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HomeMy WebLinkAbout981069.tiff RESOLUTION RE: APPROVE APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL ASSISTANCE FOR EARLY HEAD START GRANT PROPOSAL 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 Early Head Start Grant Proposal from 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 to the U.S. 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 Early Head Start Grant Proposal from 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, to the U.S. 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 24th day of June, A.D., 1998, BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS WEL COUNTY, COLORADO ATTEST: a Gn‹,cam r ���f-- �' - „, Constance L. Harpert, Chair Weld County Clerk td'1ig ,L / W. ebs ea r, r'-TemBY: �— Deputy Clerk to they ��! N l - -� , org E.�Baxter / APP D AS ORM: D alK. Hall /. only Atto i 3yer a 981069 HR0069 MEMORANDUM 1 C TO: Weld County Board of DATE: June 25, 1998 County Commissioners COLORADO FROM: Walter J. Speckman, Executive Director •+ Division of Human Services SUBJECT: Early Head Start Grant Proposal Presented before the Weld County Board of County Commissioners for approval is a proposal for the Early Head Start Grant. The grant is to provide comprehensive Head Start Services for children, birth to three years, and their families, within Weld County. The proposal is for $800,359.00, which include $88,500.00, for start-up costs. For further information please contact Tere Keller-Amaya at extension 3342. 981069 APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL ASSISTANCE OMB Approval No, 0348.0043 ZOATE aU8M1T'iF0 Applicant Identifier June 25, 1998 1. TYPE OF SUBMISSION: 3. DATE RECEIVED BY STATE Application . Preaoplicatidn State Application Identifier O Construction ' O Construction 4. DATE RECEIVED BY FEDERAL AGENCY Federal Identifier O Non-Construction - O Non-Construction 5.APPLICANT INFORMATION Legal Name: Weld County Division of Human Services Organizational unit•. Family Educational Network Address Igive city, county,state,and zip code): Name and telephone number of person to be contacted on matters involving this 1551 North 17th Avenue (give application/give area code) P.O. Box 1805 Walter J. Speckman, Executive Director Greeley, CO 80631 (970) 353-3800 6.EMPLOYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (EIN): 7.TYPE OF APPLICANT: fanner appmpriaa letter in boll riri 814 - I61010101811I3I A. State H. Independent School Dist. 8. TYPE OF APPLICATION: B. County I.State Controlled Institution of Higher Learning C.Municipal J. Private University ® New O ContinuationD.Township K. Indian Tribe O Revision E. Interstate L. Individual n n F. Intermunicipal M. Profit Organization If Revision,enter appropriate!snarls)in bcalesl G. Special District N. Other i3pacityl A. Increase Award B. Decrease.Award C. Increase Duration D. Decrease Duration Other fancily): B.NAME OF FEDERAL AGENCY: 10. CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE NUMBER: 11. DESCRIPTIVE TITLE OF APPLICANT'S PROJECT: Early Head Start 9 3 6 lo 10 Weld County TITLE: EHS PY 99 12.AREAS AFFECTED BY PROJECT(Cues. Counties, Stares,arc.): Weld County 13. PROPOSED PROJECT 114. CONGRESSIONAL.DISTRICTS OF: Start Date I Ending Date I a.Applicant • b. Project 15. ESTIMATED FUNDING: a. Federal 16. IS APPLICATION SUBJECT TO REVIEW BY STATE EXECUTIVE ORDER f 800 359.w 12372 PROCESS? b. Applicanta. YES. THIS PREAPPLICATION/APPLICATION WAS MADE AVAILABLE a )CC TO THE STATE EXECUTIVE ORDER 12372 PROCESS FOR 200,090 .00 ' c. State REVIEW ON: $ .00 d. Local DATE $ .00 e. Other b. NO. O PROGRAM IS NOT COVERED BY E.O. 12372 $ .00 O OR PROGRAM HAS NOT BEEN SELECTED BY STATE FOR f. Program Income REVIEW $ 17. IS THE APPLICANT DELINQUENT ON ANY FEDERAL DEBT?.00 g. TOTAL 13 CIYes If 'Yes.'attach an explanation. 11:1No 1,000,44900 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. Typed Name of Authorized Representative Constance Harbert, Chair WCBC b-Title c.Telephone Number // (970) 356-4000 d. Signature pt Authorized Representative ( / fly.//23� ,41;loy� n r� .�c� e. Oats Signed Jana 24. 79QR I Previous Edition Usable Authorized for Local Reproduction ��/��^(O Standard Farm 424 iREV 4.921 PresenCea by OMB Circular A-102 INSTRUCTIONS FOR FEE SF 424 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 45 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 (0348-0043), 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. This is a standard form used by applicants as a required.facesheet for preapplications and applications submitted for Federal assistance. It will be used by Federal agencies to obtain applicant certification that States which have established a review and comment procedure in response to Executive Order 12372 and have selected the program to be included in their process, have been given an opportunity to review the applicant's submission. Item: Entry: Item: Entry: 1. Self-explanatory. 12. List only the largest political entities affected (e.g., State, counties, cities.) 2. Date application submitted to Federal agency (or State, if applicable) & applicant's control number (if applicable). 13. Self-explanatory. 3. State use only (if applicable). 14. List the applicant's Congressional District and any District(s) affected by the program or project. 4. If this application is to continue or revise an existing award, enter present Federal identifier number. If for a 15. Amount requested or to be contributed during the first new project, leave blank. funding/budget period by each contributor. Value of in- kind contributions should be included on appropriate lines 5. Legal name of applicant, name of primary organizational as applicable. If the action will result in a dollar change to unit which will undertake the assistanre activity, complete an existing award, include only, the amount of the change. address of the applicant, and name and telephone number For decreases, enclose the amounts in parentheses. If both of the person to contact on matters related to this basic and supplemental amounts are included, show application. breakdown on an attached sheet. For multiple program 6. Enter Employer Identification Number (EIN) as assigned funding, use totals and show breakdown using same by the Internal Revenue Service. categories as.item 15. 7. Enter the appropriate letter in the space provided. 16. Applicants should contact the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for Federal Executive Order 12372 to 8. Check appropriate box and enter appropriate letter(s) in determine whether the application is subject to the State the space(s) provided: intergovernmental review process. — "New" means a new assistance award. 17. This question applies to the applicant organization, not the person who signs as the authorized representative. — "Continuation" means an extension for an additional Categories of debt include delinquent audit allowances, funding/budget period for a project with a projected loans and taxes. completion date. 8. To be signed by the authorized representative of the applicant. A copy of the governing body's authorization — "Revision" means any change in the Federal for you to sign this application as official representative Government's financial obligation or contingent must be on file in the applicant's office. (Certain Federal liability from an existing obligation. agencies may require that this authorization be submitted as pan of the application. 9. Name of Federal agency from which assistance is being requested with this application. 10. Use the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number and title of the program under which assistance is required. 11. Enter a brief descriptive title of the project. If more than one program is involved, you should append an explanation on a separate sheet. If appropriate (e.g., construction or real property projects), attach a map showing project location. For preapplications, use a separate sheet to provide a summary description of this project. 9y/o&9 SF 124 Sack Rev. 1-32) , er c C r el cr O e o a _ Z S )O- O In O O O L cc = o O to lf) O mil" ch :. o O a . Q. M O • 7. $ N M .t./} I O N c • V' — O 01 O C [ a O 00 : .:. O N Zi 4 It y f/} 41). I . (13 QI is?, g a a .. O O Q O • • .� 0 C VI--I '� O N t? fA V y py 41) a:+ �r � i.;iii Z ' V C ,d cam`, e;,• p ;v g C b. 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M M < `:: O O p. .r I 4.1 h arr h ''F' V} ilk iOi1.`. w ii W:: '� , :z c o O p. o OO 0 a . CO N .-a ' 'W. • h ;. :: C • a E O 01 d o• c C C 0. r C • G o o co w C 0 • •O n c E • _ Op �„ "r E e o iii n • r 1L Q E O1 .0 C N a 1L z d ..J V Y W 0 H r) `m o E 00 Ql .- .