Life Enrichment Committee
March 12, 2024
n
AGENDA REPORT
TO: Jestin D. Johnson FROM: Scott Means
City Administrator Interim Director, Human
Services Department
SUBJECT: Head Start Grant
Continuation Application FY 24-25
DATE: February 14, 2024
City Administrator Approval Date:
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution:
1. Authorizing The City Administrator To Apply For, Accept And Appropriate Head Start Basic Training And Technical Assistance, Early Head Start Basic And Training And Technical Assistance Grants For Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-2025 From The US Department Of Health And Human Services, Administration For Children And Families, Office Of Head Start (DHHS/ACF), In An Estimated Amount Of Thirteen Million Four Hundred Eighty-Four Thousand Five Hundred Thirty-Three Dollars ($13,484,533), And Committing The Necessary Local Match; And
2. Authorizing The City Administrator To Apply For, Accept And Appropriate A Cost Of Living (COLA) Adjustment And Quality Improvement Grant From DHHS/ACF if awarded For The Head Start And Early Head Start Program For Fiscal Year 2024-2025; And
3. Subject To Funding Availability, Authorizing The Addition Of Seven Full Time Equivalent (FTE) Positions To Serve Home-based Programming, And Health And Safety Priorities; And
4. Authorizing An Estimated Offset Of Three Million Two Hundred Forty-Three Thousand Four Hundred Eighty-Six Dollars ($3,243,486) For Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Central Services Overhead Charges; And
5. Awarding Grant Agreements To Fund Comprehensive Early Care, Education And Family Services To Community Service Providers Identified In Table 5 For Fiscal Year 2024-2025 For A Total Amount Not To Exceed Two Million Seven Hundred And Twelve Thousand Six Hundred and Two Dollars ($2,712,602); And
Jestin Johnson (Feb 28, 2024 22:58 PST)
Feb 28, 2024
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Head Start Program Grant Continuation Application FY 24-25 Date: February 14, 2024 Page 2
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Life Enrichment Committee
March 12, 2024
6. Authorizing The City Administrator To Accept And Appropriate Additional Federal Head Start/Early Head Start Funds If They Become Available Within Fiscal Year 2024- 2025 And Amend The Grant Agreements Within The Limits Of The Federal Award.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Oakland (City) was awarded and accepted a five-year grant from the U.S. Department Of Health And Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (DHHS/ACF), Office of Head Start, for fiscal year (FY) 2021 – 2026, renewable annually. The proposed resolution would provide enabling legislation for the City, Department of Human Services to apply for, accept, and appropriate a U.S. Department Of Health And Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (DHHS/ACF), Office of Head Start continuation grant, with an April 1, 2024 submission deadline, in an estimated amount of $13,484,533, an increase of $915,273 in FY24-25 to serve approximately 622 pregnant people, children ages 0-5, and families with limited access to economic resources, with high-quality early childhood development services from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025, as part of the annual renewal grant award process.
The City of Oakland Head Start Program (the program) will continue to prioritize Early Head Start as the State expands universal pre-kindergarten funding for preschool-age children through Assembly Bill 22. The Head Start grant award funds 330 Early Head Start slots (children ages 0 to 3) and 292 Head Start slots (children ages 4 to 5), totaling 622 slots. The Oakland Head Start Program will provide full-day center-based program options, home-based program options, a modified home-based mobile classroom option, and family child care options.
The FY 2024-2025 Continuation Application will request a program change to move 46 partner slots to the City operated Home Based program option due to the unsuccessful identification of a new partner through the Request for Proposal process during which no partners who could complete the scope of proposed work submitted a successful proposal. The funding originally intended for the partner contract together with the increased grant award for FY 2024 – 2025 will instead fund 5.00 new FTE positions to provide direct service to 46 children and families. A further 2.0 FTE positions to meet the Head Start and State health and safety priorities will be added and covered by the increased award for FY2024 –2025. The proposed Resolution requests that the City Council authorize to add 7.00 new FTE positions (detailed below) is subject to funding availability in the grant award.
Approval of this resolution will commit to allocating funding for the required Head Start/Early Head Start match for local in-kind contributions equal or greater to twenty percent (20%) of the total program costs as part of the FY 2024-2025 Budget Process. This resolution substantively plans the FY 2024-25 Head Start Budget. This includes planning for approximately $10,521,875 million in General-Purpose Fund support to maintain the programs at current service levels and prevent the elimination of filled Head Start positions. The final Head Start/Early Head Start budget will be reflected in the FY 2024-25 City’s Mid-Cycle Budget.
The proposed resolution would authorize the City Administrator to enter into renewed grant agreements in FY 2024-2025 to provide Head Start related early childhood education services with long- standing early care and education partners: Brighter Beginnings, Peralta Community College District (Laney College and Merritt College Child Development Centers), and Bananas Inc.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Head Start Program Grant Continuation Application FY 24-25 Date: February 14, 2024 Page 3
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March 12, 2024
Finally, the resolution would also authorize the City to apply for the supplemental but required COLA (cost of living adjustment), Quality Improvement (QI) Grant From DHHS/ACF funding award if awarded to The Head Start And Early Head Start Program For Fiscal Year 2024-2025 by the Office of Head Start.
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
The City of Oakland has been a grantee of the Head Start Program since January 1971. In 2007, Congress enacted legislation that required, for the first time in the program's history, greater competition within communities for Head Start funding. The goal of the legislation and the subsequent regulations was to ensure that Federal Head Start funding is directed to the organizations most capable of delivering high-quality early education that puts children on a pathway to improved outcomes, school success, and opportunity.
