DEPARTMENT: Human Services
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Melody Woosley
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
SUBJECT:
Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership and Head Start Grant Programs
SUMMARY:
The Department of Human Services (DHS) requests consideration of the following items related to the City’s Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership (EHS-CCP) and Head Start Grant Program:
A. An Ordinance authorizing the submission of a grant application and associated documents to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and acceptance upon award of an amount up to $2,847,532.00 for the period of August 1, 2020 to July 31, 2021. The total amount consists of $2,782,732.00 in program operations and $64,800.00 for training and technical assistance. This includes a total program budget of $3,559,415.00, including an in-kind match of $711,883.00; and approval to increase the EHS-CCP Programs personnel complement from 15 to 16 positions;
B. An Ordinance authorizing the approval to increase the Head Start Program personnel complement from 91 to 98 positions.
Furthermore, this ordinance authorizes the Director of Human Services to initiate, negotiate, and execute any and all necessary documents and a grant contract to effectuate the acceptance of the referenced grant, and to execute contract amendments pertaining to this contract, to include: a) carry-over funds, when ascertained and approved by the funding agency through a revised notice of award; b) line item budget revisions authorized by the funding agency; c) modifications to the performance measures authorized by the funding agency and listed in the contract so long as the terms of the amendment stay within the general parameters of the intent of the grant; d) no cost extensions; e) amendments which will provide supplemental grant funds to the grant by the funding agency in an amount up to 20% of the total amount awarded to the grant; f) reimbursement increases of administrative funds for each participant served; g) amendments funding one time equipment purchases or defined program services; and h) changes in regulations mandated by the funding agency, if awarded and matching funds are available in City’s budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The Head Start and EHS-CCP grant programs are federally-funded programs administered by HHS. The programs provide early childhood education, family support and comprehensive support services to eligible children between the ages of six weeks and five years, and their families.
In 2015, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded the DHS a grant to establish an Early Head Start - Child Care Partnership (EHS-CCP), an early childhood education and development program for low-income families with infants and toddlers (ages 6 weeks to 35 months) in addition to the City’s Head Start preschool program for children ages 3 and 4 years old. EHS-CCP partners with six non-profit child care centers to expand access to high-quality comprehensive services for 216 low-income infants and toddlers and their families. EHS-CCP promotes physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development in six childcare centers located in the San Antonio and Edgewood Independent School Districts while allowing parents to work or engage in training or education.
The Department of Human Services’ Head Start program provides high quality program services to 3,020 children and their families in 21 Head Start centers located in San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) and Edgewood Independent School District (EISD). The City of San Antonio has served as a grantee for the Head Start Program for over 40 years.
ISSUE:
A. On February 26, 2020, the City received notification from HHS of available funding in the amount of $2,847,532.00, for the period of August 1, 2020 to July 31, 2021. This ordinance authorizes budgetary, grant, and contract items to ensure continuation of EHS-CCP Program services for the period of August 1, 2020 to July 31, 2021. Funding will provide for the City’s operational costs and provision of direct family and community support, health and mental wellness services, including a personnel complement of 16 positions, and service provider operations.
Grant funds awarded for the 2020-2021 Program Year will provide for the continuation of EHS-CCP Program services and further the City’s goal to improve the education and skill level of San Antonio area children and their families. Funding supports DHS operational costs that includes the provision of direct family and community support services and service provider operations.
The grant application is due to HHS on May 1, 2020. The 2020-2021 EHS-CCP grant application was approved by Head Start Policy Council in April, 2020. Awarded grant funds for the 2020-2021 Program Year will provide for the continuation of the EHS-CCP Program services and the City’s policy of enhancing early childhood education.
DHS is requesting approval to increase the EHS-CCP Programs staff personnel complement from 15 to 16. The addition of the permanent Management Analyst position will allow our program to increase quality within the established early education instructional coaching system that is required by the Office of Head Start Program Performance Standards. Adding the additional position elevates the current instructional coaching system to a higher quality model to better meet the needs of caregiving staff. The Senior Management Analyst position was created in lieu of the Services Manager based on the needed job functions.
B. DHS is also requesting approval to increase the Head Start Program’s staff personnel complement from 91 to 98. DHS Head Start received notification of an available 2% Cost of Living Adjustment increase and Quality Improvement funds from the Office of Head Start. This application will be submitted to the Office of Head Start on May 15, 2020 but the funding applications do not require Council approval as per Ordinance 2019-10-17-0848, however, the addition of seven new positions does require City Council approval.
DHS Head Start will apply to add seven new permanent Family Support Worker (FSW) positions to the program. Currently, the caseload size for each FSW is approximately 70 families. The addition of the seven FSW’s will allow the program to reduce caseload size to approximately 60 families and allow for continued quality services to the children and families enrolled in the program.
ALTERNATIVES:
If this ordinance is not approved, HHS would identify another agency to provide EHS-CCP services in the EISD and SAISD service areas. This may delay the provision of services to the community and negatively impact currently enrolled children and families. Additionally, quality of services received by families will remain impacted due to increased caseload.
FISCAL IMPACT:
A. The EHS-CCP grant provides funding for education, family support, and medical services to eligible children between the ages of six weeks through three years old, and their families for the period August 1, 2020 through July 31, 2021 and will fund a personnel complement of 16 DHS positions.
Contractual funding will be allocated from the EHS-CCP grant for service provider contracts with Blessed Sacrament Academy, Ella Austin Community Center, Healy-Murphy Center, Inc., Inman Christian Center, Seton Home, and Young Women’s Christian Association Olga Madrid Center. The grant requires an in-kind match of 20%, or $711,883.00, which will be provided by the City and contracted Service Providers. The total EHS-CCP program budget of $2,847,532.00, including match $711,883.00, will be up to $3,559,415.00.
B. This ordinance authorizes the addition of 7 full-time Family Support Worker positions to be funded by the HHS Head Start grant. There will be no additional match requirement for the additional funds the first year of the award due to COVID-19 pandemic. DHS will obtain a waiver from HHS’s Office of Head Start for the additional funds the first year of the award.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of this ordinance authorizing submission of a grant application, and associated grant documents, and acceptance of funds upon award, a budget, and associated program personnel complement.
Staff also recommends the approval of a Head Start personnel complement of 98 staff.