- iti rQS N N N 98/6)6,7 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 any 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 hall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $10,000 and not more than S100,000 for each such failure. Weld County Board of Commissioners Organization cXC hair 06/24/98 Authorized Signature Title Date (Revised 4/9/92) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Certification Re ardin Dru -Free Work lace Re uirements Grantees Other Than Individuals By signing and/or submitting this grant application, the grantee is providing the certification set out below. Workplace Act of 1988, This certification is required by regulations implementing the Drug-Free 45 CFR Part 76, Subpart F. The regulations, published in the May 25, 1990 Federal Register,require certification by grantees that they will maintain a drug-free workplace. The certification set out below is a material representation of fact upon which reliance will be placed when the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) determines to award the grant. If it is later determined that the grantee knowingly rendered a false certification or otherwise violates the requirements of the Drug-Free Workplace Act, HHS,in addition to any other remedies available to the Federal Government, may take action authorized under the Drug-Free Workplace Act. False certification or violation of the certification shall be grounds for suspension of payments, suspension or termination of grants, or govemmentwide suspension or debarment. Workplaces under grants, for grantees other than individuals, need not be identified on the certification. If known,they may be identified in the grant application. If the grantee does not identify the workplaces at the time of application, or upon award, if there is no application, the grantee must keep the identity of the workplace(s) on file in its office and make the information available for Federal inspection. Failure to identify all known workplaces constitutes a violation of the grantee's drug-free workplace requirements. Workplace identifications must include the actual address of buildings (or parts of buildings) or other sites where work under the grant takes place. Categorical descriptions may be used (e.g., all vehicles of a mass transit authority or State highway department while in operation, State employees in each local unemployment office, performers in concert halls or radio studios.) If the workplace identified to HHS changes t previously during identified the perf the nce of the grant, in r n , the question rantee (see shall inform the agency of the change(s), if above). Definitions of terms in the Nonprocurement Suspension and Debarment common rule and Drug- Free Workplace common rule apply to this certification. Grantees' attention is called, in particular, to the following definitions from these rules: "Controlled substance" means a controlled substance in Schedules I through V of the Controlled Substances Act (21 USC 812) and as further defined by regulation (21 CFR 1308.11 through 1308.15). "Conviction" means a finding of guilt (including a plea of nob contendere) or imposition of sentence, or both, by any judicial body charged with the responsibility to determine violations of the Federal or State criminal drug statutes; "Criminal drug statute" means a Federal or non-Federal criminal statute involving the manufacture, distribution, dispensing, use, or possession of any controlled substance; "Employee" means the employee of a grantee directly engaged in the performance of work under a grant, including: (I) All "direct charge" employees; (ii) all "indirect charge" employees unless their impact or involvement is insignificant to the performance of the grant; and, (iii) temporary personnel and consultants who are directly engaged in the performance of work under the grant and who are on the grantee's payroll. This definition does not include workers not on the payroll of the grantee (e.g., volunteers, even if used to meet a matching requirement; consultants or independent contractors not on the grantee's payroll; or employees of subrecipients or subcontractors in covered workplaces). The grantee certifies that it will or will continue to provide a drug-free workplace by: (a) Publishing a statement notifying employees that the unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensing, possession or use of a controlled substance is prohibited in the grantee's workplace and specifying the actions that will be taken against employees for violation of such prohibition; 9Y/0671 }'.r-IS--Cerrtcation egarainy _ (b) Establishing an ongoing drug-free awareness program to inform employees about: (1) The dangers of drug abuse in the workplace; (2)The grantee's policy of maintaining a drug- free workplace; (3) Any available drug counseling, rehabilitation, and employee assistance programs; and, (4) The penalties that may be imposed upon employees for drug abuse violations occurring in the workplace; (c) Making it a requirement that each employee to be engaged in the performance of the grant be given a copy of the statement required by paragraph (a); (d) Notifying the employee in the statement required by paragraph (a) that, as a condition of employment under the grant, the employee will: (1) Abide by the terms of the statement; and, (2) Notify the employer in writing of his or her conviction for a violation of a criminal drug statute occurring in the workplace no later than five calendar days after such conviction; (e) Notifying the agency in writing, within ten calendar days after receiving notice under subparagraph (d)(2) from an employee or otherwise receiving actual notice of such conviction. Employers of convicted employees must provide notice, including position title, to every grant officer or other designee on whose grant activity the convicted employee was working, unless the Federal agency has designated a central point for the receipt of such notices. Notice shall include the identification number(s) of each affected grant; (f) Taking one of the following actions, within 30 calendar days of receiving notice under subparagraph (d)(2), with respect to any employee who is so convicted: (1) Taking appropriate personnel action against such an employee, up to and including termination, consistent with the requirements of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; or, (2) Requiring such employee to participate satisfactorily in a drug abuse assistance or rehabilitation program approved for such purposes by a Federal, State, or local health, law enforcement, or other appropriate agency; (g) Making a good faith effort to continue to maintain a drug-free workplace through implementation of paragraphs, (a), (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f). (Revised 4/9/92) CERTIFICATION REGARDING DEBARMENT, SUSPENSION, AND OTHER RESPONSIBILITY MATTERS - PRIMARY COVERED TRANSACTIONS By signing and submitting this grant application, the applicant, defined as the primary participant in accordance with 45 CFR Part 76, certifies to the best of its knowledge and belief that it and its principals: (a) are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from covered transactions by any Federal Department or agency; (b) have not within a three-year period preceding this proposal been convicted of or had a civil judgment rendered against them for commission of fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a public (Federal, State, or local) transaction or contract under a public transaction; violation of Federal or State antitrust statutes or commission of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false statements, or receiving stolen property; (c) are not presently indicted or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a governmental entity (Federal, State, or local) with commission of any of the offenses enumerated in paragraph (1)(b) of this certification; and (d) have not within a three-year period preceding this application/proposal had one or more public transactions (Federal, State, or local) terminated for cause or default. The inability of a person to provide the certification required above will not necessarily result in denial of participation in this covered transaction. If necessary, the prospective participant shall submit an explanation of why it cannot provide the certification. The certification or explanation will be considered in connection with the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) determination whether to enter into this transaction. However, failure of the prospective primary participant to furnish a certification or an explanation shall disqualify such