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2013-2014
Friends of Children and Families, Inc. Head Start/
Early Head Start
Annual Public Report
By Kellie Kohler,
Executive Director
Friends of Children and
Families, Inc.
9/1/2014
2
Annual Public Report
A Message from the Executive Director 4
Program Description 5
Vision, Mission, Core Values and Strategic Goals
6
Board of Directors 7
Federal Review Results 8
Enrollment 8
Budgetary Expenditure 9
Proposed Budget 10
Children’s Services 11
Children’s Services and School Readiness 12
Health Services 18
Family Services 19
National Award-Effective Parent, Family and Community Engagement 20
Table of Contents
3
Annual Public Report
A Message from the Executive Director
Dear Friends,
Throughout this past program year, Friends of Children and Families, Inc.(FOCAF), made great strides in preparing
children for school as evidenced in the positive child outcomes data collected and analyzed using the Creative Curricu-
lum and HELP 0-3 assessment tools. Strides in closing the achievement gap were achieved by our program through
providing high-quality and comprehensive early care and education to children 0 to 5 years of age along with engaging
families through enrichment opportunities.
In October of 2013, FOCAF was honored to receive the Notice of Award (NOA) for five years of non-competitive
funding starting in January of 2014. This five year non-competitive award was an affirmation that FOCAF continues to
achieve positive outcomes for children, and has instituted the necessary operational and programmatic systems to suc-
cessfully manage the program.
In June of 2014, FOCAF received a full restoration of the Head Start and Early Head Start grant funds lost during the
federal sequestration cuts in 2013. With the newly restored grant funds, FOCAF reinstated: 23 Federal Head Start, 1
TANF and 4 Federal Early Head Start funded enrollment slots lost due to sequestration. In addition to restoring the lost
slots for children, the funds were used to increase quality by providing more planning and professional development
time for teachers and a third qualified teacher in the classroom. In addition, FOCAF was able to provide a 1.9% Cost
of Living Adjustment for each staff member which was well received by all.
Along with that, many new opportunities presented themselves this year. In July of 2014, FOCAF submitted a grant to
embark on a new service model in Elmore County. Late this summer it was approved for FOCAF to convert 17 Head
Start slots in Elmore County to 12 Early Head Start slots in both counties. FOCAF is excited to start this new adven-
ture as the need is great for birth to five services and pregnant teen moms in Elmore County.
In addition to providing high quality and comprehensive Early Head Start and Head Start services in both Elmore and
Ada County, FOCAF is committed to continue to deliver exceptional early education and family services that are ho-
listic and responsive to the individual needs of infants, toddlers, young children, pregnant women and families in the
years to come.
On behalf of the program, I am honored to present to the Board of Directors, Policy Council Members, community
partners, and the citizens of Ada and Elmore County, the 2013-2014 Friends of Children and Families, Inc., Annual
Public Report.
Sincerely,
Kellie Kohler
Executive Director
Friends of Children and Families, Inc.
4
Annual Public Report
Program Description
Friends of Children and Families, Inc., provides
quality, comprehensive, family centered, early child-
hood Head Start and Early Head Start services in
Ada and Elmore Counties in Idaho. This is made
possible by a yearly grant provided by the Federal
Government, state funds through Temporary Assis-
tance for Needy Families (TANF), USDA meal re-
imbursement, and other supplemental grants like
Ronald McDonald and Idaho Community Founda-
tion. The cities served by FOCAF are Boise, Star,
Meridian, Eagle, Kuna, Garden City, Mountain
Home, and Glenns Ferry.
To provide a classroom environment that assist chil-
dren in becoming ready for school and life-long
learners that possess the skills, knowledge, and at-
tributes necessary to thrive in school and beyond are
some of the main objectives of the program.
Family Engagement is also essential to the success
of children, families and the primary functions of the
program. Parents and staff work hand in hand to cre-
ate an environment of support, trust, love and re-
spect that nurtures the development of the whole
child. The importance of the family, and respect for
the strength and dignity of each family member is
recognized and valued.
FOCAF emphasizes the importance for parents to
become their child’s primary educator and advocate.
With that, every parent is encouraged to be an active
participant in all aspects of the program.
Furthermore, the program recognizes that all
children, families and staff need an enriched
environment that provides opportunities to:
learn; grow in self-awareness; appreciate indi-
vidual differences; develop healthy and support-
ive relationships; develop new strengths and
abilities; and, understand one’s self worth.
To enhance the learning and growth of every
child and family served, FOCAF works together
with families, community partners, schools,
staff, and volunteers to accomplish its primary
mission to provide high quality services by edu-
cating, serving, and partnering with families to
create a community of life-long learners.