In 2009, the City of Oakland became a direct grantee of the Early Head Start Program through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. This change enabled additional Early Head Start-eligible families and children ages prenatal through three years old to be served by the program.
In 2015, the City’s Human Services Department applied for all available funding (over $18 million). New Head Start regulations required expanding the program’s duration and hours of service, leading the program to replace part-day services with full-day Head Start and Early Head Start services. In addition, the proposal included an increased emphasis on coaching, school readiness, parent, family, and community engagement, continuous quality improvement, and health and safety.
In June 2016, the City entered negotiations with the Head Start Regional Office for 86 percent of available funding, or approximately $15.9 million. The balance of the grant, or $2.6 million, was awarded to the YMCA of the East Bay to provide services along the MacArthur Corridor in the 94605 zip-code. In FY 2016-17, the beginning of a new 5-year project cycle (FY 2016-21), new program design changes were implemented. The new design helped create a more streamlined system of early care and education service delivery for children birth to age five and their families living in Oakland.
In FY 2020-21, the program successfully competed and was awarded Head Start/Early Head Start grant funding for a new 5-year project cycle from FY 2021-26. The award in FY 2020-21 allocated $12,252,694 to provide 622 children and families with comprehensive early childhood services and 105.5 FTE staff. This grant award was $4,926,986 less than the previous year’s FY 2019-20 grant award of $17,179,680.
In FY 2021-22, the program began implementation of the new grant award, which included the total reduction of 52 slots across the Franklin, Tassafaronga and Arroyo Viejo sites. These sites would instead serve as a Home-Based program location, a Family Resource Center and an Inclusion site. However, in December 2021, City Council passed C.M.S., approving $1,836,000 in additional funding from the City’s General-Purpose Fund to restore the 52 Head Start/Early Head Start slots and all Head Start services at Franklin, Tassafaronga, and Arroyo Viejo centers. Oakland Children’s Initiative is currently funding these centers and the new inclusion classroom at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Head Start Program Grant Continuation Application FY 24-25 Date: February 14, 2024 Page 4
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The City of Oakland Head Start Program is one of three Head Start grantees serving Oakland children and families. The Unity Council and YMCA of the East Bay also provide Head Start and
Early Head Start services throughout the city. In FY 2022-2023, the Unity Council had around 368 funded slots and YMCA East Bay serves around 178 children and families.
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
The policy recommendation in this report advances the Citywide priority of Holistic Community Safety through expanded access to early childhood services in support of Oakland's most vulnerable families and children. City of Oakland Head Start consists of Head Start and Early Head Start programs designed to promote school readiness for children from families with limited economic resources. Early Head Start serves pregnant people and families with children under age 3. Head Start programs serve children and families between the ages of 3 and 5 years old. Program service delivery priorities are informed by a Community Assessment that is updated annually that uses city, county, and statewide data, see below in Table 1.
Table 1: Socio-Demographic Characteristics of the City, County, and Program Characteristics City of
Oakland1
Alameda
County2
Head Start
Program3
African American or Black 22% 11% 12%
American Indian/Alaskan Native 1% 1% 1%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 1% 1% 1%
Asian 16% 35% 27%
Hispanic/Latino 27% 22% 58%
White alone, not Hispanic or Latino 29% 28% 2%
Two or More Races 10% 6% 2%
Language Other than English Spoken at
Home 39% 46% 62%
% in Poverty 13% 9% 96%
Oakland remains one of the most racially diverse cities in the country. The State’s Poverty Rate has increased since 2021 and was up to 13% by the beginning of 2023.4 In public PreK-12 education, the proportion of students eligible for free and reduced-price meals across the city, county, and state increased between the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years.5, 6 The data in the Table 2 below indicate an increased need for food and nutrition assistance among students in Oakland, Alameda County, and California.
1 2018-2022 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
2 Ibid
3 Program data as of December 31, 2023
4 https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2023/12/california-poverty-2023/ 5 https://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/cbeds2.asp?cYear=2021- 22&Blah=&Blah=&FreeLunch=on&cChoice=CoProf2&cLevel=State&cTopic=FRPM&myTimeFrame=S&submit1=Submit& TheCounty=01%2CALAMEDA
6 Ibid
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Head Start Program Grant Continuation Application FY 24-25 Date: February 14, 2024 Page 5
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Life Enrichment Committee
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Table 2: Food and Nutrition Assistance across City, County, and State Oakland Unified
School District Alameda County California
2021-2022 72.4% 40.7% 57.8%
2022-20237 76.2% 44.8% 59.9%
The total number of California residents participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) has increased over the last two years.
Among all WIC participants nationwide, average food cost (or average monthly benefit per person) increased from $55.21 in August 2022 to $58.41 in August 2023. For fiscal year 2022, average food cost in California was $57.08 – which was almost $10 higher than the national average ($47.75).8
Since March 2020, SNAP/CalFresh recipients had received an “Emergency Allotment” of at least $95 per month. These Emergency Allotments were funded through the federal Emergency Declaration funds were terminated in February 2023.9 Families experienced increased costs to meet their basic needs but had less public support to pay for goods.
Across Alameda County, total SNAP/CalFresh enrollment increased by 14,458 residents, from 148,722 in August 2022 to 163,180 in August 2023; this illustrates the increased need for food supports.10 Almost half (44.5% or 72,595 individuals) of all SNAP/CalFresh participants in Alameda County reside in Oakland.