person from participation in this transaction. The prospective primary participant agrees that by submitting this proposal, it will include the clause entitled "Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility, and Voluntary Exclusion - Lower Tier Covered Transactions,: provided without modification in all lower tier covered transactions and in all solicitations for lower tier covered transactions. (Revised 4/9192) '98/069 CERTIFICATION REGARDING DEBARMENT, SUSPENSION, INELIGIBILITY AND VOLUNTARY EXCLUSION - LOWER TIER COVERED TRANSACTIONS (To Be Supplied to Lower Tier Participants) By signing and/or submitting this grant application, the prospective lower tier participant, as defined in 45 CFR Part 76, certifies to the best of its knowledge and belief that it and its principals: (a) are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this transaction by any federal department or agency. (b) where the prospective lower tier participant is unable to certify to any of the above, such prospective participant shall attach an explanation to this proposal. The prospective lower tier participant further agrees by submitting this proposal that it will include this clause entitled "Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility, and Voluntary Exclusion - Lower Tier Covered Transactions," without modification in all lower tier covered transactions and in all solicitations for lower tier covered transactions. (Revised 4/9/92) BUDGET NARRATIVE PROGRAM ACCOUNT 22 Program Year 1999-Early Head Start Personnel: Pays for staff gross salaries. Fringe Benefits: Pays for fringe benefits for regular employees at the following rates: . FICA .0620 x salary . Medicare .0145 x salary . Disability .0051 x salary . Life Insurance .00029 x 3 x salary . Retirement .06 x salary . Workman's Compensation .0068 x Teachers salaries .0916 x Aides' salaries .0049 x Admin staff salaries . Health and Dental $1,854.96/staff/year (Retirement,disability, life, and health insurance are only available to full-time employees.) Occupancy: Rent-For classroom space at child care centers. Telephone - Based on the amount spent in the classroom last year, plus new cost for 3 dedicated lines for computers. Child Liability Insurance-Our insurance is with Fritts Insurance Company,at$3.80 per child. 1 Maintenance/Repair-Pays for labor and maintenance costs for the upkeep and repair of classroom facilities. Child Travel: Vehicle Operating Expenses-The Weld County Department of Transportation will be providing transportation for all of our sites in the Weld County Area. Transportation to appointments for children with disabilities within the Head Start program is included in this amount. Field Trips -(Monthly) Includes a trip to the Denver Zoo and such local attractions as the Pumpkin Farm, libraries, etc. Staff Travel: Out-of-Town-This is the expected cost for national and regional training conferences and workshops. Travel costs include registration, airfare and travel, per diem of$25.00 per day, and lodging. The out-of-state conferences that will be attended are as follows: National Head Start Conference (2 staff members), National Association of Education for the Young Child(2 staff members), High/Scope Validators Training(I staff member), Region VIII Head Start Training Conference(2 staff members). Local -Mileage at$.27 per mile for staff to travel to the sites for monitoring and training purposes. Also reimburses staff for recruitment of eligible Head Start participants,home visits, in-state training,meetings, etc. • Nutrition & Food: Children's Food -Pays for meal costs not covered by funds received through the Child Adult Care Food Program for USDA reimbursement for meals. Adult Food-Pays for the costs of Adult meals for teachers,teacher aides,and volunteers who are participating in mealtime activities. Supplies: 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. 2 Classroom/Home Base-Pays for supplies used in the classroom, including teaching materials, construction paper,paint,scissors, small equipment 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. Other Child Services: Med./Dental/Screening/Care- This is a contracted cost with area doctors and dentists to provide health and dental services for the Head Start children. Covers screenings,medical exams by a doctor and dental exams with a dentist and dental hygienist. Mental Health Assess./Care - This is a contracted cost with Weld Mental Health Inc. to provide Mental Health services for the Head Start children and families. Other Parent Services: Parent Activities-Covers the cost for Parent Meetings and Parent Training which include travel reimbursements and child care costs. This cost is based on the amount that was spent in the previous year. Out-of-Town -Pays for 2 parents to attend the Region VIII Head Start Training Conference and 2 parents to attend the NHSA National Training Conference Local-Reimbursement at$.27 per mile for parents traveling to Parent Policy Council Meetings, State Parent Association meetings and other out of town training and meetings. Other-This money is dedicated to Parent Literacy Activities and$2000.00 goes toward transitional training.. Other: 3 Contracrual: The cost of contracting the Parent as Teachers Home Visitors with the Parent as Teachers Consortium and medical,dental and Mental Health services for children and families. Subscriptions/Memberships -Professional and early childhood related publications, and memberships to professional organizations related to early childhood and Head Start. 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. Data Processing- This is Head Starts share of the cost of the computer system used by staff members. This cost is based on the number of computers that are used by the Head Start Staff. Currently they have partial use of 6 out of the 22 computers used in the Division of Human Services. Administrative Overhead-This is another change associated with the new financial system we are using. Cost is the administrative cost that the program incurs through the DHS. Like the transportation costs, these costs are compiled in an Internal Service Pool and are charged to the programs based on the number of hours that the administrative staff spends on each of the programs it serves. The budgeted amount is based on past experience. During the past the administrative staff has spent an average of 25% of its time servicing the Head Start program. Therefore the budgeted amount is equal to 25% of what the anticipated annual administrative costs will be. Included in these costs are: Salaries& Fringe .25 Executive Director- for overseeing and planning of the DHS programs. $ 22,027 .25 Fiscal Officer- for budget preparation and grant tracking. $ 12,421 .25 Accountant- for cost allocation and reporting. $ 7,299 .25 Fiscal Specialist-for the purchasing function and contract maintenance $ 6,549 .25 Fiscal Specialist-for account payables. $ 5,697 4 .25 Personnel Mgr. -for personnel function and payroll. $ 9,057 .25 PBX Operator- for PBX operation. $ 5,188 Supplies $ 2,909 Overhead Charges(allocated administrative buildings) $ 33,827 Data Processing& Communications $ 6,137 Travel $ 1,789 Misc. $ 1,003 County Central Service Costs* $ 37,969 Total $151,872 * County Central Service Costs - Weld County charges the Family Education Network of Weld County a yearly service cost amount. Please refer to the enclosed cost allocation schedule compiled by an independent source. There is normally a two year lag between when the costs are compiled and when they are charged to you. Due to the fact that the Division of Human Services is experiencing budget cuts the County has agreed to use FY 1992 as the basis of this charge. 5 9x/069 The Family Educational Network of Weld County (FENWC), under the auspices of the Weld County Division of Human Services (DHS) provides a comprehensive early childhood education program which focuses on early childhood development and provides support to families within Weld County, supported by the Head Start framework. 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 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 are encouraged, 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 1 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. 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. 2 92io4 9 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. FENWC is also receiving funding through the Weld County Department of Social Services, Family Preservation Program, to enhance family support for families and children. Children may qualify through the following funding sources; The Head Start and Migrant Head Start Programs, Colorado Pre-school Program, School District Special Needs Funds, and families paying for services. FENWC currently has twelve sites located throughout Weld County. 