Head Start/Early Head Start in California Fact Sheet

Printable 2009 California Head Start Update & Fact Sheet

Head Start/Early Head Start/Migrant & Tribal Funding
(FY 08) $841 Million

Total Head Start Funded Enrollment (FY 08) ---104,883

Totals by Funding Design (FY 08)
Head Start Enrollment (3-5 yrs.old)
90695
Early Head Start Enrollment (0-3 yrs.old)
7652
Migrant & Seasonal Head Start Enrollment
5928
Tribal Head Start Enrollment
608

2008 Program Statistics
Age of Actual Enrollment
 Children 0-1 year old ..................2.7%
 Children 1 year old .....................3.4%
 Children 2 years old ....................4.8%
 Children 3 years old ..................32.6%
 Children 4 years old ..................53.7%
 Children 5 years old.....................1.7%
 Pregnant Women .........................1.1%
Program Models
Full-day (4&5day)............................26.8%
Part-day & variations in attendance ..61.4%
Double Session.................................17.1%
Home-based.....................................8.1%
Combination Option ..........................1.1%
Locally Designed (LDO)......................0.2%
Family Child Care..............................2.4%

Racial Composition
Native American ...........................4.7%
Black ...........................................9.4%
White .........................................36.4%
Asian ...........................................4.8%
Pacific Islander/Other ....................0.6%
MultiRacial.....................................4.0%
Unspecified Race..........................40.0%
Ethnic Composition
Hispanic ....................................72.1%
Non-Hispanic ..............................27.9%

Teacher Information
 Education Level
Associates Degree, ECE & Related....32.4%
Baccalaureate Degree or above.......15.2%
CDA Credential/State Equivalent......29.0%
Enrolled, Related Degree Program....11.2%

Average Annual Teacher Salary, AA Degree
Head Start................................$29795.93
Early Head Start........................$30616.24
Migrant Head Start.....................$26010.36
Tribal Had Start.........................$26878.63

Average Annual Teacher Salary, BA Degree
Head Start.................................$33775.42
Early Head Start........................$35941.13
Migrant Head Start.....................$27120.56
Tribal Had Start.........................$31510.50

Ethnicity and Racial Composition of Child Development Staff:
Hispanic or Latino..............................58.7%
Non-Hispanic/Non-Latino Origin.......... 41.3%
Native American .................................3.6%
Black ................................................11.4%
White ..............................................37.1%
Asian ................................................7.7%
Pacific Islander/Other .........................1.2%
MultiRacial..........................................2.6%
Unspecified Race................................36.4%

Family Information
Actual Number of Families Served ....122,542
Pregnant Women..1404 (18.0% were under 18)
Families on TANF ...............................19.0%
Families on WIC ................................59.9%
Families on SSI ..................................3.6%
Children w/o Insurance, start of year...11.5%
Children w/o Insurance, end of year......4.8%
Parent with less than High School Grad..46.3%
Parent with High School or GED...........33.4%
Families served who were Homeless.....1.9%

Home Language:
English.............................................39.3%
Spanish............................................54.4%
East Asian..........................................3.4%
Other.................................................2.8%

Family Service provided/requested during program year:
Emergency/ Crisis Intervention...........15.7%
Health Education................................35.3%
Parenting Education............................38.8%
English Classes (ESL).........................13.4%
Adult Education (GED) Classes............17.0%
Marriage Education..............................2.3%
Mental Health....................................10.8%
Child Abuse & Neglect Services............9.5%
Assistance to familiesof incarcerated....1.5%

Head Start/Early Head Start in California
Fact Sheet

California has 1,950 Head Start/Early Head Start/Tribal/Migrant centers housing
5,325 classes, along with 690 family child care homes and 811 home-based
socialization groups that serve funded enrollment. In California’s Head Start
community there are 23,153 staff serving children and families. 22.3% of the
employees are or were Head Start or Early Head Start parents. During this past
program year, over 121,510 volunteers provided service to local Head Start
programs. 85.8% of the volunteers are current or former parents of the local Head
Start program.

During the 2008 Program Year over 120,436 children enrolled in California’s Head Start/Early Head Start/Tribal/Migrant completed all medical screenings -- of those screened, 17.4% were identified as needing follow-up treatment and of those referred 96.6% received/receiving treatment for the following conditions (in some cases more than one type of treatment referral was made) :

  • Overweight 48.1%
  • Anemia 29.0%
  • Asthma 27.1%
  • Vision 12.6%
  • Hearing 2.3%

80.1% of the children enrolled in California’s Head Start/Early Head
Start/Tribal/Migrant received dental examinations – 30.7% were identified as
needing treatment. Over 87,940 Head Start children received preventive dental
care in 2007/2008.

During the 2008 Program Year 13,397 or 10.2% of California’s Head Start/Early Head
Start/Tribal/Migrant enrollment consisted of children with disabilities, of those the
top five areas most identified were:.
  • Speech & Language 73.1%
  • Autism 4.2%
  • Developmental Delay 3.5%
  • Mental Retardation 2.4%
  • Health Impairment 1.4%

Fall 2008, Head Start programs sent 58,574 children on to kindergarten to over 1022 different local school districts. 48.6% of those districts have formal agreements to coordinate transition services for children and families.