There is also a connection between poverty and child welfare system involvement. Data from the US Department of Health and Human Services released in January 2023 indicate that 75% of child protective service allegations are due to alleged neglect. Families who are experiencing poverty are more likely reported for neglect than families not experiencing poverty.11 As more families experience homelessness in Oakland, more families report that their housing situation often contributed to their involuntarily involvement in the child welfare system. Families experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness are more likely to be involved in child welfare.12 A national study conducted in 2013 found that 16% of families whose children had been removed from their homes reported that inadequate housing contributed to the removal of their children.13
7 https://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/cbeds2.asp?cYear=2021- 22&Blah=&Blah=&FreeLunch=on&cChoice=CoProf2&cLevel=State&cTopic=FRPM&myTimeFrame=S&submit1=Submit& TheCounty=01%2CALAMEDA
8 https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/25wifyavgfd-costs-11.pdf 9 https://cdss.ca.gov/calfreshcovid19
10 Alameda County Social Services Agency Monthly Report. Accessed here:
https://www.alamedacountysocialservices.org/acssa-assets/PDF/agency- reports/2023/202309_Agency_Monthly_Report_Final.pdf
11 Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2023). https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/bulletins-povertyneglect 12 Dworsky, A. (2014). Families at the Nexus of Housing and Child Welfare Washington, D.C.: https://firstfocus.org/wp- content/uploads/2014/12/Families-at-the-Nexus-of-Housing-and-Child-Welfare.pdf 13 Fowler PJ, Henry DB, Schoeny M, Landsverk J, Chavira D, & Taylor JJ (2013). Inadequate housing among families under investigation for child abuse and neglect: Prevalence from a national probability sample. American Journal of Community Psychology, 52, 106–114. 10.1007/s10464-013-9580-8 Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Head Start Program Grant Continuation Application FY 24-25 Date: February 14, 2024 Page 6
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Program Description
The City’s Head Start program will submit a continuation application to the Office of Head Start, by the April 1, 2024 submission deadline, which allows the city to continue providing free, high- quality, comprehensive early education programming to children and families with limited access to economic resources so that children start school ready to succeed. Learning environments promote social and emotional development, growth, and abilities, including self- regulation and social expression. Oakland Head Start learning environments also promote early learning experiences and school readiness skills in the development and learning domain areas of physical health and development; approaches toward learning; communication, language usage, literacy, cognition and general knowledge.
Table 3 presents the overall program slots by funding source. Table 4 presents funded slots by grantee and partners for center-based, home-based, and family childcare Early Head Start/Head Start services in FY2024-25. In August of 2022, St. Vincent’s Day Home informed the City of Oakland Head Start that they would not be entering into the grant agreement for FY 22-23 to serve 46 Head Start slots. The Informational Memorandum published on September 23, 2022 providing an Oakland Head Start Program Update for FY22-23 provides additional detail of the St.
Vincent’s partnership. The program did not identify a new partner through the City’s request for proposal process and is proposing serving the 46 slots through home-based direct service slots.
Table 5 shows the distribution of the 46 slots to the Home-Based Program. Table 6 shows the funded slots for all City of Oakland direct services.
Table 3: Overall City of Oakland Early Childhood Slots by Funding Source Funding Source Total Slots
Office of Head Start 622
Oakland Children’s
Initiative
68 Total 690
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Head Start Program Grant Continuation Application FY 24-25 Date: February 14, 2024 Page 7
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Table 4: Office of Head Start (OHS) Funded Grantee (City) and Partner Slots Early Head Start/ Head Start
Grantee & Partners
Early Head Start
(0 to 3) Slots
Head Start (3
to 5) Slots
Total OHS
Funded Slots
Grantee
City of Oakland 184 175 359
Partner Agencies
Brighter Beginnings Home Based
Program 120 20 140
Peralta Community College -
Laney College Children's Center
48 48
Peralta Community College -
Merritt College Children's Center
16 16
Bananas, Inc. Family Child Care
Partnership 26 33 59
Subtotal Partner Funded Slots 146 117 263
Total Program Enrollment
Proposed 330 292 622
Table 5: Home-Based Program Additional Slots
Home Based Option EHS Slots HS Slots Total
Pregnant People 10 10
Mobile Classroom 2 10 12
Traditional Home
Based
3 21 24
Total 15 31 46
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
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Table 6: Program Year 2024-2025 City of Oakland Direct Service Slots Name of City of Oakland Site (Grantee) Funded Slots
Lion Creek Crossing (EHS/HS) 24
85th Avenue (EHS/HS) 34
Brookfield 9600 (HS) 32
San Antonio CDC (HS) 24
Sungate (HS) 24
Manzanita (HS) 16
San Antonio Park (EHS) 18
Broadway (EHS) 24
West Grand (EHS) 24
Home Based-Pregnant Families Program (EHS) 20
Mobile Classroom Program (EHS/HS) 36
Home-Based Program (EHS/HS) 83
Franklin (OCI Funded) 16
Tassafaronga (OCI Funded) 24
Arroyo Viejo (OCI Funded) 12
Martin Luther King Jr. HS (OCI Funded – New Location in Development)
16 Grantee Directive Service Total Slots 427 Partner Total Slots 26
Overall Program Slots 690
Program Services in FY 2024-2025
Oakland Head Start/Early Head Start program will continue to operate the following program service options in FY 2024-2025:
a) Full-day, Center-Based Head Start and Early Head Start services, operated by the City of Oakland (the Grantee) and Partners
b) Home-Based Head Start and Early Head Start services, operated by the Grantee and Partner Agency, to provide education, developmental and family services at homes and at the Home-Based centers
c) Pregnant People and Expectant Families Program that offers health and nutrition, in addition to pre/postnatal and early parenting classes, newborn home visits and transition of infant to the Early Head Start Program by the Grantee and Partner Agency
d) Family Child Care Partnership (FCC) Program operated by the Grantee in partnership with BANANAS, Inc. Resource and Referral Agency to work with licensed family child care providers throughout the city to provide Head Start comprehensive services
e) Mobile Classroom Program operated by the Grantee that offers early learning education, child development, and family services in a mobile vehicle classroom setting at family shelters and other locations where unhoused families can be served
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Head Start Program Grant Continuation Application FY 24-25 Date: February 14, 2024 Page 9
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Core Program Service Areas in FY 2024-2025
City of Oakland Head Start program delivers services to children and families in core areas of early learning, health, and family well-being in each of these program options. The program model includes family leadership and advocacy with the Parent Policy Council and a Family Committee at every site, ensuring that the program goals and services are responsive to and driven by community voice.