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 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 the North Colorado Medical Center Foundation, Parent as Teachers Consortium, 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 and family 3 self-sufficiency. By selecting low-income families with a pregnant mother or a child younger than two years of age. Early intervention for both the child and the mother will foster a healthy life situation for the child and increase the parenting and self-sufficiency skills of the family. The major goal will be 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 the problems associated with poverty. The North Colorado Medical Foundation operates as the fiscal agent for local community based organizations and projects (see appendices), such as: Vision Together- WeCan, Pastoral staff at the regional hospital, fund Seniors are Special Program, the cancer and burn units at the regional hospital, is the primary fund raising entity for the newly developed Children's Clinic, provides funding for the Med-aide (prescription payment assistance program) at local community health clinics, and additional community wellness activities. Family Connects is the coordinating agency of the Parents as Teachers Consortium. Family Connects is responsible for at-risk identification of all potentially at-risk infants, coordinates community based developmental health screenings throughout Weld County for children 0-5, coordinates the multi-disciplinary diagnostic and evaluation clinics throughout the county 0-5, facilitates Parent to Parent Networks for families of children with disabilities regardless of age, sponsors the local state-funded learning clusters for families and professionals, Choices for Children - identifies gaps in community based resources and supports local communities to develop and implement activities and services for all families in the community, and coordinates and supervises 4 the Local Education Agencies for Part-H,IDEA for Weld County. Funding comes primarily through federal, state and local grants, as well as private community dollars, foundation The Parent as Teachers Consortium is operated under the auspices of the North Colorado Medical Center Foundation, Family Connects. The Consortium is comprised of the following agencies using the Enhanced Parent as Teachers Curriculum: Family Connects-the Part H/Baby Find - Child Find Agency (0-5), providing services to Weld County, Weld County Board of Cooperative Educational Services - providing educational/disabilities services to families in 9 school districts in Weld County, Even Start - a family literacy program, Weld Greeley/Evans School District 6, Weld Windsor School District RE-4, The University of Northern Colorado, Early Childhood and Early Childhood Special Education Departments, and the Goals 2000 Team. STATISTICAL DATA Weld County Population There are 28 incorporated towns in Weld County, which are statutory towns, governed by elected councils and mayors. 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 1900, to 31 people in 1980, 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. According to 1990 census figures the last decade's growth rate was 6.8%, since then it has been estimated that Weld County's population has increased an average of 2-3% 5 annually. This current increase will add up to an increase estimated at approximately 15.3% by the end of the decade. With the development projected along Interstate 25 and with the new Denver International Airport in 1995, this anticipated growth rate is likely. The 1990 census showed that among all 63 counties in Colorado, Weld County ranks 9th in total population and population density. The county is classified as an urban county by the Demographic Section of the Colorado Division of Local Government. Ethnic Distribution White 71% Black/Other 2% Hispanic 27% Economic/Income Profile The most current complete statistics reflect the income levels and profiles from 1996 The economy has changed from a predominately agricultural economy to a more diversified economy, including an increase in the service and manufacturing industries. Service Industries personal income has increased from 9% in 1969 to 25% in 1993 and manufacturing personal income has increased from 12% in 1969 to 27% in 1996 Meanwhile, agricultural personal income has decreased from 22% in 1969 to 8% in 1996 Per Capita Income 17,468.00 Median Family Income 30,800.00 6 Unemployment Rate Weld County 4.1% Greeley 4.1% Colorado 3.8% National Average 5.2% 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 (the local newspaper) revealed that Greeley's wages are well below the state average. Cost of Living Summary The average cost of living for a family of four is $28,236.00 per year. The break out of costs is as follows: Rental Housing(3 bedroom house) $ 750.00 Gas & Electricity 85.00 Phone 76.00 Cable 30.00 Food 541.00 Clothing 70.00 Medical (one office visit) 48.00 Automotive(Insurance, maintenance, gas& payments) 494.00 Recreation 32.00 Miscellaneous 227.00 Total expenses per month 2,353.00 7 9 /oi4 Weld County: Population Breakdown by Town Ault 1,233 Kersey 1,058 Dacono 2,334 La Salle 1,884 Eaton 2,150 Lochbuie 1,221 Erie 1,421 Mead 527 Evans 6,580 Milliken 1,691 Firestone 1,460 Nunn 344 Fort Lupton 5,438 Pierce 869 Frederick 1,142 Platteville 1,815 Garden City 209 New Raymer 103 Gilcrest 1,142 Severance 124 Greeley 64,908 Windsor 5,937 Grover 141 Unincorporated 36,761 Hudson 981 Multi-County 33 Johnstown 1,680 Keenesburg 638 TOTAL 148,014 Ethnic Distribution White 77% Black/Other 2% Hispanic 21% 8 9Y/0e09 Public Education There are 13 public school districts in Weld County. District Common Name # of Students RE-1J St. Vrain Valley 2,840 RE-1 Gilcrest 1,965 RE-2 Eaton 1,363 RE-3J Keenesburg 1,372 RE-4 Windsor 1,952 RE-5J Johnstown/Milliken 1,236 Dist. 6 Greeley/Evans 13,239 RE-7 Kersey 981 RE-8 Ft. Lupton 2,636 RE-9 Ault-Highland 861 RE-10J Briggsdale 103 RE-12 Grover 124 Total Student Enrollment 28,672 Total Part C/IDEA eligible children. . . . 184 Data gathered by the Goals 2000 Advisory Team on public school student enrollment reflects the following: 29.4%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 students lack employment; five percent (7%) of teen students become pregnant; and 4.7% of students drop out. 9 The Colorado Children's Campaign, "KidsCount!" revealed the following statistics for Weld County's children in their recent assessment:there are 11,873 children ages 0 to 5, 18.9%of children live in poverty, 73.3 children out of 1000 receive TANF (7%), and 27.5% of the births are to single moms who have an annual median income of$13,609.00. Weld County Department of Social Services reports: There are 636 families receiving TANF (down from 1,802 in 1993), there are 2217 families receiving Medicaid(up from 1543 in 1993), 2,142 food stamp recipients (down from 2465 in 1996), and 569 families receiving child care assistance (up from 421 in 1997). There are approximately 750 migrant seasonal farm worker families not receiving supplemental who have children from ages birth through six years old. In 1996 the Colorado Department of Education, Early Childhood Initiatives completed a comprehensive on site evaluation called the "Community Child Service Review. A team with representation from around the state organized interviews with over 22 agencies and facilitated 5 family focus groups throughout Weld County. The following concerns were identified: • Families want more inclusive supports within their own communities. • Inclusion is happening on a small scale, but needs to increase. • Transportation continues to be a barrier that prevents families from accessing supports, resources and services. 