead agency for Colorado and as part of the federal monitoring requirements completes these assessment and site reviews activities: • Family Focus Groups • Community Service Provider Interviews (22-25 agencies) • Review of written documentation and files (Part C-0-3 year/Special Ed) • Annual demographic reporting of all Part-C eligible families and those transitioning to community of Special Education preschool • Budget Reviews (Local Part C - Family CONNECTS Grant for IDEA - Part C Implementation) • Written Progress and Annual Report on Part C - IDEA goals • Written assurance of provision of all Procedural Safeguards and Due Process for families. The reports for the last five years have all indicated similar needs that were identified by the families and providers interviewed: • Families want to have services be provided inclusively in their homes and community. • Children with disabilities are included on a small scale but it needs to increase. • The lack of transportation is a barrier for families to access services and supports. • The language barrier and limited number of culturally sensitive professionals isolates many of the monolingual Spanish speaking families. (54.3%of the children enrolled in FENWC are monolingual Spanish speaking). • Weld County has a great history of agency collaboration but limited funds to expand services. • More funding needs to be allocated for families with young children (birth to three years). • Families want a person/service coordinator that is available regularly to help them navigate systems. • Families need support to access child care and respite care for children with special needs. Family CONNECTS is responsible for ensuring access to screening and evaluation services for families who have concerns about their young child. Weld County has had one of the most comprehensive and collaborative networks for Child Find throughout the state. The Child Identification network meets regularly to ensure that families have a smooth seamless system of evaluation,eligibility for special education and IFSP development. This coordinated network of professionals and school districts screen and evaluate approximately 1 ,000 children each year. These screening and evaluation services happen in local community sites to ensure easy access for families. Family CONNECTS has a designated staff person that works with seven local school districts that are mandated to provide Child Find Services to ensure continuity of care. The School District Liaison role provides: • Initial point of referral for families with children birth to three years. • Support through evaluation process to point of Special Education Eligibility determination. • Development of initial IFSP. • Planning for Transition process to Preschool for each district and children. • Coordinates with other agencies, physicians and therapists to ensure awareness, referral and assessment process and coordination into services. • Meets with all school district Early Intervention and Child Find staff regularly. • Meets with programs providing service coordination and services to children birth to three years. Family CONNECTS as the lead agency for IDEA - Part C implementation works with families and agencies to support families that are entitled to services. As an organization Family CONNECTS is committed to collaboration and continuity of care for families who have young children with disabilities or are at risk for educational challenges. Family CONNECTS supports 145 -200 families each year. This reflects children that are actively receiving support and those that are in the process of transitioning to school district preschools, Head Start or community programs. Family CONNECTS has several ongoing outcomes for implantation of Part C-IDEA: • Ensure every eligible child has consistent service coordination. • Develop and review IFSP's on every eligible child and family . • Ensure that services support daily routines and activities for children. • Encourage all services to occur in settings that are common for individual families and children. • Ensure that the IFSP and Transition process with be consistent, predictable and honor families diverse needs. • Provide opportunities for families to develop leadership and advocacy skills. The Greeley Tribune's headline article, Friday, April 7, 2000, was "Kids' Welfare in Weld gets Worse" (attached). According to the Colorado Children's Campaign, reports that for the second year in a row, Weld County children fare worse than their peers along the Front Range, according to numbers released this week. In areas including mothers receiving prenatal care, children in foster care, low birth weights and juveniles arrested for violent crime, Weld has either stayed the same or gotten worse since 1991. This is distressing news for agencies and programs that support families within Weld County. The findings, however, are not a total surprise. Organizations in Weld County are well aware of the limited supports and services available to families that can assist them in their challenges and struggles as parents of young children. It is evident that more funding and collaboration is necessary to be able to improve these Children's Campaign findings. There are several organizations that are collaborating and ready to expand services to families throughout Weld County. Collaborative Relationships with Agencies or Community Resources Family Educational Network of Weld County and Family CONNECTS have worked hard to establish collaborative relationships with other community organizations. The focus of each collaborative effort is to: 1) increase services and supports, 2) emphasize the importance of intervening at an early age, 3) ensure there is no duplication of services and 4) to promote family choices in types of intervention. Despite the numerous hours spent collaborating there are still gaps in services for families with young children. The collaborations range from contractual to informal networking. The list below represents the agencies and organizations that interact on an ongoing basis: 4. District # 6 Schools + Windsor Schools + Centennial BOCES (Board of Cooperative Educational Services) • CDSI—Centennial Developmental Services Inc.-CCB—Division for Developmental Disabilities + RE —3J, Hudson & Keenesburg Schools 4. RE —8 School District + Health Care for Children with Special Needs 4. Weld County Health Department + Monfort Children's Clinic 4. Plan de Salud Del Valle Community Health Center 4. Sunrise Community Health Center 4. ARC of Weld County (Advocacy organization for individuals with disabilities) + United Way of Weld County + Bright Beginnings Warm Welcome Program, Child Care Resource and Referral Agency + Greeley Recreation Center 4. North Colorado Medical Center Pediatric Rehabilitation Services + University of Northern Colorado Speech & Language and Audiology Clinic 4. Weld County Department of Social Services 4. Weld County Division of Human Services 4. Aims Community College Early Childhood Education + Weld Food Bank • WAEYC- Weld Association for the Education of Young Children + Community Churches + Immunization Coalition + Weld County Health Coalition + Early Childhood Advisory Councils for three school districts + Northern Colorado Migrant Coalition + Local Interagency Coordinating Council / Child Find + Aims Community College Early Childhood Advisory Council and Higher Education Hispanic Service Partnership (funded by DHHS, Head Start Bureau) All of these collaborative efforts are crucial to the potential success of the Early Head Start Program. These groups work together to analyze gaps and needed services in the community and then develop plans by which they can create services and resources to better meet the demands of the community. To highlight one of these efforts may give a feel for the level of cooperation between agencies to support families in Weld County: The Weld County Childcare and Youth Supervision Task Force was created as a result of a childcare planning grant received by the Department of Social Services. As a result of the planning grant that involved community leaders from early childhood, education, childcare, business and youth programs the task force was created. The task force has been given credibility through a signed Memorandum of Agreement to continue assessing childcare and youth supervision needs by six governmental, educational and non-profit entities. Once the assessment is complete recommendations will be made for community action. The signatories were: the Weld County Board of County Commissioners, the Greeley City Council, the Evans City Council, Weld County School District 6, Aims Community College, and the Board of Cooperative Educational Services. The memorandum is attached. The Weld County Childcare and Youth Supervision Task Force, contracted with the University of Northern Colorado to conduct a needs assessment (Executive Summary attached) on childcare and youth supervision. The assessment was broken into three age categories, 0-5 years, 6-12 years, and 13-18 years. The following is an excerpt from the study: "Perceived childcare needs for children age 5 and under in Weld County - Respondents were