During the 2008 Program Year, the majority of Head Start/Early Head
Start/Tribal/Migrant families were employed, yet eligible for services under income
guidelines. 57% of the families served were two-parent families. For Migrant Head
Start, 73.7% of the families served were two-parent families. Of those families
being served in California
  • 20.9% of the two-parent families were both working
  • 66.6% of the two-parent families had one parent working
  • 56.3% of the one-parent families were working during the year


Five different agency types delivered Head Start/Early Head Startservices in 2008:

Public/Private Non-Profits 39.3%
School Systems 35.0%
Community Action Agencies 12.6%
Tribal Government/Consort 6.1%
Government Agencies 7.0%
Private/Public For-Profit 0.0%


5.1% of California Head Start/Early Head Start agencies were identified as “religiously
affiliated agency, providing essentially secular services”.

69% of California Head Start agencies also contract with the State Department of Education, Child Development Division. The most common program collaborations are Head Start & State Preschool, Head Start & General Child Care and Head Start & State Preschool Full Day (2008 California Combined Contract Report). These funding combinations benefited 41,227 children through enrollment in the following programs:

State Preschool 47.9%
General Child Care 37.9%
PreKindergarten Family Literacy – Part Day 7.3%
CA Migrant 4.3%
State Preschool - Full Day 2.0%
PreKindergarten Family Literacy – Full Day 0.6%


Project Head Start/Early Head Start


Head Start/Early Head Start is a federally funded child development program for very low-income young children and their families. Since its inception in 1965, more than 20 million children and families nationally have benefited from Head Start's comprehensive services. Statewide, this number is estimated to be in excess of 1,000,000 children and families. The primary target population for Project Head Start/Early Head Start is children between the ages of 0-5 and pregnant women from families living below the federal poverty line. Head Start/Early Head Start programs are funded by the Federal Department of Health and Human Services directly to local community agencies.

The Head Start/Early Head Start program is based on the premise that all children share certain needs, and that children from low-income families, in particular, can benefit from a comprehensive developmental program to meet those needs. Head Start/Early Head Start is a family-oriented, comprehensive, and community-based program to address developmental goals for children, support for parents in their work and child-rearing roles, and linkage with other service delivery systems.

The Head Start/Early Head Start philosophy rests on four basic principles:
  • A child can benefit most from a comprehensive, interdisciplinary program to foster normal development and remedy problems.
  • Parents are the primary educators of their children and must be directly involved in the program.
  • The well-being of children is inextricably linked to the well-being of the entire family.
  • Partnerships with other agencies and organizations in the community are essential to meeting family needs.

The comprehensive Head Start/Early Head Start program includes the following four services:

Education/Special Education Services - Early childhood education services are delivered through several program options including half-day preschool, extended day, full day and year round. Each class is staffed by a teacher, teacher aide and parent volunteers. Head Start Performance Standards require that the early childhood classroom program be developmentally and culturally appropriate for children and families enrolled. In addition, parent education activities are provided to help parents support their children=s development and education. In the Home Based model, education services are delivered through weekly, parent-focused, home visits. Additionally, a minimum of 10% of children enrolled must be children with challenging abilities.

Health Services - The Head Start/Early Head Start health component includes medical, dental, nutrition, and mental health. Services include immunizations, medical, and dental screening with required follow-up treatment. Children receive at least one-third of their daily nutritional requirements each day they attend Head Start. Parents receive health information and materials. The mental health component is often supported by psychologists and/or full time Social Workers. Collectively they provide crisis intervention and follow-up, parenting classes, child observations with feedback to teachers and parents, short-term counseling and other preventive mental health services.

Social Services - Head Start/Early Head Start social service staff assist parents to meet their needs through education, advocacy, and referral. Staff-help parents assess family needs, develop strategies, access resources, and solve problems. Staff also serves as a link to other community agencies, helping them better understand and meet the needs of Head Start/Early Head Start families.

Parent Involvement/Community Partnerships - Parent involvement is the cornerstone of Head Start/Early Head Start. Parents are involved in the Head Start/Early Head Start program in a variety of ways, including volunteering in the classroom, participate in activities and workshops they have helped plan, participating as decision-makers on the Parent Center Committee or Parent Policy Council, and as staff. In 1991, 36% of the staff nationwide were parents of current or former Head Start children. Over 606,000 parents volunteered in their local Head Start/Early Head Start program. California’s staffing includes approximately 28% current and former parents employed. Head Start/Early Head Start establishes individualized partnerships with parents that facilitates their: 1) being the primary teachers of their children; 2) becoming self sufficient; 3) improvement of parenting skills; 4) realizing their potential.

Head Start/Early Head Start agencies in California also provide a broad range of additional services to low-income families through other funding sources and partnerships with other agencies. These services include State Preschool/Head Start wrap-around programs, Child Care, Literacy, Employment & Training, Emergency Food, Housing Referral, Public School Transition Services, Before/After School Care, Parent Intern/Mentor Program, Male Involvement, America Reads, Child Care Collaboration, Grandparent

MISSION
STATEMENT
The California
Head Start
Association is the
unified voice
providing
leadership and
advocacy for the
Head Start
community.
VISION
STATEMENT
The California
Head Start
Association will
be an important
strategic partner
representing Head
Start interests in
California and the
nation.
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