10 9g/ v69 • The language barrier and lack of culturally sensitive professionals have isolated many families. (51% of the children enrolled in FENWC programs are monolingual Spanish speaking). • Weld County has a history of strong interagency and business collaboration. • More funding needs to be available to establish consultation and intervention to meet the needs of the disabled child. Weld County's Interagency Early Child Find Network has seen over 720 children this year (birth to four), 230 children have been referred to specialized services and 250 were referred for on-going monitoring of their development, Part H, IDEA, count was 204 eligible children in need of comprehensive services. There continues to be a lack of community resources for families not qualifying for Part H, but in need of support, learning opportunities and resource management These recent Community Assessments and Planning Teams Reports have reinforced the assumption that despite good interagency collaboration and networking, Weld County still does not meet the needs of families identified with risking factors. The Division of Human Services(the umbrella agency for FENWC)is involved in many community efforts to promote self-sufficiency for low-income families. The efforts of the Division of Human Services include, employment and training programming and coordination, Welfare Reform Initiatives with the local Department of Social Services,joint planning with the Weld County Health Department, coordinates the Private Industry Council, and various other activities which promote 11 employment and training. FENWC itself, is in involved in many planning and coordinated activities in the community. These activities include: Conducting a Community Youth Health Care Needs Assessment in conjunction with the Children's Clinic and the North Colorado Medical Center; attending many coalitions/committees at the local level including; the immunization coalition, Weld County Health Coalition, Early Childhood Advisory Councils for three school districts, Weld County Capacity Building Grant Advisory Committee, Weld Information and Referrals Services - Child Care Resource and Referral Agency, Northern Colorado Migrant Coalition, Local Interagency Coordinating Council/Child Find,Aims Community College Early Childhood Advisory Council and many state boards and councils. Baby Find of Weld County is an identification program of"potential"risk factors in newborns. The 1996 data tracking report found these trends in 1,814 births: 136 families were monolingual Spanish speaking: 166 new teen mothers under the age of 18 years old; 553 parents had less than a 12 grade education; 647 families were Medicaid eligible, 221 had no medical insurance or public assistance for health care; 102 mothers received late or no prenatal care, 215 families had limited financial resources, 166 families had identified bonding or social emotional needs (abuse history, domestic violence, divorce, drug/alcohol dependence, incarceration); 15 babies tested drug positive at birth, 115 infants were referred for follow-up hearing evaluations. These statistics reflect referrals of 850 families to agencies, supports and resources within the community to provide services that may be able to minimize or nullify the potential and identified risk factors noted at birth. The findings in 12 the 1995 Baby Find Report were similar to those of the aforementioned 1996 report. Not all of the Baby Find/Child Find referrals resulted in establishing ongoing services. Some of the barriers to providing supports were due to: lack of funding which expands and increases parent education supports for families not eligible for programming, lack of cultural and linguistical supports, and limited resources and services existing in individual communities. Weld County's Interagency Early Child Find Network has seen over 720 children this year (birth to four), 230 children have been referred to specialized services and 250 were referred for on-going monitoring of their development, Part H, IDEA, count was 204 eligible children in need of comprehensive services. There continues to be a lack of community resources for families not qualifying for Part H, but in need of support, learning opportunities and resource management The intent of the Early Head Start Collaborative Project Proposal is to create services and supports that expand, enhance and promote 75 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 32 children served in an Early Head Start Center and 43 families served using a home visiting prevention/intervention model throughout Weld County. Families living within Weld County and meeting the Early Head Start eligibility criteria will be able to choose between the full-day center based services or home and community based supports and 13 9y/o69 services. The key to this proposal is the concept of parental choice,,espcecially with the Welfare requirements the families receiving TANF will be mandated to be self sufficient within a two year period. This proposal also includes the flexibility to allow families to move from the Parent as Teachers/Home Base model to the center model, and vice-versa. Ten to fifteen percent(10%- 15%) will be families who have children identified with special needs, and a maximum of 10% of the families may be over the income eligibility guidelines. A large percentage will be teen parents and pregnant mothers who are enrolled in existing prenatal case management services. Families who are drug and alcohol dependent and agricultural farm workers will also be targeted for services, and actively participate in the planning period of the grant. All programming will honor and support a families 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 identified goals. The program will have two primary early childhood activities, service models which will both work with the family on self sufficiency planning, as well as developing parenting skills: • 1) To provide quality early childhood supports and services, for 32 children, in a full- day/full-year Early Head Start center-based program, utilizing existing child care centers, which will incorporate the Head Start philosophy and model into their classrooms. This model will include a minimum of one, two hour, home visit per family per week utilizing the Parents as Teachers Curriculum. 14 • 2) To establish and maintain on-going home visits with 43 families utilizing the Parents as Teachers Curriculum and provide weekly parent/tot learning groups. This model will include.three, one and one half hour home visits per week, a weekly socialization/play group for the children and one parent activity per month. Families involved in both models of the program will develop and plan individual goals, priorities, and activities that will move them toward family self-sufficiency. The components of the grant will provide extensive resource/case management and parent to families. The resource management program will involve a Family Partnership Agreemt for all families in accessing medical, dental, immunizations, mental health services, and other services required to assist them to meet their individually identified needs. Partnerships between agencies within the community will be established to ensure services are available to families without barriers or limitations. 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 services to children and families. As stated earlier there exist many services in Weld County, however; a mechanism is not in place which makes services easily accessible to families: The partnership which is being created between the Family Educational Network of Weld County (FENWC) and the Parents as Teachers Consortium/ Family Connects (Family Connects) focuses on streamlining and coordinating care for children and families. This will be created by networking 15 98/069 with agencies that work with children and families within Weld County in order to simplify family/child entry into sysstems. As well as streamlining services for children and families, families will have the abilitiy, depending on their situations,to shift from the center base model to the home base model and vice versa. Again,this flexibility allows for the Early Head Start Program to meet the needs of families in a timely fashion. Families and children will receive the full range of health services to include; prenatal care and education,nutritional services,preventive health care and mental health. Children will enter school healthy and have completed the mandated series of immunizations and will suffer from fewer illnesses and disease, therefore; increasing their attendance rate, allowing for future educational successes. 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 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 high school 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 16 9Y/ 0(09 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. 