asked to indicate what childcare services they would like to have available for children age 5 and under in their community. The majority of comments related to the need for 1) childcare that was more flexible, 2) infant-care (age 2 and under), . ," Target Population and Objectives for the Early Head Start Program in Weld County Families living within Weld County and meeting the Early Head Start eligibility criteria will be able to choose between full-day/full year center-based services or home and community based supports and services. The key to this proposal is the concept of parental choice that honors family need. This proposal allows for flexibility to choose between the home and community based model and the full-day/full-year center-based model. Our targeted enrollment population is the monolingual Spanish speaking population in addition to the following: • Ten to fifteen percent (10%-15%) of the families will have children identified with special needs. • Seven to ten percent (7%-10%) will be teen parent families. • A maximum of 10%, of the families may be over the income eligibility guidelines. • There will be an anticipated seven to ten pregnant mothers who will access prenatal case management and education services. • Another targeted group of families will be parents who are dealing with drug and alcohol addictions and accessing supports through the Special Connections Women Resources Program. Staff involved in the Early Head Start Program will be able to support monolingual Spanish speaking families. A recent report identified that fifteen percent (15%) of the students enrolled in Greeley/Evans School District 6, speak Spanish as their primary language. (The news article is attached.) In our Head Start program fifty-four percent(54%), (County wide) of the children are monolingual Spanish speaking, up from forty-eight percent(48%) in program year 2000. FENWC has a current policy providing that a minimum of one staff member in the classroom is bilingual (English/Spanish). Family CONNECTS typically has fifteen to nineteen percent(15%-19%)of the Part C-IDEA special needs eligible children who need supports each year. All programming will honor and support a family's unique characteristics culture and language. Our proposed collaborative method will have a seamless continuum of services, supports and resources that maximize a families participation and success in reaching their individually identified goals. The program will have two primary early childhood service models that both address the family's need for self-sufficiency planning, as well as developing parenting skills: • 1) To provide quality early childhood supports and services, for 24 children, in a full- day/full-year Early Head Start center-based program, which will incorporate the Head Start philosophy and model into their classrooms. This model will also include a minimum of two, two hour, home visits per family per month utilizing the Parents as Teachers Curriculum. • 2)To establish a home and community based system of supports that incorporates home education visits for 36 families utilizing the Parents as Teachers Curriculum and weekly parent toddler learning groups. This model will provide a minimum of 12 five hours per week, per family, of home education visit activities and weekly socialization/play groups that children and parents participate in together. Depending on the age of child involved there will be education support classes for parents to attend to learn about the unique needs for their age child. Families involved in both models of the program will receive service coordination or resource management supports that help them develop individual goals, priorities, and activities that will move them toward family self-sufficiency, enhanced parenting skills and early literacy and learning for their children. The resource manager/ service coordinator will develop a Family Partnership Agreement and/or IFSP (Individual Family Service Plan), for all families that identifies strategies to access medical, dental, immunizations, mental health, and other services required to meet their individually identified goals. Parenting during the early years of childhood requires an array of supports for families. These services and supports include: general awareness of resources in the community, education about immunization and well child care schedules, prenatal care and education, developing stress management and coping skills to deal with multiple changes or transitions, promoting developmental growth in children through nurturing and stimulating interaction and creating a sense of family stability. Partnering Organizations and Services FENWC will establish formalized a partnership and contract with Family CONNECTS to ensure services are available to families without barriers or limitations (Memorandum of Understanding is attached). Other contributing partners which will make this a successful program are: Parents as Teachers, First Steps, c.a.r.e- Child Advocacy Resource, Education, and United Way—Warm Welcome and Family Support Programs, and North Range Behavioral Health Center Multi-Cultural Services. Family CONNECTS provides an array of services and is the Part C—IDEA agency for Weld County. The programs offered through Family CONNECTS include: 1) Child Identification, 2) Medicaid Waiver Case Management) 3) Learning Clusters Training for Early Childhood,4) Families First Advocates(Veteran parents of special needs children mentor new families),5) Parents as Teachers program. The Parents as Teachers program will be utilized as the primary method of supporting the 36 families with home and community based education services and support. The Parents as Teachers(PAT)program is an affiliate of the National Center for Parents as Teachers in St. Louis, Missouri. The staff are all PAT certified and in active standing with the national center. In addition to being certified through Parents as Teachers 65% of the staff have college degrees. The PAT educators will be the service coordinators as well as the home visit educators. This will promote a sense of trust and stability in the home and community based model services. Each family will develop a plan with their PAT educator to address their unique needs. 13 c.a.r.e. (Child Advocacy and Resource Education) is an agency in Weld County that works with parents and families to develop parenting and stress management skills. This agency is the primary child abuse prevention program in Weld County. They provide a range of services that include general community education about the prevention of abuse, home advocacy support to help parents develop better coping and interaction skills to use in their parenting roles, parent education classes that deal with the different stages of development and strategies to deal with children in each stage and teen parenting supports that address the unique needs of this age parent. c.a.r.e. will provide an intense 8 week teen parenting course for all parents under the age of eighteen years that are involved with Early Head Start. The program provides 2-3 hours of supports through individual home visits and group time for parents. In addition to the teen parenting course families who are not teen but need additional skills in stress management and coping skills will receive advocacy support. Parent advocacy will be available for up to 6 months through the c.a.r.e. program. These supports are typically 2 hours a week and address how parents can develop strategies and coping skills to use when they feel overwhelmed and frustrated with parenting. The teen program and advocacy supports would be combined with the center-based or home-community based services to allow for more attention to the unique needs of the families but maintain continuity of supports through their primary Parents as Teacher educator and center-based teacher. First Steps of Weld County is a prenatal case management and education agency that supports families who are expecting a child and may not be connected to medical care or education supports. First Steps provide prenatal education and case management that promotes a healthy, full term delivery of babies without complications. The services are provided in the home and at their office and include: education about the changes occurring in a mother's body, nutrition during and after pregnancy, accessing medical care during and after birth, breastfeeding or other feeding needs for the infant, planning for the changes in the family before and after the birth of a baby, sibling issues and general financial and health care issues for the entire family. The staff of First Steps are social workers and nurses. The staff is able to monitor the general health of the mother during the pregnancy and encourage that routine prenatal visits occur. The intervention results for First Steps families has been higher birth weight babies and mothers accessing prenatal care and follow up medical care for themselves and their babies. First Steps would provide, in addition to the Parents as Teachers or center-based services, two home visits a month for 6-12 months depending on the time of referral and how far along a mother