Early Learning and Development
The program will continue to promote children's readiness for school with individualized learning experiences through relationships, play, and planned and spontaneous instruction. The program encourages development in all areas including social skills, emotional well-being, language and literacy skills, mathematics, and science concepts.
Early learning experiences also include the cultural and language heritage of each child and family. Parents, grandparents, foster parents, and other primary caregivers are recognized as children's first and most influential teachers. Their knowledge of their children is central to each child's individualized approach. Oakland Head Start works with families, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), and other entities to facilitate a smooth transition to kindergarten for each City of Oakland Head Start child and family.
Health
The program will continue to focus on health and physical development, both crucial for early learning. The program will also continue to provide safe and healthy learning experiences indoors and outdoors. All children will continue to receive health screenings (including hearing, vision, and dental) and nutritious meals and snacks. The program will support and connect families with medical, dental, and mental health services to ensure children are receiving the care they need. The program will continue to ensure children receive support for building resiliency to cope with possible adverse effects of trauma and that families receive mental health consultation focused on each child's needs.
Family Well-being
The program will continue to offer parents and families services to support family well-being and to achieve family goals, such as housing stability, continued education, employment, and financial security. Oakland Head Start will continue to support and strengthen parent-child relationships and engage families in the learning and development of their child.
The Head Start program will continue to be available at no cost to children birth to age 5 from
families with limited access to economic resources. Families and children experiencing homelessness and children in the child welfare system, including foster care, are a program priority. The program’s services will continue to be available to children with disabilities and other special needs and will work with families to identify and support new needs.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Head Start Program Grant Continuation Application FY 24-25 Date: February 14, 2024 Page 10
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Life Enrichment Committee
March 12, 2024
Professional Development
Head Start regulations require ongoing training and professional development for governing bodies and staff as a core component of the program to assist in acquiring or increasing the knowledge and skills needed to provide high-quality, comprehensive services within the scope of their job responsibilities. Table 7 shows the funding allocated by the grant award for FY24-25 for training and professional development.
Table 7: Training and Professional Development Funding Allocation for FY24-25 Funding Type Head Start Early Head Start
Training and Technical Assistance $66,752 $118,878
The City of Oakland HS program develops an annual training and professional development plan to meet the Head Start regulations and includes prioritized trainings, coaching and attendance at Head Start Conferences that focus on key training and professional development goals for governing bodies and staff of Head Start programs.
New Positions for FY24-25
In FY23-24 Head Start received Quality Improvement funding with the identified priority of Health and Safety. In FY24-25 the funding award provides an increase of $915,273. A portion of this funding will be used to create the Program Operations Manager overseeing Health and Safety for the program, ensuring strong systems and structures to meet the extensive early childhood regulations from Head Start, state and local agencies.
In addition, the program has successfully worked with a nurse over the past year to create strong systems for implementing Early Childhood Education health regulations but also responding to the significant impacts of COVID on the children and families in the program, and health inequities in Oakland that the program works to address. The addition of a Supervising Case Manager position will oversee the health priorities of children and families in the program.
The two new positions to meet health and safety priorities includes 1.00 FTE Program Operations Manager for health and safety, and 1.00 FTE Supervising Case Manager for Health. An additional
5.00 FTE positions will be added to serve the 46 slots previously filled by former program partner St. Vincent’s. The Head Start Coordinator will supervise the home visitor staff and manage a caseload of 6 families. The 4 home visiting staff positions will serve the remaining 40 families. The Human Resources Department has developed a new home visitor job specification that is currently in the City approval process that would be more aligned with the job functions of serving families’ education and family service functions in a 1:1 capacity through home visits. The family advocate positions outlined below will serve as budget placeholders until the new home visitor job specification is approved by City Council. The family advocate and home visitor job specification are aligned at the same salary schedule.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Head Start Program Grant Continuation Application FY 24-25 Date: February 14, 2024 Page 11
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Life Enrichment Committee
March 12, 2024
Table 8: Total New Head Start Positions Required
Position Title Total FTE
Program Operations Manager 1.00
Supervising Case Manager 1.00
Head Start Coordinator 1.00
Family Advocate 4.00
Total 7.00
Future City of Oakland Early Childhood Landscape
Of 6,525 subsidy-eligible preschool-age children, 2,411 are not able to receive early childhood services due to the limited number of subsidized childcare slots. The infant and toddler need for subsidized services is even greater; there is an estimated 9,733 infants and toddlers who are eligible for subsidized care, but 8,765 (almost 92%) are not able to receive it due to the lack of subsidized care slots in Oakland.14
The City of Oakland Head Start model, an established City Council priority, provides subsidized services as well as comprehensive wrap-around services, a model that has demonstrated multigenerational educational and economic growth for families. The City’s program options offer families a choice in how they access early childhood services based on the family's needs and priorities.