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/tot learning clusters) where the parent will have the opportunity for "hands on" experiences with their children. Parents will receive instruction in their home following the Early Head Start Home Base Program philosophy, using the Parents as Teachers Curriculum, enhance their parenting abilities to support their child throughout their lives. By providing the families a variety of resources and support systems it is anticipated that parents and their children will be provided with the tools/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 chid occurs between the ages of birth to three. This was also supported in the recent News Week edition, "Your Child: Birth to Three" Basic literacy education will be encouraged for all adults who lack a GED or the basic skills for employment. Participants lacking a high school education will be enrolled in GED/ABE classes or remediation activities. These will be provided by the FENWC/Employment Services -" Literacy in 17 Technology Program." FENWC and the Employment Services of Weld County are currently implementing 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. All twelve FENWC sites will have the system installed into their centers. Eligible participants will be encouraged to access the "Literacy in Technoloty Program" at the current sites. Parents will receive remedial, vocational and basic education as well as employment training to ensure their employability. 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. 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. With the current national emphasis of Welfare Reform and Welfare to Work, the parent literacy programs and support systems are important elements of the Early Head Start Program. 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 be successful. 18 APPROACH The Division of Human Services because of its unique comprehensive nature should be considered a strong candidate for the receipt of this grant. As mentioned, under the umbrella agency there exist 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, 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. The Division of Human Services intends to capitalize on two successful programs and delivery systems, within the agency, to incorporate many of the concepts of this proposal. The Family Educational Network of Weld County (FENWC) and Employment Services. Services will also be coordinated/contracted with a third successful Weld County Agency, the North Colorado Medical Foundation, Parents as Teachers Consortium to maximize services for the targeted population. The Division of Human Services, Family Educational of Weld County has operated the Head Start 19 Program since 1974. Since its inception it has grown from serving 85 children yearly to serving 477 Head Start eligible children in 1997, 386 eligible Migrant 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 950 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. Employment Services of Weld County has historically provided comprehensive and coordinated services to the unemployed and underemployed. It currently offers employment and training programs under the Job Service, Job Training Partnership Act Program, 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 programming. Family Connects has for the past eighteen years coordinated multiple community based interagency activities, on behalf of young children (0-5 years), operated Child Find activities as the as the coordinated entry point for all screening and evaluation services since 1979 (an average of 500 children are seen yearly=9,000 children). Family Connects has initiated and developed preschool services of the grassroots 99-457 preschool programs in Weld County, is as a community service 20 .9 / 0(01 development agency which identifies gaps within the community and takes the lead implementing these programs. Family Connects coordinates the Parents as Teachers Consortium which has a strong base of community organization and program operation skills and successes relative to children and families. If funded, all entities that fall under the umbrella's of the Division of Human Services, North Colorado Medical Center - Parents as Teachers Consortium, and Family Connects along with parents, will establish weekly work sessions to identify the systematic changes and additional activities which need to be implemented to assure services for families and children. Additional key members of the child and family community will be invited to help address the needs of the program and community. Work plans will be developed to include policy and procedure, time frames, specific activities, interagency agreements, points of responsibility, program marketing and development, identification of unforeseen barriers for implementation of the project, and identify additional financial and community supports. Policy and 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. 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 children 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 21 disabilities with the local education agencies and the Child Find Agency. If services are not available to children via these agencies contracts will be written with therapists to ensure that appropriate services are provided to the child and family. This proposal is being written in conjunction with the Family Educational Network of Weld County, Parents as Teachers Consortium and Family Connects, the local Child Find, Part H agency. This agency has the responsibility of overseeing the home visitor portion of the program and will assist with and coordinate services at the center-based option, for children identified with disabilities. The goals of the program are as follow: 1. Provide comprehensive programs to the family which will address the intellectual, social, emotional and physical need to encourage a healthy environment for the growth and development of the child and family. 2. Implement an immersion program which will provide case managers to be advocates for the family and assist the family in obtaining the services and support necessary to become self- sufficient while providing the family unit with the skills to make healthy decisions to promote self-sufficiency. 3. Provide the parents and other family members the opportunities to gain the skills to encourage a healthy learning and growing environment for the infant and all family members. 4. Provides choice for services which will best meet the family's individual needs (Home based services or center based services). 22 98/ 06t The related objectives for both project models are as follow: (See appendices for time-frames) 1. To develop and initiate the Enhanced Parents as Teachers (PAT) program on a county wide basis to Head Start eligible families who have children from birth to three years of age. 1.1 Identify and recruit (through advertising, employment services and referral) and train culturally and socio-economically sensitive individuals as certified PAT home visitor educators, and secure the corresponding Child Development Associate(CDA) in accordance with the Head Start Performance Standards. Program parents and the community will be involved throughout the recruitment and hiring process. Hired staff will not be discriminated against due sex, race, disability, etc. 1.2 Disseminate availability and purpose of PAT to local agencies, churches, health clinics, employment resource and training programs, and through neighborhood venues. 1.3 Recruit eligible families, including families with children with disabilities. Children will be recruited by referral from the Department of Social Services (TANF Participants), the local hospital, Child Find Agency and Part H, school districts, physicians and the local Health Department and Health Clinics, current enrolled Head Start families, drug and rehabilitation programs. 1.4 Enroll, establish and formalize an on-going caseload of families participating in the PAT project, for both models. 1.5 Initiate the Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) process for all families. 1.6 Develop and implement an IFSP to ensure that families' needs,priorities and goals are identified and addressed. An IFSP will be written for all families, not only families who have children with identified special needs. 23 1.7 Implement and secure services for each enrolled family. 2. To establish weekly community based education playgroups for parents to participate in with their young children. 2.1 Identify and establish additional sites within communities that are readily accessible and welcoming to families. 2.2 Provide each individual site with the appropriate toys, equipment, materials, and literature to assure an enriched early learning environment. 2.3 Develop a system which enables families (both home based and center based the ability to consistently participate in the community based programs, looking at times which meet the needs of the families, i.e.; evenings and weekends. 2.4 Ensure competent facilitation of community-based activities through on-going training and supervision of certified PAT educators. 2.5 Expand partnerships with community agencies and resources that support children with special needs. 