Upbring Head Start PreschoolAnnual Report 2015/2016

At Upbring, we recognize that children enter the system at different stages of their lives and due to varying life events. Because the types of abuse and neglect vary among children, we are committed to raising the standards and addressing the entire spectrum.

Upbring will accomplish this through an innovative continuum of services and community partnerships, each tracking progress against markers of safety, life skills, education, health and vocation, all of which are critical to breaking the cycle of child abuse.

Upbring Head Start works with families to ensure that all children, regardless of family or community background, enter kindergarten ready to learn. The Head Start program is deeply committed to providing the highest quality services to families and to assisting families in achieving positive family outcomes. To make this happen, Upbring has an extremely strong family services staff team. Each family is assigned center level family services staff who are supervised and supported by a family services and health coordinator.

Upbring Programs:

Adoption BeREAL AustinBeREAL New OrleansBeREAL San AntonioBokenkamp Children’s ShelterDisaster ResponseFoster In TexasHead Start/Early Head StartHealth for Friends ClinicInternational AdoptionKrause Children’s CenterNeighborhood HouseNew Hope Children’ ShelterNew Life Children’s CenterORR – Transitional Foster CareTrinity Charter Schools

Upbring

Head Start

Nearly 50 years ago, Head Start was created by the U.S. Federal Government to provide comprehensive education, health, nutrition, and social services for children from low income homes and their families. Children who attend Head Start will receive a “jump start” on the skills needed to be successful in school through participation in a variety of educational activities.

Early Head Star serves pregnant women, infants and toddlers. The classroom setting provides services for children birth through 35 months with a ratio of one teacher/assistant to four children. Trust and bonding through a good relationship enables infants and toddlers to feel secure allowing meaningful learning to take place.

Head Start serves children ages 3-5 years old. Services to children enrolled in Head Start include medical and dental care, have healthy meals and snacks, and enjoy playing indoors and outdoors in a safe setting. With the goal of helping each child reach his/her potential, Upbring staff create a setting in which children experience the excitement of making new discoveries and mastering new skills. Children will grow intellectually, socially, emotionally, and physically.

Message from Vice President of EducationUpbring Early Head Start and Head Start is a program that provides the family essential skills and support for children to arrive in kindergarten ready to learn and succeed. Our program also strives to help parents understand and empower the educational experience of their child.

Our mission at Upbring Head Start is to break the cycle of child abuse by empowering children, families and communities. Head Start/ Early Head Start provides a unique opportunity to engage the child, family and communities of Texas. Upbring Head Start has 46 employees serving over 259 children in 4 Head Start centers and supporting 4 school districts and several non-profit agency dedicated to helping Head Start/Early Head Start children, parents, and communities succeed. Whether it is our own employees, the wonderful parents who serve on Head Start parent committees, Policy Council or our school districts and communities that lend support, it takes all of us working together to make the program successful.

I am proud of what this program provides to our preschool children in Wharton and Matagorda County.

Dr. Andrew Benscoter

• Wharton HS Center• El Campo EHS & HS Center• Bay City EHS & HS Center• Palacios HS Center

Head Start Locations

El Campo Center1401 Martine Luther Blvd.El Campo, TX 77437

Wharton Center500 Abel Street SouthWharton, TX 77488

Bay City Center 3008 Le Tulle AveBay City, TX 77414

Palacios Center1001 5th StreetPalacios, TX 77465

Community Needs

Wharton County 111

Matagorda County 171

Total number of participants served

Total number of families served

Wharton County 109

Matagorda County 162

Average monthly enrollment

Wharton County 96

Matagorda County 143

Of participants served, the estimated percentage who are categorically or income eligible for Head Start

Wharton County 28.05%

Matagorda County 46.97%

Percentage of enrolled children that received medical exams

Wharton County 100%

Matagorda County 100%

Percentage of enrolled children that received dental exams

Wharton County 100%

Matagorda County 100%

Key Drivers of a Child’s Success Upbring Head Start works directly with Shine Early Learning to ensure families receive essential support services and students are learning through a caring and academically challenging curriculum. The Upbring staff focus upon three key areas to effectively impact the achievement gap.

• Early childhood education focus on intensive coaching, intentional curriculum, and targeted approach to assessment

• Strengthen family engagement with all families to encourage parent/child interactions that will

help close the achievement gap

• Extensive use of data to manage both to compliance and outcomes, built into our Shine Insight

data system

Intentional Education Approach

Focused Family

Services

Meaningful Data

Breakthrough Child Outcome

Gains

Long Term Goals

Show that children who are in our program for two years will leave with a 100 or above on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test and Woodcock Johnson, and thereby close the achievement gap for children and families served:

• Increase our two year Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test and Woodcock Johnson gains by three points

• Increase our average Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test exiting score to 90

• 25%of children in the program for two years will be gap closers

• Increase center director time spent on teacher support to 40%

• Increase our average Teacher Success Rubric scores of returning teachers by ½ points

Impactful Services

Upbring Head Start Family Services provide:• Positive parenting classes• Daily attendance checks for children• Family goal setting• Support for degree completion• Support for job placement• Support for medical/dental/nutrition wellness• Two meals daily (breakfast and lunch)• Mental health support• Social service support• Advocacy for child and self-advocacy through center governance

Upbring Head Start Education Services provide:• Proactive approach to addressing school readiness

• Academic readiness• Social skills• Physical development

• Support to children with behavioral problems• Support to children with disabilities

2015-16 Program Highlights

• Served 227 Head Start children

• Served 32 Early Head Start children

• Collaborated with Bay City ISD, Wharton ISD and Palacios ISD for classroom space

• Successfully relocated the El Campo and Wharton Head Start facilities

• Free infant, toddler child care services for eligible families

• Completed successful enrollment into Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

• Provided year around program for Early Head Start children (including summer program)

El Campo Center DirectorMilton Burrell

2015-16 Financials

Budgetary Expenditures

Salaries & Incentive $613,086

Fringe Benefits $112,820

Total Personnel $725,907

Travel $4,681

Equipment $7,239

Supplies $67,236

Contractual $675,612

Construction $

Other $254,104

Total other than Personnel $1,008,872

Total Expenditure $1,734,779

Proposed Budgetary Expenditures

Salaries & Incentive $627,758

Fringe Benefits $150,976

Total Personnel $778,734

Travel $12,418

Equipment $0

Supplies $37,126

Contractual $642,116

Construction $0

Other $198,096

Total other than Personnel $889,755

Total Expenditure $1,668,489

Board of Directors & Policy Council

Upbring Board of DirectorsGlynn Bloomquest Terry KieschnickSigmund Cornelius Barbara KruseBilly Dyer John LongKathy Entzenberger Michael NewmanMark Etheredge Sharon SmithWood Franklin Catherine ZwernemannEmmanuel Jackson

Policy CouncilMatagorda County Wharton CountyPatricia Ayala Cassandra MundzWandaland Brown Erica Tovar Dianna Benavides Patricia BurkhalterSandra Garcia

Community MemberMendy BlankFrankie Cole

Learn more at Upbring.org