is in her pregnancy. The visits would be 1-2 hours in duration and focus on promoting a healthy outcome at delivery and transitioning back into a normal schedule after the birth of the baby. 14 The Warm Welcome Program and Family Support Network of United Way are resources that will be available to every family involved in the Early Head Start program. Warm Welcome will be a first contact and referring agency for many of the families involved in Early Head Start. Warm Welcome is a program that visits any family that wants a visit (they request a visit at the hospital after delivery) to provide them with educational materials, community resource information, early literacy books and materials and resource/referral support to get connected to services a family may need. A Warm Welcome visitor also promotes the well child and immunization visits a child needs during their first two years of life. The Warm Welcome visitor acts as a welcome home support and can offer encouragement and education support to new parents. The Warm Welcome visitor provides two to three contacts with each family. Families will receive supports and the educational materials in addition to the visits they receive from their primary support if already eligible for Early Head Start. Warm Welcome will also act as a referral entry for Early Head Start eligible families. The visits will occur jointly with a primary service coordinator or resource manager to ensure every family receives global information and educational materials that start out their parenting adventure on level ground. Family Support Network of United Way is a child care resource and referral program that will support families with information about resources and financial assistance funding if needed. Some families living outside of Greeley may need child care support in addition to the home and community visits they receive but live too far from the center-based services. Family Support Network will act as a resource to the Parents as Teachers educator and center-based staff as they need to identify child care providers and funding resources for child care. North Range Behavioral Health Center (NRBH), Multi-Cultural Services is the mental health agency for Weld County. Head Start currently has a contract for services with North Range Behavioral Health and will expand this contract to include Early Head Start families that may need intensive mental health supports in addition to their primary services. NRBH is able to provide a full range of services for all ages of clients. Service can involve home based family preservation counseling to center based individual and group counseling. Services are determined by the family and therapist based on the presenting needs of a family. The duration and frequency of services will be based on what the concerns are and how quickly progress can be made to resolving the issues and developing new or different coping strategies for the future. The services will be to not only the child who is eligible for Early Head Start but the entire family if needed. North Range Behavioral Health Center has also added a Multi-Cultural Services Program in order to better meet the needs of the growing Hispanic population in Weld County. This will assist the Early Head Start Program to reach out to the 15 targeted Hispanic population In addition to these partnerships with the fore-mentioned agencies there will be interaction and resource utilization with a variety of other organizations in Weld County. The service coordinator or resource manager will be responsible for connecting families to the supports and services that they may need to promote family self sufficiency. These resources may include: food and clothing banks,financial credit counseling, housing assistance and other supports that help a family meet their goals. RESULTS OR BENEFITS EXPECTED An expected result of this grant is to lead the community into the "single-entry referral point" concept, in order to provide the most comprehensive continuum of services for young children and their families. As stated earlier there exist many services in Weld County, however; a consistent mechanism is not in place to ensure services are easily accessible to families. The partnership which will be created between the Family Educational Network of Weld County (FENWC) and Family CONNECTS, Parents as Teachers Program, is to focus on streamlining services and coordinating care for children and families. This partnership will be forged with agencies that currently are working with children and families within Weld County to simplify family/child entry into systems, increase the range of services available to families and ensure continuity of care from prenatal to preschool. Again, this flexibility allows for the Early Head Start Program to meet the unique needs of families in a timely fashion. Families and children will receive the full range of health services to including; prenatal care and education, nutritional services, preventive health care and mental health. Children will enter school healthy and will have completed the mandatory series of immunizations. Ensuring routine well-child medical visits will promote children who will suffer from fewer illnesses and disease, therefore; increasing their attendance rate, allowing for future educational successes. A strong emphasis will also be placed on Family Literacy and English as a Second Language. Through the proposed partnership for comprehensive early childhood programs, children will develop the social/emotional, cognitive and physical skills necessary to ensure that their future educational experiences are positive. As well as providing the aforementioned skills, the children's language skills, problem solving skills, and self-esteem will increase. All early childhood programming in child care settings and home and community based services will be developmentally appropriate according to The Head Start Program Performance Standards (CFR 1304), The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and the nationally endorsed and certified Parents as Teachers Program. Children participating in the program are expected to successfully graduate from 16 high school, participate actively in appropriate extracurricular activities and become contributing adult members of the community. Studies indicate that children receiving quality early childhood programming are more likely to succeed in their adult life. It has also been proven that for every one dollar spent on early childhood education and intervention that four to six dollars are saved on remedial and special education. Based on recent early brain development research and findings, the ages from birth to five years are considered the optimal years to provide support and services. A quote from the Colorado Children's Trust Fund in a 1993 report on families identified home visitation programs for all new parents as the most effective method of reducing child abuse and neglect. The Colorado Trust went on to report that there are multiple studies revealing that the problems of low birth weight babies, child abuse and neglect, child injuries and unplanned pregnancy may be reduced with comprehensive prenatal and infancy home visitation and early childhood center programs. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association reports on the positive effects of home visitation on children's criminal and antisocial behaviors.The National Parents as Teachers Center completed a twenty year study of"at risk"families that had been involved in Parents as Teachers programs, below are a few of the findings from this report: 0 Children had increased academic test scores in 3r° and 5`h grades. 0 There was a higher percentage of high school graduates among this group. 0 Parents were more active in school activities and volunteerism. O Children entered kindergarten with basic readiness skills that were higher than students not involved in PAT. 0 There were decreased reports of child abuse and neglect in families involved with Parents as Teachers. O Children had enhanced socialization skills as reported by kindergarten and first grade teachers. O Reading and literacy levels were consistently higher for children at all testing levels. O Children received more consistent well child health visits and immunizations. These studies all support the intent of this Early Head Start proposal which is to ensure families with children under three years of age, who are eligible, have the potential to receive supports and services that help them succeed in life. Families will receive parent education services to include, at a minimum; mental health, self-esteem supports, and parenting classes that emphasize; nutrition, child development, behavior management, communication skills, child abuse prevention techniques, and appropriate health care practices. There will be classes (parent/toddler learning groups) where parents will have the opportunity for "hands on" experiences with their children. Parents of both models will receive instruction in their home using the Parents as Teachers Curriculum, to enhance their parenting abilities. By providing the families a variety of 17 resources