3. Provide on-going family education opportunities which will equip parents with the knowledge and skills necessary to raise children who will eventually be contributing community members. 3.1 Develop, enhance and/or expand upon the opportunities which address a variety of issues that impact family life (employment issues, normal development, behavior, medicaUdental, nutrition, financial, literacy, early literacy skills, advocacy/reciprocal skills). 3.2 Encourage and promote the value of family and community through functional daily activities and routines, such as; bedtime routines, reading, family time and hygiene. 24 9�iU& 9 3.3 Minimize barriers which may prevent families from attending and actively participating in employment and educational opportunities and community activities (transportation, child care, etc.) 4. Create and expand on lending library materials and activities(toys, videos, literature,books) that will be available to families to promote early learning in the home environment. 4.1 Provide a variety of age appropriate materials (learning kits) which will encourage interactive learning play between parent and child, and child and siblings. 4.2 Develop guidelines and suggestions to assist parents in using the learning kits to maximize educational opportunities with their children. 4.3 Collaborate with existing community agencies and libraries to increase resources and availability of developmental materials for families. 4.4 Expand the FENWC Parent Involvement van to enhance materials and increase availability of activities for the families. 5. Provide on-going resource/service coordination to families that will increase their abilities to access comprehensive community resources and services. 5.1 Train, supervise and support the certified PAT home visitor's and center based service coordinators to increase their knowledge and skills in resource/service coordination and advocacy for families. 5.2 Strengthen relationships with agencies, business, and community resources that support and provide services to families. 5.3 Maintain a comprehensive listing of family and community services, resources and supports within each community of Weld County. 25 5.4 Increase parent awareness regarding availability of community resources, and support them through agency/system processes. 6. Develop partnerships with local Early Childhood Education Agencies and local prenatal case management agencies to assure smooth transitions from pregnancy, birth to infancy and on to preschool, based on the individualized needs identified on the IFSP. 6.1 Establish funding of last resort contracts with pre-natal/health agencies to assure services for eligible families during pregnancy, birth and through two months of age are available. 6.2 Plan and implement a systematic approach to transition families into the on-going PAT program. 6.3 Conduct periodic information sharing times to assure all providers have current knowledge of service delivery systems within a variety of agencies and can support families to meet their IFSP goals. 6.4 Provide training to parents on transitional activities and behaviors to assist their children transition from the preschool on to the public school system, based upon the IFSP and transitional activities and from Home Based to Center Based programs for TANF recipients engaged in employment related activities. 6.5 Develop arrangements with the Head Start agency, to enhance transition services into the Head Start Program. If other preschool programs are the choice of the family, coordinate services so that the family may continue to be supported through the IFSP and transition process through their preschool experience. These arrangements will include follow-up with the family until entry into the public school system. 26 9g7067 6.6 Increase communication with the local educational agencies to accept preschool children into the local public school system. 7. Provide comprehensive screening and evaluations of children birth through school entrance which include developmental, medical, hearing and vision components, and appropriate intervention supports that meet the needs of the child and family. 7.1 Expand and refine the existing county-wide child find system. 7.2 Assure that there is a primary resource/service coordinator to assist families in navigating systems and agencies. 7.3 Provide the necessary supports including transportation and child care to ensure families will attend all scheduled appointments, evaluations, and follow-up their child may need. 7.4 Provide specialized consultation and direct therapeutic intervention services to children requiring services as indicated on the IFSP. (The IFSP will be developed using the multi- disciplinary team approach.) 8. Provide and support the health needs of the child and family, including prenatal, well baby care, diagnosis, treatment, immunizations, nutrition and preventive health care. 8.1 Identify health care resources within the community and develop a health care resource list. 8.2 Include health care needs on the families IFSP. 8.3 Establish medical homes for families and for the family. 8.4 Ensure follow-up services for the family, and provide assistance for any issues which may inhibit them from following through with treatment, i.e., transportation, and child care. 27 9g/0ti 9 9. Build a sense of community through immersion of staff and families into community based activities, that will create a string relationship between the Early Head Start Project and the community. 9.1 Identify community based agencies, businesses, services and natural support that exist in the area, using a"mapping" approach. 9.1 Identify shared goals, services, and visions. 9.2 Develop potential partnerships and plans that will support and strengthen community involvement and strengthen existing partnerships. 9.3 Integrate key staff and parents into community committees of networks that share a vision for supporting families. 9.4 Develop local networks in areas with limited resources of family service providers, businesses and community members to promote and support activities for families. 9.5 Facilitate strategic planning within the various networks, committees and coalitions to develop a community vision for services relative to children and families. 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. There will be one Service Coordinator per 60 families. They will be assisted with the supports of the Specialist Management Team. • Education In Child Development will be provided by FENWC and other local parent and family educational agencies, as identified. The areas of education will include. but not be 28 limited to; Infant Stimulation, Child Development, Behavior Management, Home Safety, Language Stimulation and The Importance of Play. • 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 yearly physical examinations, immunizations for the children, dental examinations, developmental screenings, 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. Children will receive nutritious meals in accordance with the Head Start Performance Standards, and the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program. Contracts currently exist with local school districts for meal service. • Mental Health Services and assessments will be provided with North Range Behavioral Health, via contracted services. Counseling and therapy will be available and offered to the families as deemed appropriate by the mental health care giver and the clients case manager. Services that are available but not limited to, are; individual, family and group therapy, substance abuse care. and support groups. The Family Educational Network of Weld currently holds a contract (40 hours per week) for their Head Start and Migrant Head Start Programs. Mental health (self-esteem) issues will be integrated throughout the curriculum, and a mental health professional is regularly scheduled in the classrooms to provide support to the educational staff 29 • Employment services .employment counseling,vocational training and education will occur through existing programs. All employment and training programs will follow established federal, state and local standards. • Employment and training assessments will include, as appropriate, a General Aptitude Test Battery (GAT-B) to provide a complete assessment of aptitudes, abilities, skills and interests. A Vocational Preference Inventory will be used to diagnose vocational preference and training interests. The ABLE tests will be used for a diagnostic evaluation of the education performance level. A short and long range plan will be developed to assist the family member develop strategies to reach their goals. There are two certified state counselors available for test interpretation and vocational counseling. Basic Education Remediation and Literacy is strongly encouraged for all clients who lack a GED or the basic skills for employment. Participants lacking a high school education will be enrolled in GED/ABE classes or remediation activities. These will be provided by the FENWC/Emplovment Services - Literacy in Technology Program. FENWC and the Employment Services of Weld County are currently implementing a Wide Area Network, which includes adult literacy programs and General Education Diploma (GED) programs. All twelve FENWC sites will have the system installed into their centers. • Occupation Skill Training provides individuals with specific occupational skills both of a cognitive nature, as well as manual skills necessary to perform a specific job or group of jobs. These skills will be added to the Wide Area Network mentioned previously. 