The federal funding and City match support 622 families. The state funding supports increased operational costs and extending service hours in early head start centers. The Oakland Children’s Initiative supports 4 sites and 68 families, the nutrition program for all grantee sites, a workforce development program, professional development, and overall improved program quality.
The City of Oakland’s objective is to ensure every family in need has access to comprehensive quality early childhood and family services. To meet the deficit of subsidized slots for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers the expansion of slots in varied program options by partners and directly operated services is needed. City sites are currently at their maximum capacity and further expansion requires new early childhood facilities that can accommodate families from 0 to preschool, limiting the transitions that a family must make, and creating trusting and sustained family partnerships that ensure greater success for both the child and the family.
The program has outlined a possible expansion strategy that can be achieved over the next 3 to 10 years and is outlined below.
14 Alameda County Early Care and Education Planning Council Early Care and Education Needs Assessment, 2021
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
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Center Based Program Options
Table 9: New City of Oakland Operated Early Childhood Facilities City of Oakland New Centers Infant
Young
Toddler Older Toddler Preschool Total
West Oakland Site 16 8 8 16 48
Central Oakland Site 16 8 8 16 48
East Oakland Site 16 8 8 16 48
Total 48 24 24 48 144
In addition to directly operated centers, the City of Oakland contracts with partners to provide Head Start services to eligible Oakland families. The City strategy includes expansion of partner slots, see Table 10.
Table 10: New City of Oakland Partner Expansion
Infant Young Toddler Older Toddler Preschool Total
TBD Partner Sites 16 16 16 16 64
Family Child Care, Family, Friend and Neighbors, Home Based Program Options In addition to the center-based model, the City of Oakland has family child care and home-based Head Start program options and the expansion strategy includes these options as well as introducing a family, friend, and neighbor incubator program.
The Family Child Care (FCC) Head Start program partners with FCCs and provides FCCs with , educational, coaching , and professional development support to meet Head Start Performance Standards. The City of Oakland team provides comprehensive wrap-around services, and educational and development services, ensuring that families at FCCs have access to the full Head Start model.
The Head Start Home -Based option is a popular choice, particularly among Oaklanders who are recent immigrants and prefer a child development option that provides services at their home and works to build the caregiver’s skill as the child’s first teacher. Home Visitors are skilled in education, development, and family services and provide both educational and wrap-around services to families. The program allows us to tailor our expansion of services to specific families interested in these services which are provided by an educational professional from the community. The City of Oakland anticipates needed expansion to several communities including Mam-speaking, Guatemalan families, Vietnamese, Afghani, and Yemeni families, a few of the communities where the demand for ECE services has increased.
The City would also expand services of the mobile classroom that works with families who are experiencing housing insecurity and would benefit from Head Sta rt with agile support to meet families where they are.
The Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) Incubator program is a new option that would fund slots with individuals in the FFN Network. FFNs is care provided in the child’s or child care provider’s home by a person who is a relative, friend, neighbor, or other license-exempt provider. This type of care is not required to be licensed by the State of California. Families who choose this type of care Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
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may know and trust the caregiver. Families may choose this type of care for linguistic or cultural reasons, or flexibility in scheduling and transportation reasons. FFNs in the proposed incubator program will receive support with education, coaching, and professional development to gradually meet Head Start Performance Standards and further the FFN’s skills and certification in the early childhood field. City of Oakland staff will work with FFNs to provide wrap-around services to families as well as educational and development services. FFNs interested in furthering their ECE skills will be supported with professional development opportunities and with a transition to FCC status thereby expanding family child care slots and opportunities for small business growth.
The proposed expansion strategy for these program options is outlined in Table 11.
Table 11: Expansion of Other Program Options
The expansion strategy would add 370 Head Start slots (see Table 12) to provide both education, development, and comprehensive wrap-around services to children 0 to 5 and their families over the next 3 to 10 years. The ongoing cost of these services based on FY23-24 operational costs would be in the range of $15 to $20 million with one-time costs of $15 million for the renovation or construction of new facilities, and improvements in quality to existing facilities. The City of Oakland Head Start Program will identify funding opportunities as part of this strategy and will adapt the strategy as community feedback, funding opportunities, and partnerships arise over the next 10 years.
Table 12: Overall Head Start Program Expansion Summary
Program Option Number of New
Slots
COO Center Based 144
Partner Center Based 64
Family Child Care Partners 102
Home Based 36
Family, Friend and Neighbor 24
Total 370
The City of Oakland Head Start Program will include updates on the long-term early childhood and family services strategy in future reports to Council.
FISCAL IMPACT
The FY 2024-2025 Baseline Budget for Head Start will reflect the expenditures of one-time funding that will be funded by Oakland Children’s Initiative.