5
Annual Public Report
Vision, Mission, Core Values
& Strategic Goals
Following the recommendation of Region X in July of
2014, FOCAF staff and management team, Policy
Council and Board members developed and approved
a new vision and mission statement with three sup-
porting strategic goals.
Vision Statement
Empowering our community through education and
family engagement.
Mission Statement
Our Mission is to provide high quality services by ed-
ucating, serving, and partnering with families to create
a community of life-long learners.
Core Values (AWE)
Acceptance
FOCAF is a friendly, honest and respectful place, re-
flecting diversity, inclusion and access for all.
Wellness Here at FOCAF we work, play and have fun, feeling
good about ourselves. Believing that through healthy
minds and bodies, safety and good nutrition, we nur-
ture positive self-esteem and self-reliance in all.
Excellence
We approach our work by building on individual and
family strengths to maximize learning and to foster
leaders that are reflective, innovative and strive for
improvement.
2014-2018 Strategic Goals
Goal 1: To create more innovative and effi-
cient systems that ensure safe environments and
compliance with program-wide quality stand-
ards for children, families and staff.
Goal 2: To become a leader of excellence in
delivering early childhood services by expand-
ing educational opportunities, increasing part-
nerships and creating program awareness that
will positively influence children, families and
the community.
Goal 3: To implement a professional develop-
ment system that supports staff in enhancing
and acquiring skills to foster positive outcomes
for children and families, while retaining and
recognizing high quality performers.
6
Annual Public Report
FOCAF Board of Directors
Officers:
Chairperson: Sheryl Logan
Vice Chair: Andrea Jackson
Treasurer: Connie Kniefel
Secretary: Shelly Smith
Members:
Michael Romans
Deborah David-Simonds
Jeff West
Chase Hewes
Virginia Wood
7
Annual Public Report
Federal Review Results Date of last Federal Review: 11/14/2011 – 11/18/2011; 4/2/2012 – 4/6/2012
Area of Noncompliance Determination: 74.23 (a)(5) Cost Sharing or matching. The grantee did not ensure its non-federal share did not include Foster Grandparent Program stipends by the Federal
Government.
Area of Noncompliance Determination: Head Start Act Sec. 644 (a)(2)(B) Public Annual Report explanation
of budgetary expenditures and proposed budget for the fiscal year. The grantee did not include a proposed budget for Fiscal Yr. 2010-11 in its Annual Report to the public.
Classroom Assessment Scoring System Results: All within Mid to high range
Emotional Support: 6.1; Classroom Organization: 5.58; Instructional Support 3.48
Desk Review conducted (July 9th, 2012) by Region X Office of Head Start – Corrected per Office of Head Start letter dated 9/17/12
Enrollment
Eligibility, Service and Unmet Service Needs for 2013-2014
Average monthly enrollment at Friends of Children and Families, Inc. in Head Start and Early Head Start
was 100%. In 2014, FOCAF took advantage of the opportunity to restore the slots lost to sequestration in
2013, and then according to need, converted Head Start slots to Early Head Start slots in Elmore County.
In Table 1, the slots are separated by Federal Head Start, TANF Head Start and Federal Early Head Start
slots. Additionally, it shows the slots by county and displays the 2013-2014 program year slots as well as
the new slot counts after the restoration and conversion in 2014 for the final total of 514 slots for the 2014
-2015 program years.
For the 2013-2014 program year, including adds and drops throughout the year, FOCAF served 575 chil-
dren and pregnant moms: 482 (84%) Head Start children and 79 (14%) Early Head Start children and 14
(2%) Early Head Start pregnant mothers.