30 • Supportive Services are available to assist families participate successfully in programs identified on the Family Partnership Agreement. These services include assistance with child care and transportation. The Division of Human Services operates a county-wide transportation system which will be at the disposal of all families participating in the program. • Prenatal Care and education will be provided by local health clinics, resource/service coordinators, the Health Department, or private physicians. Transportation will be provided to appointments if needed. Parents will attend classes identified in their IFSP to meet their individual needs and be coordinated by their resource/service coordinator. • Substance Abuse Identification and Treatment will be provided in coordination with The Island Grove Regional Treatment Center(Special Connection-prenatal specific), the School Districts prevention programs and other identified substance abuse programs and initiatives. All substance abuse treatment programs will operate in conjunction with mental health providers to assure that all family issues are identified and addressed. • Supportive Services are available to assist clients participate successfully in the programs. These services include assistance with child care and transportation. The Division of Human Services operates a county-wide transportation system which will be at the disposal of all families participating in the program. All of the activities and services discussed previously will be age and developmentally appropriate and meet the individual needs of the family to support the realization of their family goals. The Head Start and Parents as Teachers models' and philosophies' will be the fundamental guiding principles to ensure comprehensive child and parent development programs are consistent with 31 established standard and support the values and philosophy of family self-sufficiency.. In addition to adhering to the minimum rules and regulations as have been established by HHS/ACF/ Head Start Performance Standards, Developmentally Appropriate Practices For Children Birth Through Age 8, established by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) will be followed. The Early Childhood Programs will be licensed by the Colorado Department of Human Services and meet all local, state and federal guidelines, as well as have NAEYC accreditation. Head Start funds will provide for Head Start services for children in the child care setting for five hours of services, and be reimbursed by Child Care Assistance Programs (supplemental child care funds) through the local Department of Social Services for the remainder of the day. The teachers and home visitors employed will have minimum qualifications of the Child Development Associate (CDA) and Parents as Teachers Certification, within the one-year time- frame recognized by the Department of Health and Human Services/ACF/Head Start Bureau. As well as having the minimum qualification of the CDA and PAT Certification all staff will meet the minimum requirements of The State of Colorado Department of Social Services, licensing requirements, and the requirements for NAEYC accreditation. All staff will be fluent in the primary language of the family and be culturally sensitive. Classrooms will have at a minimum one caregiver who is fluent in the primary language of the child and family. 32 The center-based program will have an adult:child ratio, of 1:3. There will be a team of 2 CDA/PAT Certified co-teachers (CDA cetrified) with one teacher assistant per classroom of eight infants or toddlers. Their will also be three full time equivalenacey Service Coordinator who will be Parent as Teachers Certified and who will conduct the weekly home visit sessions with the families. The teachers will attend one home visit on a monthly basis with the Service Coordinator. The Home Community Based model will be one-to-one family interactions in the home. Each Parents as Teacher Partner will work with a maximum of six families. At the community based play groups there will be three adults per approximately five to seven families. There are already five established sites(Fort Lupton, Windsor, Johnstown/Milliken, Greeley, and Ault)for the play groups, as stated before, there will be a total of thirteen community-based play groups. All facilities are and will be appropriate to meet the needs of the project. Technical Assistance will be sought from the following sources; The Region VIII Department of HHS/ACF/Head Start Quality Improvement Centers, Aims Community College, The University of Northern Colorado, Cluster Trainings, local school districts, and private consultants, if needed. The minimum content of training will include; Early Childhood Development, Family Health Practices, Principles of Case Management. Recruitment Techniques,Networking and Collaboration, Writing Individual Family Service Plans, Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity, etc. Training needs will be identified for each center-based employee and documented and tracked through their performance appraisal. Once the supervisor has approved the training plan it will go 33 to the Career Development Council for approval of the training so that financial support may be provided to the employee. The Family Educational Network of Weld County has always promoted and supported professional growth and development of it's employees. The Home/Community Based Parents as Partners will be required to have a minimum of thirty training clock-hours that support job-related functions, in addition;Parents as Teachers home visitors will attend two monthly networking sessions and trainings throughout the county. Both programs will require that staff maintain and keep current their certificates, licensed and other job requirements. Parents will be involved at the center level as volunteers, observers, members of the Center/Regional Committee which will coordinate with the Head Start Parent Policy Council. The Center Committee's and Policy Committee will be involved directly in program planning and make recommendations to the Parent Policy Council for approval and ratification. (See appendices for Policy Council approval of this proposal) The responsibilities of the Parent Policy Council will include, but not be limited to: a) assistance in the coordination and development of services where gaps exist; b) monitor fiscal and client activity; c) yearly monitoring and evaluation; d) act as a liaison to the community to represent the program on community boards, task forces, etc. 34 9 ./069 e) approve program policy, hiring and firing f) actively participate in program planning Weld County has encouraged and supported community coordination. This proposal was developed with a broad range of community in-put and involvement. The two major entities involved in pulling together this proposal are involved in a number of community based organizations, board and functions. Family Connects. Parents as Teachers Consortium received in-put from all of the member previously mention in this proposal. The Family Educational Network of Weld County (FENWC)as mentioned is engrossed in community activities relative to children and family activities. As well as operating Early Childhood Educational programs, FENWC also operates programs funded by the local Department of Social Services, Family Preservation, and a training grant secured in cooperation with the local community college. Both FENWC and Family Connects have a long standing, documented history of working with in the communities of Weld County. Staff Background and Educational Experience (See appendices). 35 %/06'9 Hello