and support systems it is anticipated that parents and their children will be provided with the tools and skills needed in order to lead healthy, productive and independent life-styles. Parents will also develop the skills necessary to work with their children to develop their cognitive and developmental levels to their highest potentials,and facilitate their educational successes. National longitudinal studies completed by the National Parents as Teachers Program, St. Louis MO., found the window of opportunity for maximizing the overall development of a child occurs between the ages of birth to three. This was also supported in a News Week article, "Your Child: Birth to Three" Basic literacy education will be encouraged for all adults who lack a GED, English as a Second Language, or basic skills for employment. Participants lacking a high school education will be enrolled in GED/ABE classes or Remediation activities. The need for literacy enrichment will be determined through the Family Partnership Agreement, and all families will receive the service coordination and support necessary to reach their identified goals. The FENWC/Employment Services -" Literacy in Technology Program,"can provide adult educational services. FENWC and Employment Services of Weld County have implemented a Wide Area Network, which includes adult literacy programs and General Education Diploma (GED) programs. The project uses the highly successful INVEST- Destinations Curriculum/Program,which has a successful rate of educational gain. Studies indicate a full grade-level gain for eight hours of study, using the Destinations approach. Current FENWC sites have the system in their centers. The Early Head Start Center will have the same system installed. Early Head Start parents served in the home-base model will also have the opportunity to utilize the system. Referrals to other agencies who provide adult educational services will be made for families who choose not to use the aforementioned system. Monolingual non-English speaking families will be provided with English as a Second Language classes. Upon mastery in the English language the families will proceed into remedial and vocational education to promote self-sufficiency and employability retainment, if the need is indicated on the Family Partnership Agreement. The adult educational level will be a minimum high school graduation or GED, or equivalent grade level at the end of the program, many will move on to vocational or higher education. With an increased literacy level it will be possible for parents to continue their education and/or receive vocational or other training leading to gainful employment, and leave the welfare and public assistance rolls. An Early Head Start Center will be constructed to meet the needs of the Early Head Start Program. The Weld County Board of County has donated four acres to the Family Educational Network of Weld County for the express purpose of constructing an Early 18 Head Start Center. Plans are underway for the construction of the facility, and upon acceptance of this Early Head Start proposal, the appropriate information (facilities checklist, etc.) will be submitted to the Head Start Bureau. APPROACH This collaborative program will ensure families have a comprehensive system of supports, education and mentorship that will promote self-sufficiency. Families will be involved with in-depth planning to identify needs, strengths, outcomes and resources that will support them towards their goals. All families will receive service coordination from a certified Parents As Teacher educator from the Early Head Start Program. The intent of this proposal is to provide services to sixty families living in the Weld County area who are eligible for Early Head Start services. Twenty-four children and families will be enrolled into the full-day/full-year center-based option, and thirty-six children and families will be enrolled into the home-based program option. The focus of the program will be to provide center-based early childhood services as well as home and community based education utilizing the Parents As Teachers curriculum. Coordination with families will provide consistency and continuity to ensure successful completion of a family's identified outcomes. For families that are working out of home, full-day/full-year center-based Early Head Start services will be an option. A center will be available in Greeley, the largest community in Weld County using resources from the Department of Social Services, Child Care Assistance Program. For families that are not working, PAT services will be provided in home with a minimum of five hours a week of service available for support. Parent As Teachers home-based educators will conduct weekly home visits with each family not accessing center care. Families utilizing the center will receive two home visits a month from a PAT educator from the childcare center. The PAT home visit curriculum provides families with an understanding of what to expect as their child develops and grows, gives parents activity ideas to do with their child and teaches them parenting skills that encourage a child's overall education and social development. The educator reminds parents of the importance of well-child health visits and immunizing their child on schedule. The PAT educator promotes early literacy by providing a reading/ book activity for the parent and child to do together and models how to enhance early literacy skills. The educator(in both options)will do periodic developmental screenings to monitor and record a child's development and health using the standardized"Ages and Stages"screening tool. Parents as Teachers also provides a weekly learning group for children and parents to attend together. These groups are offered at different locations throughout Weld County and are staffed with certified and bilingual educators and therapists. Groups are informal 19 and provide children activities that promote: large motor movement skills, hands-on manipulation skills, expressive and receptive language, general learning skills and socialization skills. In addition to the early learning for children, parents are able to meet other parents, share stories and learn activities that can help during these physically demanding years of parenting. In addition to the hands-on interactive learning groups Parents as Teachers through Family CONNECTS will provide parent classes that focus on general learning for adults around parenting topics of interest specific to children birth to 15 months, and 15 months to three years. The Family Educational Network of Weld County (FENWC), because of its unique comprehensive nature should be considered a strong candidate for the receipt of this grant. As mentioned previously, the Weld County Division of Human Services, (the umbrella agency which FENWC falls under)provides adult and youth employment, education and Remediation programs, early childhood and family programs, and programs for the aging population. As well as, having many pieces in place to carry out the services stipulated in this grant The Division of Human Services has the linkages within the community to accelerate participant progress. With the linkages of this organization the proposed Early Head Start Program will have the ability to identify gaps and strengthen collaborative efforts within Weld County and to work with families in need or at risk of being in need. The Division of Human Services has developed a favorable reputation within local, state and federal circles for its ability to administer creative programs that have proven to be successful. Many programs under the auspices of The Division of Human Resources are and have been considered model programs because of their effectiveness and high quality. One program within the Division of Human Services, the Employment Services of Weld County, will be an integral player in the Early Head Start Program. Employment Services has historically provided comprehensive and coordinated services to the unemployed and underemployed. It currently offers employment and training programs under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), the Jobs Opportunities and Basic Skills Program and the Employment First Food Stamp Program. Employment Services has in place the structure to provide employment and training programs under this proposal. Employment Services also has contracts with the local Department of Social Services, to implement educational and job training services as established by Welfare Reforms mandates, and TANF. The Division of Human Services, Family Educational Network of Weld County (FENWC) has operated the Head Start Program since 1974. Since its inception it has grown from serving 85 children yearly to serving 517 Head Start eligible children in 2001, 250 eligible 20 Migrant Seasonal Head Start children (serving infants and toddlers as well as preschoolers), and 88 state funded preschool children. With all programs in place FENWC now provides services to more than 850 children and families per year. In addition, FENWC currently has in place the structures and linkages, which when expanded and augmented by this