Table 1 Program Year Slots 2014 Restored Slots 2014 Converted Slots
County Ada Elmore Total Ada Elmore Total Ada Elmore Total
Federal Head Start Slots 347 58 368 60 368 43
TANF Head Start Slots 13 13 14 13 14 13
Federal Early Head Start Slots 60 0 64 66 10
Total Slots: 420 71 491 446 73 519 448 66 514
8
Annual Public Report
Budgetary Expenditure
Head Start and Early Head Start Families and Community Volunteers generated
the following non -federal match to federal grant dollars through volunteer time and dona-
tions: $1,156,986 representing 113% of the required amount
Budgetary Expenditures: Audited Financial Statements 2013
EXPENSES
Program Services
Supporting
Services
Head Start
& EHS
Oral
Health
Care
Total Pro-
gram Ser-
vices
Total Sup-
port Ser-
vices
Grant
Total USDA TANF Board
Personnel 2,434,843 44,819
133,38
7 2,613,049 0 2,613,049
Fringe Benefits 708,085 9,391 42,344 759,820 0 759,820
Supplies & Grant Assets 223,404
174,64
1 9,174 1,000 408,219 375 375 408,594
Child Services 105,252 2,400 107,652 0 107,652
Family & Parent Services 42,860 42,860 0 42,860
Child Services Consultants 39,586 1,985 41,571 0 41,571
Occupancy 382,570 17,316 399,886 0 399,886
Travel 77,101 214 77,315 0 77,315
Staff Development 37,902 37,902 539 539 38,441
Other Expenses 23,754 49 10,850 34,653 4,088 4,088 38,741
Interest 0 36,755 36,755 36,755
Depreciation 0
120,85
8 120,858 120,858
In-Kind Expense 0 27,319 27,319 27,319
TOTAL EXPENSE 4,075,357
229,11
4
215,05
6 3,400 4,522,927
189,93
4 189,934 4,712,861
*According to Quest CPAs, P.C., Fiscal Auditors, Friends of Children and Families, Inc. had an
unqualified fiscal audit for 2013.
9
Annual Public Report
Proposed Budget
Head Start and Early Head Start Proposed Budget for 2014
Friends of Children and Families, Inc. provides quality, comprehensive, family centered early child-
hood services to Ada and Elmore Counties in Idaho. This is made possible by a yearly grant pro-
vided by the Federal Government, state funds through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
(TANF), USDA meal reimbursement, grants through Ronald McDonald, Idaho Caring Foundation
and Idaho Community Foundation.
2014 Budget
EHS Main EHS T/TA HS Main HS T/TA TOTAL
Jan-Dec '14 Jan-Dec '14 Jan-Dec '14 Jan-Dec '14
Federal
Grant 704,268.00 17,381.00 3,589,956.00 42,263.00 4,353,868.00
Personnel 432,218.35 2,172,848.45 2,605,066.80
Fringe Bene-
fits 146,515.19 672,843.48 819,358.67
Supplies 38,433.00 184,768.60 223,201.60
Child Services 940.00 87,000.00 87,940.00
Family & Par-
ent Services 5,750.00 35,400.00 41,150.00
Child Services
Consultants 9,930.00 31,566.19 41,496.19
Occupancy 52,194.96 336,707.33 388,902.29
Staff Travel -
Mileage 10,700.00 32,150.00 42,850.00
Staff Develop-
ment 826.50 2,950.00 10,340.00 17,493.00 31,609.50
Travel (Out of
Area) 14,431.00 24,770.00 39,201.00
Other 6,760.00 26,331.95 33,091.95
704,268.00 17,381.00 3,589,956.00 42,263.00 4,353,868.00
10
Annual Public Report
Children’s Services
Program Curriculum and Assessment Tools
Friends of Children and Families, Inc. uses research-based Creative Curriculum Pre-School, Second Steps,
and Growing, Growing Strong as its main curriculum source for Head Start children 3 to 5 years of age
and research-based Parent as Teachers Curriculum as its main curriculum source for children 0 to 3 years
of age receiving Early Head Start services.
In addition, FOCAF works closely with parents to help infants, toddlers and children progress in their skill
developmental toward school readiness. Assessing and individualizing for infant, toddlers and children is
an important part of FOCAF practices to ensure developmental progress is being made throughout each
program year.
To measure growth in skill development, the HELP 0-3 Assessment, a research-based performance assess-
ment tool, is used for ongoing assessment of children 0-3 years of age enrolled in Early Head Start. For
Head Start children, The Creative Curriculum Developmental Continuum is used to measure growth, de-
velopment and School Readiness in children ages 3-5.
For assessing children, FOCAF Teachers use the Creative Curriculum Assessment tool to record observa-
tions three times a year in November, February, and April, and analyze the developmental progress of
children throughout the year to ensure progress toward school readiness is made. Early Head Start Family
Educators record observations using the HELP 0 -3 assessment tool to aggregate and analyze progress dur-
ing three scheduled checkpoints in December, April, and August.
School Readiness progress for children 0 to 5 years
of age is assessed through the five developmental
domains in the Head Start Child Development Early
Learning Framework:
Social and Emotional Development
Language and Literacy Development
Approaches to Learning
Cognitive and General Knowledge
Physical Well-being and Motor Development
11
Annual Public Report
Children’s Services and School Readiness
Friends of Children and Families, Inc. views school readiness as children becoming life-long learners
who possess the skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary to thrive in school and beyond. School readiness
is the result of families, schools, communities and services working together to provide the environments
and experiences to support the whole range of development and well-being for infants, toddlers and pre-
school children.
