CITY OF SAN ANTONIO
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE COUNCIL COMMITTEE
INTERDEPARTMENTAL MEMORANDUM
TO: Sheryl Sculley, City Manager
FROM: Melody Woosley, Director, Department of Human Services (DHS)
COPIES TO: Educational Excellence Committee; Gloria Hurtado, Assistant City Manager;
Richard Keith, Interim Assistant Director, DHS; File
SUBJECT: Family Service Association Families and Schools Together Program Update
DATE: April 15, 2014
SUMMARY:
This item provides a briefing on Family Service Association's Families and Schools Together (FAST) program and results from the program's participation in the Children, Families and Schools evaluation project.
BACKGROUND:
Since 1993, Family Service Association has operated the FAST program to strengthen families and provide parent leadership training in San Antonio and surrounding counties with core program components focused on improving family communication, reducing stress, and increasing parental involvement in schools. The program also works with children to provide assistance with homework and tutoring, engagement in school-related extracurricular activities, and promotion of school attendance and grade maintenance. Family Service Association currently provides FAST program services to at-risk children and families in Bexar, Uvalde, and Zavala Counties.
FAST programs in San Antonio, Texas and Phoenix, Arizona participated in a cohort for the Children, Families and Schools evaluation project. The focus of the project was to evaluate the correlation between key components of the FAST program and improved student academic success and family outcomes.
Issue:
Family Service Association provides staffing and operational oversight of the FAST program in Bexar, Uvalde, and Zavala Counties. Funding sources for FAST include the Texas Department of State Health Services, City of San Antonio, private foundations, corporations, and school districts. Through the Fiscal Year 2014 budget process, DHS entered into an annual contract, in an amount of $147,503, with Family Service Association to support the local FAST program. DHS manages and monitors contract, fiscal, and program compliance.
This item provides a briefing on the FAST program and results from the Children, Families and Schools' evaluation project. The results demonstrated the program's ability to increase parent: connections to each other and school staff; attendance at school events; and become more involved in their child's life. Highlights from the evaluation also reflected a decrease in student mobility among African Americans, and an increase in children's ability to relate to their peers.
Alternatives:
This item is for briefing purposes only.
Fiscal Impact:
This item is for briefing purposes only.
Recommendation:
This item is for briefing purposes only.