proposal, will be able to provide quality services while minimizing start up issues, and administrative costs. One of the structures to be expanded is the FENWC Parent Policy Council. FENWC currently has an active Parent Policy Council, which is comprised of parents from the Regional and Migrant Seasonal Head Start Programs as well as the state funded program. The council works in assisting FENWC regarding programmatic issues to assist FENWC with successful programmatic planning and operations. The Early Head Start program will recruit parents to support the program with issues distinctive to the Early Head Start Program. The Policy Council will be active in the hiring of Early Head Start staff, policy adoption, program evaluation, and planning. Family CONNECTS has forthe past eighteen years coordinated multiple community-based interagency activities, on behalf of young children (0-5 years), operates Child Find —Child Identification activities as the is the coordinated entry point for all screening and evaluation services since 1979 (an average of 900 children are seen yearly). Family CONNECTS has initiated and developed preschool services of the grassroots 99-457 preschool programs in Weld County, is a community service development agency which identifies gaps within the community and takes the lead implementing these programs. Family CONNECTS has a strong base of community organization and program operation skills and successes relative to children and families. Family CONNECTS is the agency responsible for ensuring the implementation of Part C- IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). Family CONNECTS is a recognized affiliate by the National Center of Parents as Teachers for Weld County. The Family Educational Network of Weld County (FENWC), Family CONNECTS, First Steps, CARE, North Range Behavioral Health and the United Way's Warm Welcome and Family Support Program have a long history of service provision to families throughout Weld County. The collaboration of these agencies represents broad-based partnerships that will be essential in providing a comprehensive program for eligible families. The potential resources available through these two entities includes: adult and youth employment,education and Remediation programs, prenatal services,early childhood and family programs,special education services, mental health, prenatal education,child abuse prevention, family advocacy partnerships, and training resources. If funded, all coordinating entities will establish weekly planning sessions to identify the systematic changes and additional activities needed to be able to ensure seamless continuity of services for families and children. In addition to agency staff, key members 21 of the child and family community will be invited to help address and plan for the needs of the program and community. Work plans will be developed to include policy and procedures,time frames, specific training and program activities, interagency agreements, points of responsibility, program marketing and development, identification of unforeseen barriers for implementation of the project, and identification of additional financial and community supports. Policy and implementation plans will be approved by the Parent Policy Council and the grantee board. Planning will also include discussion between the contracted agencies and grantee to implement effective procedures relative to program implementation, monitoring, evaluation, communication, and disbursement of and accountability of funds. Evaluation and Reporting Activities During the initial year of the program, systems and procedures will be designed or enhanced to accommodate data collection and evaluation needs. FENWC will compile data gathered from the center-based model and int data collected by Family CONNECTS for the home-based model. The data collected will include formal measurement tools, informal surveys, attendance and activity rosters, agency feedback and developmental screening tools. The Head Start Family Information System (HSFIS) will track and report on enrolled Early Head Start families. Parents As Teachers curriculum has a pre and post evaluation component that measures changes in parental skills, knowledge and interaction style. Each family (including the center-based families) will complete annually with their PAT educator this evaluation tool, a family satisfaction survey and administrative program evaluation will also be completed by each enrolled family. The Parents as Teachers curriculum also has a monthly goal planning form that families use to identify strengths, challenges and activities for learning. This monthly planning form tracks progress, changes needed in goals and resources the parents are accessing. In addition to the PAT tools, we will utilize a risking scale that measures changes in: parental interaction, education and job stability, home environment, accessing community resources, socialization, medical and health maintenance needs. The focus of PAT is to build on existing skills and encourage new skill acquisition as the needs of family's change. These formalized tools allow PAT educators to assess if progress and positive changes are occurring. At the end of the year a strategic planning team will be convened to review the data and evaluation reports and address changes that will need to occur in implementation for year two. Families will be an integral part of the planning and review committee. Measuring progress towards the programs goal of maximizing a family's self-sufficiency will need to be systemic over a three to five year period. The data that will be collected will include: 1) Family's achieving goals on their IFSP's/FPA's, 2) Children entering preschool and kindergarten ready to learn, 3) Positive changes in a family's situation, i.e.; new job, 22 additional education, improved literacy, 4) Less support time needed by families to access resources and support in the community, 5)Academic testing scores on children in primary grades. At the onset of the program a small number of families will be identified to be part of a more comprehensive evaluation process for at least five years. These families will be involved in more feedback, planning and monitoring of success on identified goals. The children will also be tracked into elementary school to look at academic test results and social skills as perceived by the school staff involved with the child. Each year of the program a small number of families will be identified and added to the group. This will allow for examining any program changes that were beneficial to families that entered the program after the initial year. Students completing internships and practicum's in the Family Studies and Early Childhood Departments of the University of Northern Colorado will be used to assist in gathering, compiling and analyzing data. Annual reports will be completed and distributed to the families and agencies involved. As more in-depth reports are available this information will be disseminated and focus groups will be used to evaluate and plan using the data. Per current policies of the Family Educational Network of Weld no child is denied services based on disability. The Early Head Start Program will adhere to this policy and provide services to a minimum of 10%, identified children with a disability in either the center-based model or the home-visitor model, regardless of disability. The Family Educational Network of Weld County currently coordinates services for children with disabilities with the local education and Child Find agencies. Family CONNECTS as mentioned previously, is the lead agency for IDEA Part C, for Weld County; therefore; children will be referred and placed into the Early Head Start Program if this is an appropriate placement designated on the IFSP. This proposal is being written in conjunction with the Family Educational Network of Weld County (FENWC), Family CONNECTS. FENWC (The Department of Human Services) has the responsibility of the program oversight and implementation. The overall goals of the program are as follow: 1. Provide comprehensive early childhood services and service coordination to 60 eligible families that will address the intellectual, social emotional and physical needs and encourage a healthy environment that supports a family towards self- reliance. 2. Implement an immersion program that will provide service coordinators as advocates for families. These individuals will assist the family in obtaining the skills, services and supports needed for self-sufficiency. 23 3. Provides choices that meet the family's individual and unique needs. 4. To increase parental confidence in their ability to stimulate their child's learning and development. 5. To identify any developmental and learning delays early through periodic screenings and plan strategies to address these challenges. Early intervention reduces special education needs and cost. The related work plan for the project is as follows: • 24 WORK PLAN Objective #1: To Recruit 60, eligible Early Head Start participants on a county-wide basis. 