FOCAF School Readiness Statement
Ready
Children
Supportive Fam-
ilies & Commu-
nities
Ready
Schools
School Readiness Progress and Gains for Head Start (3-5 year olds)
Head Start utilizes The Creative Curriculum Developmental Continuum to measure growth and School
Readiness in children ages 3-5 in skill development. An assessment is done at three checkpoints to ensure
that children are developing as expected and ready of school. For each checkpoint, the percentage of chil-
dren within a specified level of development is reported. As part of the Development Continuum, Forerunner
stands for the lowest, entry skill level and Level 3 stands for the highest skill level of development of a child
in each of the five domain areas.
By analyzing school readiness progress throughout the year, Friends of Children and Families is able to indi-
vidualize based on the needs of each child to ensure ongoing progress is being made. Children showed sig-
nificant school readiness progress in Language and Literacy Development, Social and Emotional Develop-
ment, Physical Development, Approaches to Learning Development and Cognitive Development.
By the end of the 2013-2014 program year, Head Start children made the following progress in the five
domain areas:
12
Annual Public Report
52% of children were at Level 3
during Checkpoint 3 compared to
only 8% of children at Checkpoint
1 showing a 550% gain in their
Language and Literacy Develop-
ment;
58% of children were at Level 3
during Checkpoint 3 compared to
only 10% of children at Checkpoint
1 showing a 480% gain in their So-
cial and Emotional Development;
80% of children were at Level 3
during Checkpoint 3 compared
to only 27% at Checkpoint 1
showing a 196% gain in their
Physical Well-being and Motor
Development;
13
Annual Public Report
Table 2 2013-2014 Head Start Child Development Outcomes- SPSS
Social/Emotional
Development
Physical Devel-
opment
Cognitive De-
velopment
Language De-
velopment
Approaches to
Learning
FIRST
CHECK POINT
Forerunner 8% 3% 9% 11% 7%
Level 3 10% 27% 7% 8% 4%
THIRD
CHECK POINT
Forerunner 0% 0% 0% 1% 0%
Level 3 58% 80% 55% 52% 57%
PERCENT
GAINS
Forerunner -100% -100% -100% -91% -100%
Level 3 480% 196% 686% 550% 1325%
57% of children were at Lev-
el 3 during Checkpoint 3
compared to only 4% at the
Checkpoint 1 showing a
1325% gain in their mastery
of Approaches to Learning;
55% of children were at Level
3 during Checkpoint 3 com-
pared to only 7% at the Check-
point 1 showing a 686% gain
in their Cognitive and General
Knowledge Development.
By analyzing the HS School Readiness data
using SPSS statistical software, it was deter-
mined, see Table 2, that Head Start children
made significant gains from Checkpoint 1 to
Checkpoint 3 during the 2013-2014 program
year.
14
Annual Public Report
Head Start School Readiness Trends
In addition to making great progress toward school readiness during the 2013-2014 program year, school readiness
outcomes have continued to trend upward over the last three years with the 2013-2014 program year showing the
highest child outcomes and gains overall. It is due to the vision and efforts to positively impact school readiness that
Friends of Children and Families, Inc. has been successful.
To continue to strengthen school readiness progress for children, FOCAF intentionally focuses its resources to pro-
vide teaching staff with ongoing professional development, structure, coaching and the proper planning and collabo-
ration time. Due to those efforts, on average FOCAF’s Teachers have produced higher scores in Emotional Support,
Classroom Organization and Instructional Support then Region X and National Head Start Peers.
15
Annual Public Report
School Readiness Progress for Early Head Start For Early Head Start, FOCAF uses the HELP 0 – 3 assessment tools to measure growth and skill develop-
ment in children ages 0-3 years of age at three checkpoints scheduled strategically throughout the year. Dur-
ing the 2013-2014 program year, FOCAF started out using the Ounce Development Assessment Tool to
measure child outcomes but discovered issues in
being able to aggregate child outcomes data to
support a proper assessment and analysis. After
the first checkpoint FOCAF course corrected
itself and switched to the HELP 0-3 Assessment
tool. To use the different checkpoint data to-
gether, the data was gathered into two catego-
ries: Needs Development and Developing as
expected.