Program Option Expansion Slots
Family Child Care 102
Home Based 36
Family, Friend and Neighbor 24
Total 162
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
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The City plans to appropriate $24,006,408 to operate the Head Start grant program in FY2024- 2025, with $10,521,875 coming from the City’s General-Purpose Fund 1010, as part of the City’s FY 2024-2025 Budget Process. The Head Start grant budget will cover the salaries of the 112.5 FTEs approved by the federal grant program.
In adopting this Resolution, the City Council commits that the program will meet or exceed the required twenty percent (20%) local match of $3,371,133. For the portion of the Head Start program eligible for federal reimbursements, administrative costs will remain below the fifteen percent (15%) administrative threshold set by the Basic Head Start and Basic Early Head Start budgets. In-kind contribution funds will be budgeted to provide all required comprehensive Head Start and Early Head Start services in a high-quality, cost-effective manner and will be reflected in the continuation application to be submitted by April 1, 2024.
As stated above the General-Purpose Fund contribution to the program is expected to be $10,521,875 to operate the portion of the program that is federally reimbursed, the FY 2024- 2025 Baseline Budget includes General-Purpose Funds in an amount of $10,521,875. for FY 2024-2025 to cover administrative service operations, Internal Service Funds (ISFs) and the federal required match of 20%. These are all essential for program operation but not allowed by the Office of Head Start due to the federal grant’s administrative caps.
In the following section, staff has prepared a series of tables to explain Head Start’s FY 2024- 2025 Baseline Budget and how it complies with City Council’s resolutions.
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Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Head Start Program Grant Continuation Application FY 24-25 Date: February 14, 2024 Page 15
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Life Enrichment Committee
March 12, 2024
Cost Summary
A. AMOUNT OF RECOMMENDATION/COST OF PROJECT for FY 2024-2025: $25,402,103
The Office of Head Start Federal Grant Revenue for FY24-25 is $13,484,533, an increase of $915,273.
Table 13: Head Start Grant Award for FY24-25
Funding Type Head Start Early Head Start
Program Operations $5,711,656 $7,587,247
Training and Technical Assistance $66,752 $118,878
Total Funding $13,484,533
Table 14: Source of Funding for Head Start Program
FY 2024-2025
Source of Funding GPF Non-GPF
Federal Grant Revenue (FD 2128) $13,484,533
One Time GPF 1010 contribution to
cover Federal grant administrative
expenses 15% cap limit
$5,433,312
General-Purpose Fund 1010 Federal
Local Match Contribution
$3,371,133
GPF 1010 One Time Non-Federal
Contribution to implement C.M.S
88940 (see Table 6 for breakdown)
$1,717,430
Subtotal: Total GPF Contributions $10,521,875
Total: Total Funds Needed $24,006,408
The total project cost is an estimated $24,006,408. The federal grant award is $13,484,533 and $10,521,875 is the total General-Purpose Fund Contribution. As Table 14 above shows, the General-Purpose Fund contribution consists of three key parts: Head Start’s full CSO Waiver, the City’s local match to the federal grant award for FY 2024-25, and the additional funding to implement Head Start according to City Council’s resolutions. Staff analyzed the Head Start operating needs and determined $2,308,110 would need to be allocated in FY 24-25 to implement the program accordingly. The breakdown of this amount per City Council resolutions can be seen in Table 15 below:
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Head Start Program Grant Continuation Application FY 24-25 Date: February 14, 2024 Page 16
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Life Enrichment Committee
March 12, 2024
Table 15: Non-Federal General-Purpose Fund (1010) Contribution Breakdown General-Purpose Contribution
Usage
Amount
Approved
FY 23-24
Amount
Requested
FY 24-25
Council Resolution
No.
Unallowable Federal Expenses-ISFs $1,751,472 $2,189,826 C.M.S 88717 – June 24, 2021
Supplement reduced federal funding
to retain 3 HS/EHS sites and serve
52 additional families
$1,733,640
$0 C.M.S. 88801 –
September 1, 2021
Retention of existing HS positions to
provide additional program support $2,116,293 1,717,430 C.M.S 88940 – December 7, 2021
Total $5,601,405 $5,302,951
The Head Start/Early Head Start grant for program year 2024 -2025, beginning July 1, 2024, in the estimated amount of $13,484,533, includes proposed grant agreements, outlined in Table 16, with Brighter Beginnings for $1,279,095, Peralta Community College for $457,000, and Banana’s, Inc. for $975,967 appropriated to the Human Services Department Fund (2128), Head Start Organization (78231), Head Start Project (1006668), and Early Head Start Project (1006678).
Table 16: Early Childhood Education Services Partners (Subgrantees) for FY24-25 Early Head Start/Head Start Partners
(Subgrantees)
Total Grant Agreement Amounts
Partner Agencies
Brighter Beginnings Home Based Program $1,279,095
Peralta Community College (Laney College
Children's Center and Merritt College Children's
Center)
$457,000
Bananas, Inc. Family Child Care Partnership $975,967
Total $2,712,062
In FY 24-25 City of Oakland Head Start will add 7 new FTE positions to meet grant objectives.