000', frox 1.1 identity and recruit (tnrougn aavertising, employment services, uirector 4102-Hti t m p i o y m e n t and referral) culturally and socioeconomically sensitive individuals as 8/02-CB applications certified educators, as specified in this proposal an in accordance with CFR-1304, Head Start Performance Standards (a minimum of a CDA). Program parents and the community will be involved throughout the recruitment and hiring process. Hiring practices state that potential employees will not be discriminated against due to sex, race, disability, etc. harm)/ 1.2 Disseminate availability and purpose of Early Head Start Program to ruers, Newsletters to local agencies, churches, health clinics, physicians, employment Partnership resource and training programs, and through neighborhood venues. Specialist 1.3 Recruit eligible families, including families with children with i-amiiy 3/02 b U c n i i d r e n Partnership enrolled + wait list disabilities. Children will be recruited by referral from the Department of Social Services (TANF Participants), Warm Welcome Home Visiting Specialist Program, the local hospital, Child Find Agency(Part C), school districts, physicians, the local Health Department and Health Clinics, and other agencies. 5/U2-c tt tnroument roster 1.4 Enroll eligible children and establish an on-going caseload of ramuy families who will be participating in the program. Partnership 1102-CB Specialist 1.5 Hire staff. uirector 5/02-Fib tmpioyee roster n/no_CR 25 1.6 Purchase classroom supplies and small equipment. uirector 4/uz Classrooms & on-going home visitors materials and equipment 1.7 Train staff, beginning with new employee orientation. Provide uirector 5/uL i raining agenda's certification training for the hired staff through the National Parents as on-going &employee sign in Teachers institute, Training (CDA) will be provided to classroom staff sheets. according to FENWC's Professional Development Plan (attached). 1.8 New Parent Orientation/First day of classes. uirector ti/u2-t-i tnroiiment Rosters t/nq-r.R 26 WORK PLAN Objective #2: Provide on-going family education/literacy opportunities that will equip newly enrolled parents with the knowledge and skills necessary to raise children who will eventually be contributing community members. I fts: tvalUatiOrr r ;; .. .. i .a1 Q�{tro� 2.1 txpana mme opportunities wnicn address a variety ot issues mat uirector 1/03 ramiiy rartnersnip impact family life (employment issues, normal development, behavior, Agreement medical/dental, nutrition, financial, literacy, early literacy skills, advocacy/reciprocal skills). 2.2 Encourage ana promote me value ot tamely, education, ana Area 1/03 ramiiy Activity Log community through home activities and routines, such as: reading, Specialists on- family time, nutrition, health and safety. going 2.3 identity ana minimize barriers tnat may prevent newly enrolled service 2/03 increasea parent families from attending and actively participating in employment and Coordinator on- participation. educational/literacy opportunities and community activities going (transportation, child care, etc.). 2.4 Heter newiy enrouea ramifies to appropriate eaucationavnteracy Service 2/03 Heterrai torms programs and assist in the enrollment process is necessary. Coordinator on- going 2.b rotiow-up on progress. Service 3/03 I-PA documentation Coordinator on- =inn 27 WORK PLAN Objective #3: Provide on-going resource/service coordination to newly enrolled families that will increase their abilities to access comprehensive community resources and services. task v = N�e1•son Date yaivation 3.1 I rain, supervise anci support me service uoorciinators to increase ramify 10IUL I raining Logs their knowledge and skills in resource/service coordination and advocacy Partnership on- for children and families. Specialist going 3.2 Strengtnen reiationsnips, wnicn will accommodate aaaitionai uirector 1/02 lncreasea resources families,with agencies, business,and community resources that support on- for families. and provide services to families. goinq 3.3 Maintain a comprehensive listing or tamily and community ramify 11/02 Hesource iist services, resources and supports within each community of Weld Partnership on- County. Specialist going 3.4 increase parent awareness regarding availability or community service 1/03 1-PA documentation resources and support them through agency/system processes. Coordinator on- & resource list going 3.5 initiate and aeveiop a ramify Nartnersnip Agreement(r}A)tor all service 1/u3 I-PA documentation newly enrolled families. Each family will partner with their Service Coordinator Coordinator to identify strengths, needs priorities, and goals they want to address during the next year, including income support, literacy needs, employability skill enhancement, etc. 3.6 implement and secure needed services tor each newly enrolled service 1/u3 rrA documentation family. Families will identify the services and resources they will want to Coordinator on- access to support them in reaching their prioritized goals. Service going Cnnrriinatnrc will accict fa miliac arcacc racni irrac and carvirac idantifiarl 28 WORK PLAN Objective #4: Continue partnerships, on behalf of newly enrolled families, with local Early Childhood Education Agencies and Local Education Agencies to assure smooth transitions from Early Head Start into Head Start and other Early Childhood Education pp Programs based on individualized needs. I e c it ten° a UI& ai $t( :W "a v 4.1 clan ana Implement a systematic approacn to transition ramifies witn Disabilities b/U2 written policies & children with disabilities into appropriate placements for Head Start&other Specialist on_ procedures Early Childhood Programs. going 4.2 uonauct periodic Information snaring times to assure all providers Director b/U1 meeting minutes have current knowledge of service delivery systems within a variety of agencies and can support families. 4.3 txpana arrangements tnat will accommodate tarty head start Director 6102 signed agreements children with Head Start and other Early Childhood Education programs that will enhance transition services. 4.3 Provide training to parents on transitional activities ana benaviorS to taucation b/U3 i raining log assist their child's transition from Early Head Start into Head Start or other Specialist on- F^rly fhilrlhnnrl Frlunatinn Prng _ n nninn 29 WORK PLAN Objective#5. Provide comprehensive screening and evaluations of children that include developmental (Ages and Stages), medical, hearing and vision components, and other appropriate intervention supports that meet the needs of the child and family, and provide necessary on-going services. l C xreiti4-74.44' x f u..a �7-+ �' „ ".x` -rs ,$y. 'v" Ar 1 C r�1 ptattt§ttpn 't�: "` -` � ", tea. .. ,, ' - ''z�r ` ' .�" , d ., " f .; eakoz ,�. °-' 5.1 Lontinue coordinating screenings ana assessments with the tifisabifities 9/112 on- u n i i a r e n existing county-wide child identification/child find system to ensure newly Specialist going screened and enrolled students are promptly placed. referred if needed 5.2 Assure mat mere is a service uoorainator to assist ramifies in ramlly 9/02 on- I-VA navigating systems and agencies. Partnership going documentation Specialist 5.3 rroviae necessary support 'raiding transportation ana cniiacare ramify 9/02 on- I-VA to ensure families will attend all scheduled appointments, evaluations,and Partnership going documentation follow-up their child may need. Specialist 5.4 rroviae speciaiized consultation and affect tnerapeuuc intervention uisaniimes 1/03 on- uniiarerts the & services to children requiring services as indicated on an Individual Family Specialist going documentation Service Plan (IFSP). 5.5 I ne Irby will ne aeveiopea using the muiti-discipiinary team Disabilities 9/02 on- II-sr lauprnarh that inrhirlac parantc iSpprialiat nninq 30 WORK PLAN Objective#6: Provide and support the health needs of the newly enrolled children and families, including prenatal, well baby care, diagnosis, treatment, immunizations, nutrition and preventive health care. taSKf s ° t ier , r Y iQ "f ac",, _ -:tea- o .,,a� .l � ��_�irg .._.... a.�.�. . s��" ; ,.r ,.,-,.�..:. ,-_ .;ra.--�a`�,5.� (b.1 identity neaitn care and nutrition resources witnin the lieaitn b/UL HeSource list community and develop a health care resource list. Il i' nSpecialist ttlateXii , b.2 include neaitn care and nutrition needs on the service 6/U2 rF'A family's Family Partnership Agreement (FPA). Coordinator (6.3 EStablISI1 ongoing methcal nomes/nealtn care tortne heaitn 9/01 UOCUmentatidn in tile. families, as needed. IlSpecialist on- ` going b.4 Lnsure toilow-up services tortne tamlly, and provide service t-FA & we documentation assistance for any issues that may inhibit them from Coordinator following through with treatment, i.e., transportation, and b.b rrovide prenatal nome visit and eaucationai support to 'renatai me documentation families expecting children Educator 31 WORK PLAN • Objective#7: Enhance the sense of community through immersion of staff and families into community based activities that will create a strong relationship between the Early Head Start Program and the community to meet the needs of enrolled families. atypimpagrave arita -a.fay „3t. ,-... . -ti g ..