The following are graphs for the five domain
areas that show where children were in their de-
velopment during the First (Ounce), Second
(HELP 0-3) and Third (HELP 0-3) Checkpoints:
School Readiness Progress and Gains for Early Head Start
16
Annual Public Report
17
Annual Public Report
Health Services
Number of Children Served The total actual number served in 2013 – 2014 was 575 (482 Head Start children and 93 Early Head Start children &
pregnant women). The average annual attendance for HS was 86% and EHS 93%.
Health Insurance At enrollment 461 (95%) of Head Start and 78 (99%) of Early Head Start children had insurance; and, at the end of
enrollment 469 (97%) HS children and 79 (100%) of EHS children had insurance.
Additional Health Services At enrollment 356 (74%) of Head Start children and 65 (82%) of Early Head Start children had a physical ex-
amination; by the end enrollment 454 (94%) of HS children and 75 (95%) of EHS children received a physical
examination.
At enrollment 368 (76%) and by the end of enrollment 472 (98%) of Head Start children had a dental home
and 462 (96%) completed a professional dental exam. Early Head Start children that received preventative
dental care (97%.)
By the end of enrollment 474 (98%) of Head Start children and 78 (99%) Early Head Start children where up-
to-date on their immunizations.
Trimester of pregnancy in which pregnant women were enrolled: 22% during 1st trimester, 50% during 2nd
trimester, and 28% during 3rd trimester.
43% of pregnant women were identified as medically high risk by a physician.
Head Start data compared over 3 years:
Disabilities and Mental Health Services 11.8% (57) of HS children were served with a disability and an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and
16% (13) EHS children were served with a disability and on an IFSP.
Mental Health Services 10% of HS Children and 7% of EHS Children were referred for Mental Health services.
11-12 12-13 13-14
Children receiving WIC services 59% 53% 38%
Children with an anemia diagnosis .1% 0% 0%
Children with an asthma diagnosis 2.3% 1% 1%
Children with a hearing impairment 1.3% 2% 1%
Children overweight and obese 31% 26% 28%
Children diagnosed with vision problems 8.5% 3% 4%
Children that received some form of dental treatment
(other than preventative)
18% 21.3% 26%
18
Annual Public Report
Family Services
Number of Families Served
Family Information: Families served by both HS & EHS:
61% were two parent families and 39% were one
parent families
61% families had one or more parents employed
and 39% families had neither parent employed dur-
ing the program year
47% families received parent education
58% received health education
23 different home languages were spoken by fami-
lies
8% of families participated in fatherhood activities
6% of families experienced homelessness and 2% of children were in the foster care system
FOCAF believes that families are an essential part of all aspects of the Head Start program. They make
contributions large and small of interest, ideas, time, and commitment. Together we cultivate healthy, ac-
tive involvement in our communities and share in the diversity of family values and culture. We under-
stand that self-confidence enables families to continue achieving personal goals as they transition from
Head Start and Early Head Start.
Parents have the opportunity to serve on parent committees, Policy Council, and are encouraged to volun-
teer and share their talents in a variety of ways throughout the organization. They volunteer in the class-
room, help with interviewing staff, serve on various committees, and partner with staff to plan and imple-
ment family engagement/fatherhood activities and other activities throughout the organization. In addition,
parents/guardians of FOCAF Head Start children are encouraged to apply for employment opportunities
within the organization. FOCAF Head Start is a strengths-based program that recognizes and celebrates
the talents of each individual family within the program.
Head Start 466
Early Head Start 75
Total number of families served: 541
19
Annual Public Report
National Award:
Effective Parent, Family and Community Engagement
Family engagement for FOCAF is about building relationships with families that support family well-
being, strong relationships between parents and their children and ongoing learning and development for
both parents and children. FOCAF works hard to engage parents throughout all areas of their child’s edu-
cation and development while providing them with the support they need to be successful in life.
Recognizing the contributions and supporting the efforts that parents make in their endeavors to improve
their circumstances and educate their children are key components to FOCAF’s service models.
FOCAF is dedicated to providing families with the support, education, community resources, and training
they need to successfully achieve their long-term goals.
FOCAF’s family engagement program activities
were designed under the guidance of the Office of
Head Start’s researched-based Parent, Family and
Community Engagement Framework. Through
focused efforts, FOCAF has been successful in
helping families overcome challenges and become
lifelong educators for their children.
During the 2nd National Birth to Five Leadership
Institute in April 2013, FOCAF was recognized as
the National Award Winner for implementing an
effective family engagement program goal that
resulted in positive outcomes for children and fam-
ilies.
Friends of Children and Families, Inc. accepts the National Leader-
ship Award for “Effective Family Engagement” from Yvette Sanchez
Fuentes, the part Director for the Office of Head Start.
20