The funding for the salary and fringe for these positions is $1,130,082. The funding for the partner contract that 5 of these positions will be filling is $296,203 and the increase in federal funding of $915,273 for a total of $1,211,476 in federal funds to cover the personnel costs related to the 7 new positions.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Head Start Program Grant Continuation Application FY 24-25 Date: February 14, 2024 Page 17
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Life Enrichment Committee
March 12, 2024
Table 17: New Head Start Positions for FY24-25
Position FTE Salary Fringe Total
Program Operations Manager 1.00 148,602
123,340
271,942
Supervising Case Manager 1.00 110,846
92,002
202,848
Head Start Coordinator 1.00 89,059 73,919 162,978
Family Advocate 4.00 67,256 55,823 492,314
TOTAL 7.00 $415,763
$345,084
$1,130,082
Implications
Head Start requires a Local Match of $3,371,133 (or 20% of the Federal award). The City will be exceeding this amount with the anticipated $10,521,875 for FY 2024-2025.
To deliver a high-quality program that accounts for essential program operation costs that are not eligible for federal reimbursement, the City will be dedicating $10,521,875 from the General- Purpose Fund to pay for these costs. This includes paying for the City’s Central Service Overhead charges. Staff requests the necessary full waiver of all Central Services Overhead charges projected to be an estimated amount of $3,243,486 caps, 20% required local match and the level of funding required, to adequately operate the program.
The program will submit a continuation application by the submission deadline of April 1, 2024 to the Office of Head Start that includes the City’s approved FY 2024-2025 Head Start Budget for review and the services City Council has authorized.
Staff anticipate that the Head Start program may also receive augmented funding. Some of that funding may be provided to specifically address key early childhood priorities. As such, the language in this resolution allowing for the amendment of these agreements and the acceptance of additional funding without returning to Council, is critical to quickly respond to funding deadlines and Head Start families’ needs.
The program also receives State (California Department of Education State Preschool and California Department of Social Services General Child Care) funding to support classroom costs, which is usually awarded to Fund 2138. These State contracts are awarded on a reimbursement basis.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Head Start Program Grant Continuation Application FY 24-25 Date: February 14, 2024 Page 18
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Life Enrichment Committee
March 12, 2024
Table 18: State Contracts for FY 2024 - 2025
Funding Source Contract Name Maximum
Reimbursable
Amount
Program
Served
California Department of
Education
California School
Preschool Program
(CSPP)
$3,364,765 Head Start
Sites
California Department of
Social Services
General Child Care
Program (CCTR)
$3,315,326 Early Head
Start Sites
PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST
Approval for submission of this report was provided by the Head Start Parent Policy Council and the Head Start Advisory Board, which are public meetings.
COORDINATION
The Office of the City Attorney and the Budget Bureau were consulted in preparation of this report and resolution.
PAST PERFORMANCE, EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP
In FY 2016-17, the City of Oakland applied for and received a five-year grant to provide Head Start and Early Head Start services to 1,006 children. The City began significantly updating the program, adding early childhood education partners, expanding its services for children 0-3 years of age, and shifting most sites to full-day services.
Updates included renovating facilities to meet Early Head Start licensing requirements, on- boarding new partners, revising all job specifications to address new performance standards, and meet and confer with labor unions. In Year 3, FY 2018-19, the City participated in a two-part on-site monitoring review conducted by the Federal Office of Head Start. Part I consisted of a program review by a federal review team, from March 4-8, 2019, using the official Office of Head Start (OHS) monitoring instrument - the Head Start Focus Area Two (FA2) Monitoring Protocol to assess the program.
The FA2 Monitoring Protocol is divided into six program sections with 24 performance indicators and was used program-wide to review the grantee, early childhood partners, and delegate agency. Part II consisted of a program review by a second review team, April 15-19, 2019, who used an instrument adopted by the OHS - CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System), to assess classroom teaching practices, teacher/child interactions and environments.
Site and classroom assessments took place during both the March and April reviews.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Head Start Program Grant Continuation Application FY 24-25 Date: February 14, 2024 Page 19
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Life Enrichment Committee
March 12, 2024
Results
On September 09, 2019, the Office of Head Start provided Oakland Head Start with the results of the Focus Area Two (FA2) Monitoring Review. Overall, the review team identified one Program Strength, seventeen Areas of Compliance; and seven Areas of Non-Compliance (ANC) and two Deficiencies (DEF). The City’s Head Start program was directed to implement a Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) in year 4 (FY 2019-20), to strengthen the program’s foundation including the areas of Program Management, Data Management and Ongoing Monitoring. The program passed the CLASS review.
In FY 2020-21, year 5, the City’s Head Start program had a return/follow-up FA2 Monitoring Review and passed, allowing the program to compete for a new five-year grant award. In FY 2020-21, the Oakland Head Start program successfully competed and was awarded grant funding for a new 5-year project cycle, FY 2021-26.
In February of FY 2022-2023, year 2 of the new grant, the program had a Focus Area 1 (FA1) federal Monitoring Review and passed the review without any findings.
Program Year 2023-2024 Performance Standard Measures to Date:
The Home-Based Program began in July 2023, and the Center Based Program began August 2023. The program delivered a two-week pre-service training period with staff that included COVID-19 protocol trainings for staff and families. Table 19 on the following page shows the current progress with meeting Head Start Performance Standards up to December 2023, including partners. Partners receive close support from City of Oakland and the Education, Family Services, Health, Mental Health and Disabilities, and Governance components are provided by City of Oakland Head Start program staff.
