2007-2008 Annual Report of Service - Shippensburg University

38 Shippensburg University
tions for transitioning children. District staff
are invited to visit Head Start classrooms to
encourage awareness of curriculum and services
provided to the children. Additionally,
Head Start health staff provides parents with
a School Health Report, including child development
information, immunization records
and developmental screening and assessment
results. Special transition meetings involving
district, Intermediate Unit, Head Start staff
and parents are held for children with disabilities
who have an active Individualized
Educational Plan.
Parents receive information regarding
kindergarten registration procedures, and are
invited to accompany their child when Head
Start classes visit a kindergarten classroom
in the spring. The program holds an annual
festival for the transitioning children and their
families, to which school district personnel are
invited, in order to acknowledge this significant
milestone in the child’s life.
The program also provides support to the
parents during their child’s kindergarten year.
Newsletters containing information related to
the public school experience are distributed
on a regular basis during the transition year,
and staff are available to accompany parents
to school meetings and parent-teacher conferences
upon request.
Community Partnerships
Significant, ongoing partnerships with
many local agencies and organization exist
to benefit Head Start Program children
and families. Services are enhanced through
involvement with Shippensburg University
early childhood education, psychology, and
social work faculty and students, Cumberland
and Franklin County Children and Youth
Services agencies, Capital Area and Lincoln
Intermediate Units, community public libraries,
state health offices, the Local Interagency
Coordinating Council, Shippensburg Kiwanis
Club, Fort Morris A.A.R.P. Chapter,
Shippensburg Human Services Council,
Carlisle United Way’s Success by Six program,
and Christ Among Neighbors, a faith-based
community assistance effort in Shippensburg.
The program also coordinates efforts with
neighboring Head Start programs, Capital
Area, Franklin County, and Adams County
to provide services to eligible families living in
the more rural, fringe areas of each program’s
service territory.
Male Involvement
Specific efforts have been made to actively
engage fathers in their child’s education
and Head Start experience. A committee
composed of several fathers and staff members
met to develop activities which would encourage
participation. A male involvement newsletter
was created and distributed four times
during the year. Several “Father’s Day in the
Classroom” events were held throughout the
spring. The committee developed and sponsored
a popular activity at the annual kindergarten
celebration held in May. Additionally,
the group planned and organized an ongoing
literacy related classroom to home project and
a kite flying event, which is now held annually
in March at a local park. In order to build
upon this initial effort, the committee will
meet regularly to plan future activities which
acknowledge and enhance the unique contributions
that fathers provide to their child’s
education.
Child Outcomes Project
The program implemented a locally designed
ongoing developmental assessment incorporating
all elements defined in the Head
Start Child Outcomes Framework in 2001 as
per Head Start mandates. The assessment system
was designed to assure compliance with
regulations requiring analysis of child progress
for groups of children over time, minimally,
three times each year. Staff have received
implementation training, and receive ongoing
support throughout the year. Results are utilized
by the education staff in daily planning,
and with parents when developing and revising
individualized goals for children throughout
the operating year.
The data obtained in a paired sample
T-test each year since implementation of this
assessment process has shown again this year
that significant gains in all developmental categories
required by the Office of Head Start to
be tracked were made by the children at both
the time two and time three assessment.
Additionally, individual items were combined
to obtain overall scores in certain developmental
categories. Again, children scored
significantly higher on the second assessment
in all categories than they did on the first assessment.
As well, children scored significantly
higher on the third assessment in these categories
than they did on the second assessment.
Average Percentage of Change from
Time 1 to Time 3
Home-
Based
Children
A. Large Motor
Development
B. Small Motor
Development
C. Cognitive
Development/
Classification/Seriation
D. Cognitive
Development/Number,
Time, Space, Memory
Center-
Based
Children
18% 24%
24.6% 32%
26.8% 35%
24.2% 28.6%
E. Spoken Language 30.8% 32%
F. Written Language
and Book Knowledge
26.2% 34.3%
G. Imagination: Art,
Movement, Dramatic 26.8% 36.3%
Play
H. Science and Health 25.2% 31%
I. Social Development 38.6% 33.3%
J. Emotional
Development
43.2% 35%
Training Events
Staff: Family Partnership Development
and Goal Setting
❚ Mental Health Screening
❚
Conscious Discipline
❚ Ongoing Child Assessment Techniques
and Documentation
❚ Child Abuse and Neglect – Mandated
Reporting Issues
❚ Child Nutrition Requirements
❚ Health and Safety: Bloodborne
Pathogens Issues
❚ Infant/Child First Aid and CPR
Parents: Literacy Development/
Kindergarten Readiness
❚ Family Nutrition
❚
❚
❚
❚
Infant/Child First Aid and CPR
Child Abuse and Neglect
Life Skills/ Job Seeking Skills
G.E.D. Skills Development
❚ Program Governance Issues:
Parliamentary Procedures,
❚ Program Budget Development,
❚
Policy and Procedure Development,
❚ Human Resource Management/Policies,
Program Self-Assessment