YST Head Start Annual Report
May 1, 2013-April 30, 2014
Funding received from Office of Head Start $457,101
Funding from Infant and Toddler Program $17,500 to assist with funding two assistant teachers.
CANS reimbursements $17, 788
Non-Federal/In-kind match exceeded the required amount of $64, 704.
Total Children Served: 45 | Funded Enrollment: 36
Average Monthly Attendance: 33 Children present
Children receiving medical exams: 31 | Children on IEP's: 11
Children receiving dental screenings: 35 | Families served: 37
Parent meetings were held monthly (9) months
DRS Status: Passed re-evaluation in November and now in first year of five year grant.
Services Provided:
Breakfast and lunch is provided each day Monday through Thursday and occasionally on Fridays. There are two centers, one in Lake Andes and one in Marty. Transitions activities occurred for children transitioning into kindergarten.
Teachers have a minimum of an Associate Degree in Early Childhood and a Masters Degree in Principal Certification, with on-going education in early childhood classes. Two teacher assistants have Associate Degrees in Early Childhood Education and two teacher assistants are pursuing their Associate Degrees in Early Childhood Education.
One staff member has the Family Services Credential.
Collaborative agreements assist in providing services for Developmental Screening and Services, Mental and Behavioral Health Services, Child and Adult Nutrition Services, Health, Dental, Hearing, Vision, Disabilities, Transition Services.
Parents are given a Parent Handbook and are provided information on what kind of programs they can participate in throughout the year. Parents serve on the Policy Council and also on the the Parent Committee and Health Advisory Board.
Head Start- Helps to create healthy development for low income children ages three to five. We provide services that depend on each child and family culture and experience, to influence all aspects of a child’s development and learning.
Family and Community Partnerships – Head Start offers parents opportunities and support as they identify and meet their goals, nurture their children in the context of their family and culture, and advocate to communities that support children and families.
Education includes pre-school education and YST Head Start uses the Teaching Strategies Curriculum and Assessment Computer Program. The curriculum promotes school readiness and is aligned with the Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework and the State of South Dakota Early Learning Guidelines. The Performance and Growth Reports assist users to look at change over time. You can see the various amounts of growth made by children throughout the academic year at the program level, site level, or within classrooms. Additionally, these new reports allow users to identify specific children or groups of children who need additional support to meet performance goals. For this past year the end of the year scores were as follows, in Social Emotional growth the children moved up 15.3 points from the fall to the spring. In Language we moved up 14.8 points, cognitive was 16.5 points, literacy was 26.3 points and math was 13.4 points. Our entire educational staff are involved in progressional development training throughout the year. This includes bus monitor, mental health, dental training, child abuse and neglect, HIPPA/FERPA, child development, teaching strategies curriculum, observation training, school readiness, CLASS, job related stress and burn out, health prevention and safety, hygiene and hand washing, environmental hazards, OSHA and blood borne pathogens, self0assessment, community assessment and individualization.
Health services include screenings, health check-ups and dental check-ups.
Social Services area allows family services coordinator to work with parents and assist them in accessing community resources for low-income families.
Eligibility is largely income-based and includes other eligibility criteria such as disabilities and services to other family members. The enrollment reports show 67% income eligible, 11% over-income, 2% homeless, 4% foster care and 16% public assistance.
We are in the process of beginning a new school year which begins September 8th. Recruitment is on-going.
Submitted by,
Bonnie Stricker, Head Start Director and all Head Start Staff.
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ANNUAL REPORT POLICY
Policy
Yankton Sioux Head Start shall make available to the public a report published at least once in each fiscal year that discloses information from the most recently concluded fiscal year, except that reporting such information shall not reveal personally identifiable information about an individual child or parent.
Procedure
1. The Director is responsible for assigning staff to produce the annual report in each area.
2. The annual report will be made available on the YST website. A limited number of paper copies will be made available for distribution.
3. The annual report will be completed no later than July 31th to coincide with the financial reporting.
The annual report shall include, but not limited to:
This policy complies with 644(a)(2)
1. Total number of public and private funds received and the amount from each source.
2. Explanation of budgetary expenditures and budget for the fiscal year.
3. Total number of children and families served, average monthly enrollment (as a percentage of funded enrollment), and percentage of eligible children served.
4. Results of the Secretary’s most recent review and the financial audit.
5. Percentage of enrolled children who received medical and dental exams.
6. Information about parent involvement activities.
7. Efforts to prepare children for kindergarten, and
8. Other information the Secretary requires.
Policy Council Approval:
Governing Board Approval:
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YST Head Start Program has 2 locations, Marty and Lake Andes.
The Administrative offices are located at Marty. Each center has 1 teacher 2 teacher assistants 1 cook and 1 bus driver. The program also has 1 Family Services Coordinator, 1 Health/Nutrition Manager, 1 Mental Health/Disabilities Coordinator, ¼ time Education Coordinator and ¾ time Facilities/Transportation Coordinator for a total of 13 staff.
The buses leave the centers at 8:00 AM for daily bus routes and return to the centers at 9:00 AM. The classroom time is 9:00 to 2:00, breakfast and lunch are served daily and the school week is Monday through Thursday with 128 days total throughout the program year. Buses leave the centers at 2:00 to transport the children home.
All staff, substitutes and TANF workers are required to pass a background check and the bus drivers are required have CDL’s and background checks completed.
To be eligible for services the children must be three years old by September 1st which coincides with the state of South Dakota regulations, income eligible, (we can accept over income children after we’ve accepted all income eligible children who have applied) live in the Marty, Greenwood, Ravinia and Pickstown area with total enrollment of 36. 10% must be filled by children with disabilities.
CURRICULUM PHILOPSHY
YST Head Start’s philosophy is that all children and their parents should be given the opportunity to develop to their fullest potential in all areas of their lives. Our goal is to directly involve the parents in an educational partnership, letting them know that they are the child’s primary educator. The curriculum is dynamic enough to move and flow on a daily basis with the parents and preschoolers developing interests and changing needs. Our curriculum is responsive and respectful to what the families want from these early experiences. This partnership involves the parent and staff providing an individualized, developmental and culturally appropriate program which meets the needs of each child and parent. Parents, staff and preschoolers are active partners in the process of “selecting” curriculum. The curriculum is consistent with the Head Start Performance Standards and is based on sound child development principles about how children learn and grow.
Contact Information
Lynn Bruguier
Director - YST Head Start
PO Box 248 | Marty, South Dakota 57361
Email: lbruguier_2007@yahoo.com
Marty Location | 384-3423
Lake Andes Location | 487-7643