—..�_^ =„si '� ,.�- ,"„Fa�` _. �"'�Nc fi 0`AI' Ma Na _ ,�� - _. 1.1 identity community oasea agencies,ousinesses,services,and uirector 1/02 (,ommunity resource natural supports that exist in the area. on-goinq directory 1.2 iaentity snares goals, services, ana visions. ramiiy 1/02 uopies or plans Partnership on-going meeting minutes Specialist Agreements 1.3 ueveiop potential partnerships ana plans tnat will support and uirector 1/02 Agreements strengthen community involvement and strengthen existing on-going partnerships. 1.4 integrate Key staff ana parents into community committees ot Director' - 9/02 Meeting Minutes networks that share a vision for supporting families. on-going 1.5 ueveiop iocai networKs in areas witn limited resources ot uirector 9/02 Agreements family service providers, businesses and community members to on-going Meeting Minutes promote and support activities for families. /.b lnvoive me program in strategic pianning witnin the various uirector 1/02 btrategic Hans networks, committees and coalitions to develop a community vision Agreements fnr carvirac ralative to rhiirlran and familiac 32 WORK PLAN Objective # 8. Provide community based learning groups and activities for families that will maximize their child's development and expand their knowledge as parents. T P : b✓ r +n tnz,�- -"` "�^- i x - } T`u'x i : V % ,. 8.1 Establish and expand sites within communities that are PAT Coordinator 6/02 Agreements accessible to families and provide weekly activities for learning and networking. 8.2 Equip each site with materials and classes that promote PAT Coordinator 6/02 II Agreements adult learning. J 8.3 Hold community based learning groups. PAT Coordinator 6/02 Sign-in logs 8.4 Ensure consistent participation by all families. PAT Coordinator 6/02 Sign-in logs Center Mar. File documentation 33 WORK PLAN Objective # 9 Provide on-going family education opportunities that equip parents with knowledge and skills necessary to , raise children who will be contributing community members. TASK �ri ,, -" M1 ; :. 'T'it ALUA ESE 4 32- 2--, , xy. " t "-,4 c, any j „-P".miiCS 2t ' _,„„i„,,_________ 9.1 Families enrolled in the center-based option will have bi- Teacher 1/03 Family contact logs monthly visits utilizing the PAT curriculum. 9.2 Families enrolled in the home-based option will receive two to PAT Home Visitor 6/02-HB Family contact logs three home visits per week and weekly learning groups. The home Teacher 1/03-CB visit will include learning about their child's development and activities to stimulate their skills. Families receiving in both options will participate in the learning groups as well. 9.3 Families will have the opportunity to receive education and PAT Coordinator 6/02-HB Family Partnership support around issues that impact family life (employment issues, Svc. Coordinator 1/03-CB Agreement behavior management, medical/dental, nutrition, finances, early literacy skills, and adult learning). 9.4 Encourage parents to incorporate activities that will promote PAT Home Visitor 6/02-HB Family activity logs the value of family through functional daily routines, such as; Teacher 1/03-CB bedtime, reading, outings, and extended family contacts. . 9.5 Minimize the barriers which may prevent families from PAT Home Visitor 6/02- HB Family Partnership reaching their identified goals. This may include language Svc. Coordinator 1/03-CB Agreement barriers. transportation, child care or other areas. 34 WORK PLAN Objective #10 Ensure a comprehensive evaluation is completed on all levels of the program. - «s'# 'sx - b;''�` '',.. . +.� e ti irtAigirt 10.1 Have all families participating , complete a pre-evaluation and annual Director mid-program yr evaluation. Utilize the PAT standardized tool. & end yr 10.2 Saff complete pre and post and annual evaluations. Director mid-program yr & end yr 10.3 Establish a peer review and coaching evaluation system to address improving Director 6/02 Parent as Teacher Service Coordinator and center-based staff skills. PAT Coordinator 10.4 Compile data, attendance records, evaluation results in an annual report. Director 12/03 10.5 Utilize the compiled information for strategic planning and project revision. Director 12/03 10.6 Partner with other agencies impacting families that are Early Head Start eligible Director 12/03 to compile results from surveys and evaluations from the services they have rendered. 10.7 Utilize the Parent Policy Council in an advisory capacity to support program Director 1/02 evaluation and implementation. 35 A brief description of each core service to meet the aforementioned objectives is as follows: Resource/Service Coordination will assist in the development of a comprehensive Family Partnership Agreement(FPA)for each family that reflects the family's individual strengths, needs, priorities and goals. Education In Child Development will be provided by FENWC and Parent As Teacher Educators. The areas of education will include, but not be limited to; Infant Stimulation, Child Development, Behavior Management, Home Safety, Language Stimulation and The Importance of Play. Parents as Teachers Early Head Start Curriculum will be utilized with all families. Health Care and Education for families and children will be coordinated with public and private health care providers. The emphasis of care will be on the importance of prevention. Services will include prenatal wellness&health, yearly physical examinations, immunizations for the children, dental examinations, developmental screening, etc. Nutritional Services for children and families will be provided for by referrals to the Food Stamp Program, Food Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and The Commodity and Supplemental Food Program(CSFP). An important piece of the nutritional services will be nutrition counseling, which will be integrated through home visits, parent activities and classroom experiences. 36 PLANNING During the planning phase of this project, January 1, 2002 through December 2002, it is anticipated that all planning activities will be completed for training to begin in April 2002 for the Home Visitors, and the Center Based staff beginning November 2002. Planning activities include: • Hiring personnel for project. • Establishment of Planning Committee for Early Head Start Program. Members will include: FENWC&Family CONNECTS staff(including Parts B&C team members), staff from North Range Behavioral Health, c.a.r.e., Bright Beginnings, First Steps, • Aims Community College, and parents from the Parent Policy Council. • Planning and evaluation meetings will be held bi-monthly during the planning period and regularly throughout the program operating period. • Program staff will attend in-depth, comprehensive, training to address all aspects of service delivery for the Early Head Start Program. • Develop recruitment plan. • Construction of facility. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE On the Work Plan, team leaders, team members and dates of completion are identified (see pages ). The FENWC Director, Tere Keller-Amaya, and Family CONNECTS, Parents as Teachers Coordinator, Janis Pottorff will provide the leadership or the Early Head Start Program. They will be the team-leaders in the planning process, implementation, evaluation and assessment of the program. 37 OMB Approval No.0348-0040 ASSURANCES- NON-CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMS Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 15 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden,to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project(0348-0040),Washington, DC 20503. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR COMPLETED FORM TO THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET. SEND IT TO THE ADDRESS PROVIDED BY THE SPONSORING AGENCY. NOTE: Certain of these assurances may not be applicable to your project or program. If you have questions, please contact the awarding agency. Further, certain Federal awarding agencies may require applicants to certify to additional assurances. If such is the case,you will be notified. As the duly authorized representative of the applicant, I certify that the applicant: 1. Has the legal authority to apply for Federal assistance Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. §794), which and the institutional, managerial and financial capability prohibits discrimination on the basis of handicaps; (d) (including funds sufficient to pay the non-Federal share the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended (42 of project cost) to ensure proper planning, management U.S.C. §§6101-6107), which prohibits discrimination and completion of the project described in this on the basis of age; (e) the Drug Abuse Office and application. Treatment Act of 1972 (P.L. 92-255), as amended, relating to nondiscrimination on the basis of drug 2. Will give the awarding agency, the Comptroller General abuse; (f) the Comprehensive Alcohol Abuse and of the United States and, if appropriate, the State, Alcoholism Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation through any authorized representative, access to and Act of 1970 (P.L. 91-616), as amended, relating to the right to examine all records, books, papers, or nondiscrimination on the basis of alcohol abuse or documents related to the award; and will establish a alcoholism; (g) §§523 and 527 of the Public Health proper accounting system in accordance with generally Service Act of 1912 (42 U.S.C. §§290 dd-3 and 290 ee accepted accounting standards or agency directives. 