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Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Head Start Program Grant Continuation Application FY 24-25 Date: February 14, 2024 Page 20
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Life Enrichment Committee
March 12, 2024
Table 19: December 2023 Oakland Head Start Program Performance Measures Head Start Early Head Start Current Total
Enrollment/Funded (No.) 211/332 273/342 484/674
Enrollment/Funded (%) (63.6%) (79.8%) (72%)
Daily attendance 78.2% 75.7% 77%
Medical Home 99.1% 99.1% 99.1%
Health Insurance 98.6% 96.6% 98%
Current Physical exam/Well-baby check 99.5% 77.1% 88%
Updated immunizations 100% 92% 96%
Hearing Screening 98.6% 90.1% 94%
Vision Screening
Growth Screening
98.1%
99.1%
90.5%
94.8%
94%
97%
Dental Home 97.7% 93.1% 98%
Current Dental Exam 95.5% 76.6% 91%
Nutrition Screening 98.1% 98.7% 98%
Developmental Screening (ASQ) 100% 100% 100%
Concerns Identified - ASQ Screening 57% 39% 48%
Behavioral Screening – (ASQ-SE) 99% 100% 100%
Concern Identified - ASQ-SE Screening 30% 22% 25%
1st Individualized Curriculum (DRDP) 98% 97% 98%
Initial Parent/Teacher Conference (IDP) 91% 94% 93%
Initial Home Visits 98% 94% 96%
1st Family Outcomes Assessment 98% 100% 100%
Referrals to the Regional Center of the n/a 5 5
East Bay (RCEB)
Referrals to OUSD Center for 12 n/a 12
Exceptional Children
Children enrolled with IFSP or IEP 27 27 54
SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES
Economic: This grant creates more than 100 jobs for people directly employed in centers, plus additional jobs through its economic multiplier effect. Most of these jobs are held by Oakland residents. Additionally, the City’s family child care service delivery model in partnership with Bananas, Inc. provides additional choice to Head Start families who wish to place their children in a neighborhood Family Child Care (FCC) option. The program also helps strengthen, primarily BIPOC, female owned, family child care businesses by supporting sustainable, quality child care, family services and professional growth through funding, and additional Head Start and City resources.
Environmental: The program uses recyclable paper products and staff plan daily activities to make the most of outdoor spaces and connect children with nature. The City of Oakland Environmental Justice Element emphasizes the prevention of asthma triggers, poor ventilation, and the spread of COVID-19 and other illnesses in EJ communities. Program staff prioritize these environmental justice goals through proactive efforts such as installing air quality monitors at all sites and implementing routine water and paint lead testing.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Head Start Program Grant Continuation Application FY 24-25 Date: February 14, 2024 Page 21
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Life Enrichment Committee
March 12, 2024
Race & Equity: The City of Oakland Head Start Program delivers individualized services that are responsive and appropriate to each child’s racial, ethnic, developmental, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds and assets. Prioritizing wrap-around, systemic supports for children with the highest needs, the City of Oakland Head Start Program provides a nurturing environment designed to create positive, lasting impacts on children’s early development, growth, ongoing academic performance, and later life success. The continuation of funding ensures that the program can maintain – and expand – the high-quality, individualized support it provides to Oakland residents in greatest need of Head Start’s comprehensive services.
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution:
1. Authorizing The City Administrator To Apply For, Accept And Appropriate Head Start Basic Training And Technical Assistance, Early Head Start Basic And Training And Technical Assistance Grants For Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-2025 From The US Department Of Health And Human Services, Administration For Children And Families, Office Of Head Start (DHHS/ACF), In An Estimated Amount Of Thirteen Million Four Hundred Eighty -Four Thousand Five Hundred Thirty -Three Dollars ($13,484,533), And Committing The Necessary Local Match; And
2. Authorizing The City Administrator To Apply For, Accept And Appropriate A Cost Of Living (COLA) Adjustment And Quality Improvement Grant From DHHS/ACF if awarded For The Head Start And Early Head Start Program For FY 2024- 2025; And
3. Subject To Funding A vailability, Authorizing The Addition Of Seven Full Time Equivalent (FTE) Positions To Serve Home -based Programming, And Health And Safety Priorities; And
4. Authorizing An Estimated Offset Of Three Million Two Hundred Forty -Three Thousand Four Hundred Eighty-Six Dollars ($3,243,486) For FY 2024-2025 Central Services Overhead Charges; And
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Head Start Program Grant Continuation Application FY 24-25 Date: February 14, 2024 Page 22
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Life Enrichment Committee
March 12, 2024
5. Authorizing An Estimated Offset Of T hree Million T wo Hundred Forty-Three Thousand Four Hundred Eighty-Six Dollars ($3,243,486) For FY 2024-2025 Central Services Overhead Charges; And
6. Awarding Grant Agreements To Fund Comprehensive Early Care, Education And Family Services To Community Service Providers Identified In Table 5 For FY 2024-2025 For A Total Amount Not To Exceed Two Million Seven Hundred And Twelve Thousand Six Hundred and Two Dollars ($2,712,602); And
7. Authorizing The City Administrator To Accept And Appropriate Additional Federal Head Start/Early Head Start Funds If They Become Available Within FY 2024-2025 And Amend The Grant Agreements Within The Limits Of The Federal Award.
For questions regarding this report, please contact Diveena Cooppan, Human Services Division Manager, Early Childhood and Family Services, at (510) 238-7186.
Respectfully submitted,
SCOTT MEANS
Interim Director, Human Services Department
Prepared by: Diveena Cooppan, Manager
Early Childhood & Family Services Division,
Head Start