3), as amended, relating to confidentiality of alcohol and drug abuse patient records; (h) Title VIII of the 3. Will establish safeguards to prohibit employees from Civil Rights Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. §§3601 et seq.), as using their positions for a purpose that constitutes or amended, relating to nondiscrimination in the sale, presents the appearance of personal or organizational rental or financing of housing; (i) any other conflict of interest, or personal gain. nondiscrimination provisions in the specific statute(s) under which application for Federal assistance is being 4. Will initiate and complete the work within the applicable made; and, (j) the requirements of any other time frame after receipt of approval of the awarding nondiscrimination statute(s) which may apply to the agency. application. 5. Will comply with the Intergovernmental Personnel Act of 7. Will comply, or has already complied, with the 1970 (42 U.S.C. §§4728-4763) relating to prescribed requirements of Titles II and III of the Uniform standards for merit systems for programs funded under Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition one of the 19 statutes or regulations specified in Policies Act of 1970 (P.L. 91-646) which provide for Appendix A of OPM's Standards for a Merit System of fair and equitable treatment of persons displaced or Personnel Administration (5 C.F.R.900, Subpart F). whose property is acquired as a result of Federal or federally-assisted programs. These requirements apply 6. Will comply with all Federal statutes relating to to all interests in real property acquired for project nondiscrimination. These include but are not limited to: purposes regardless of Federal participation in (a) Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (P.L. 88-352) purchases. which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin; (b) Title IX of the Education 8. Will comply, as applicable, with provisions of the Amendments of 1972, as amended (20 U.S.C. §§1681- Hatch Act (5 U.S.C. §§1501-1508 and 7324-7328) 1683, and 1685-1686),which prohibits discrimination on which limit the political activities of employees whose the basis of sex; (c) Section 504 of the Rehabilitation principal employment activities are funded in whole or in part with Federal funds. Previous Edition Usable Standard Form 424B(Rev.7-97) Authorized for Local Reproduction Prescribed by OMB Circular A-102 9. Will comply, as applicable,with the provisions of the Davis- 12. Will comply with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of Bacon Act(40 U.S.C. §§276a to 276a-7), the Copeland Act 1968 (16 U.S.C. §§1271 et seq.) related to protecting (40 U.S.C. §276c and 18 U.S.C. §874), and the Contract components or potential components of the national Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (40 U.S.C. §§327- wild and scenic rivers system. 333), regarding labor standards for federally-assisted construction subagreements. 13. Will assist the awarding agency in assuring compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation 10. Will comply, if applicable, with flood insurance purchase Act of 1966, as amended (16 U.S.C. §470), EO 11593 requirements of Section 102(a) of the Flood Disaster (identification and protection of historic properties), and Protection Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-234) which requires the Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act of recipients in a special flood hazard area to participate in the 1974(16 U.S.C. §§469a-1 et seq.). program and to purchase flood insurance if the total cost of insurable construction and acquisition is$10,000 or more. 14. Will comply with P.L. 93-348 regarding the protection of human subjects involved in research, development, and 11. Will comply with environmental standards which may be related activities supported by this award of assistance. prescribed pursuant to the following: (a) institution of environmental quality control measures under the National 15. Will comply with the Laboratory Animal Welfare Act of Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (P.L. 91-190) and 1966 (P.L. 89-544, as amended, 7 U.S.C. §§2131 et Executive Order (EO) 11514; (b) notification of violating seq.) pertaining to the care, handling, and treatment of facilities pursuant to EO 11738; (c) protection of wetlands warm blooded animals held for research, teaching, or pursuant to EO 11990; (d) evaluation of flood hazards in other activities supported by this award of assistance. floodplains in accordance with EO 11988; (e) assurance of project consistency with the approved State management 16. Will comply with the Lead-Based Paint Poisoning program developed under the Coastal Zone Management Prevention Act (42 U.S.C. §§4801 et seq.) which Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. §§1451 et seq.); (f) conformity of prohibits the use of lead-based paint in construction or Federal actions to State (Clean Air) Implementation Plans rehabilitation of residence structures. under Section 176(c) of the Clean Air Act of 1955, as amended (42 U.S.C. §§7401 et seq.); (g) protection of 17. Will cause to be performed the required financial and underground sources of drinking water under the Safe compliance audits in accordance with the Single Audit Drinking Water Act of 1974, as amended (P.L. 93-523); Act Amendments of 1996 and OMB Circular No. A-133, and, (h) protection of endangered species under the "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (P.L. 93- Organizations." 205). 18. Will comply with all applicable requirements of all other Federal laws,executive orders, regulations,and policies governing this program. SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED CERTIFYING OFFICIAL TITLE M. J. Geile Chair APPLICANT ORGA ATTI, - /O/N DATE SUBMITTED eld ounty Board of Commissioners 04/30/2001 Standard Form 424B(Rev.7-97)Back Lobbying-Certification http://www.acfdhhs.gov/programs/ofs/grants/lobby.htm CERTIFICATION REGARDING LOBBYING Certification for Contracts,Grants,Loans,and Cooperative Agreements The undersigned certifies,to the best of his or her knowledge and belief,that: (1)No Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid,by or on behalf of the undersigned,to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of an agency,a Member of Congress,an officer or employee of Congress,or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with the awarding of any Federal contract,the making of any Federal grant,the making of any Federal loan,the entering into of any cooperative agreement,and the extension,continuation,renewal,amendment,or modification of any Federal contract,grant,loan,or cooperative agreement. (2)If any funds other than Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency,a Member of Congress,an officer or employee of Congress,or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with this Federal contract,grant,loan,or cooperative agreement,the undersigned shall complete and submit Standard Form-LLL,"Disclosure Form to Report Lobbying,"in accordance with its instructions. (3)The undersigned shall require that the language of this certification be included in the award documents for all subawards at all tiers(including subcontracts,subgrants,and contracts under grants,loans,and cooperative agreements)and that all subrecipients shall certify and disclose accordingly.This certification is a material representation of fact upon which reliance was placed when this transaction was made or entered into. Submission of this certification is a prerequisite for making or entering into this transaction imposed by section 1352,title 31,U.S.Code.Any person who fails to file the required certification shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than$10,000 and not more than$100,000 for each such failure. Statement for Loan Guarantees and Loan Insurance The undersigned states,to the best of his or her knowledge and belief,that: If any funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency,a Member of Congress,an officer or employee of Congress,or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with this commitment providing for the United States to insure or guarantee a loan,the undersigned shall complete and submit Standard Form-LLL,"Disclosure Form to Report Lobbying,"in accordance with its instructions.Submission of this statement is a prerequisite for making or entering into this transaction imposed by section 1352,title 31,U.S.Code.Any person who fails • to file the required statement shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than$10,000 and not more than $100,000 for each s failure. 167:61' Signature . J. Guile (04/30/2001) Chair Title Weld County Board of Commissioners Organization @saY Winona 1 of 1 4/27/2001 3:24 PM Hello