OHSAI Update
 September/October, 2000

You have the Opportunity to Hire your own Boss!

Few people are fortunate enough to have a say in the hiring of their bosses, but in Head Start, we have a real opportunity to voice our opinion! The time for us to do that is on Tuesday, November 7, 2000. This year on election day we will hire the men and women who will make decisions concerning Head Start for the next two, four and six years and who will vote on the laws and the funding that create and sustain Head Start. Each of us needs take seriously our responsibility as a voting citizen. We cannot complain about low salaries, poor facilities, unfair regulations, or lack of funds if we do not support the program at the voting booth. Additionally, we cannot expect our Head Start families to vote if we do not set a good example. Remind the families that you work with that the candidates elected this November will make decisions that will affect them, their children, and their loved ones. Encourage those you work with and the families you serve to learn about the candidates and the issues and to exercise their right to vote on November 7th.

October Agenda Highlights

The OHSAI October meeting is set for October 5-6 at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Columbus. Thursday sessions will include:

A how-to panel on community partnerships

Defining and measuring family outcomes

Utilizing the HeadsUp! System and your satellite dish

The PRISM monitoring instrument

During the October meeting, vision screening training will be taking place. Head Start programs have received invitations to this special event. In addition, Lisa Holstrom, of the University of Cincinnati will hold a special meeting during breakfast on Friday for individuals participating in the Early Childhood Learning Community courses through the University of Cincinnati. Individuals interested in attending that meeting should call 1-888-ECLCNOW.  The registration deadline for the October meeting is September 27.

National and State Early Care and Education Update

Ohio Contingent Attends Training

Transition Starts in September

Some things to be Watching for...

Dr. James Scott, Region V Q-Net, is in the process of comparing the federal Outcomes requirements to the Galileo software to determine any gaps that may exist.  The information he compiles will be available to Head Start programs in the coming months.

The final stages of compiling the wage survey information are being completed, and with the assistance of Q-Net we will be analyzing the information.  A report will be sent to Head Start directors in the near future.

Where the Candidates Stand on Head Start

We have learned that effective early childhood education programs can have a tremendous bearing on the future academic success of our children. That is why Governor Bush believes that Head Start should be reformed, not scrapped.

Instead of focusing on education, Head Start has evolved largely into a day-care, health and nutrition program, that does little to prepare children for reading and math once they begin school. While some local Head Start programs have produced cognitive gains for participating youngsters, there is not pervasive evidence of the educational effectiveness of Head Start as a whole. The largest evaluation to date, an April GAO report summarizing the findings of nearly 600 Head Start studies, shows that after three decades, Head Start lacks consistent results in preparing children academically for school. While recent reforms in Head Start programs are a move in the right direction, more can be done.

As President, George Bush will:

Move Head Start to the Department of Education: To ensure that Head Start makes education a priority and focuses on building skills for school readiness, especially pre-reading and numeracy, the Department of Education, not HHS, will oversee the administration and evaluation of local Head Start programs.

Require Head Start Programs to Adopt a Proven Core Curriculum: The federal government will identify model curricula and effective methods of teaching pre-reading and school readiness. These research-based best practices will be made available to local Head Start programs so they can prepare youngsters to enter school ready to learn.

Award Head Start Contracts on a Competitive Basis: New Head Start grants will be open to competition and awarded on a selective basis. Upon renewal of each existing Head Start contract, the program will be evaluated based on effectiveness. It a program is found ineffective in teaching pre-reading and school readiness, its contract will be opened.

Gore's plan starts with a child's earliest years, and includes the ongoing growth of Head Start and Early Head Start. Gore supports the Administration's proposal to invest an additional $1 billion in Head Start this year - the largest single funding increase ever proposed for the program - to provide Head Start and Early Head Start (for children aged 0-3) to approximately 950,000 children and help reach the goal of serving at least one million children by 2002. Since 1993, the Clinton-Gore Administration has increased funding for Head Start by 90 percent.

Studies show that investment in early education pays tremendous benefits in terms of higher IQ's, higher reading and achievement levels, higher graduation rates and greater success in the workplace. Disadvantaged children who attend pre-school benefit the most. They repeat fewer grades and learn at a higher level.

Making High Quality Pre-School Universally Available: Al Gore has proposed a $50 billion plan to provide universal access to high-quality preschool. While not all parents would choose to participate, under Gore's plan no 4-year-old would go without preschool because of family income. After a state has made preschool universally available, the federal funds could be devoted to children aged 3 and younger, or to create year-round, full day, or multi-year programs.

Flexibility: This preschool initiative places a strong emphasis on flexibility for states and offers choice for parents, while holding providers accountable for results. States could use this funding to create and support public preschool programs in a variety of community-based settings such as public schools, community centers, child care providers, and Head Start centers, among others.

High Standards: States would be required to identify developmentally-appropriate curricula that prepare children for success in reading and in school. They also must set high educational, safety, and quality standards for their state-wide public preschool program and hold providers accountable for meeting these standards.

Supporting Early Childhood Educators: In addition, Gore will take measures to ensure quality by setting aside resources for a "Preschool Quality Fund" to offer professional development and support other strategies to ensure high quality preschool. Gore will help talented people become fully certified preschool teachers and recruit an army of well-trained college students as tutors to help preschool children get ready to read.

Family Literacy a Focus of ODE Early Childhood Conference

TWO SPECIAL FAMILY LITERACY INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS

(in addition to 25 breakout sessions on family literacy topics)

WHAT: Two 2-hour interactive morning sessions will focus on a variety of pressing issues affecting family literacy. Facilitated by national consultants/researchers, these sessions will offer op- portunities for family literacy providers and potential providers to gather valuable informa- tion for program development (see Agenda below). Day 2 work is related to Day 1 topics; therefore, we highly recommend attendance at both sessions.

WHEN: 10:00-Noon Monday, November 6, and Tuesday, November 7, 2000

WHO: The intended audience for these special sessions includes, but is not limited to, staff and

administrators of the following: ABLE, Even Start, Head Start, Out-of-School Programs, REA-eligible Schools, Libraries, and local community partners. Various levels of program development and experience are welcome.

Day 1 Building a Family Literacy Program Around Families

Presentation and discussion facilitation by Diane D’Angelo of RMC

Research and Dr. Douglas Powell of Purdue University

Day 2 Retooling for a Family-Focused Program

Overview by Dr. Nancy Padak of Ohio Literacy Resource Center;

Share and Compare discussion facilitated by Ohio Practitioners

The DISH on the University of Cincinnati's Distance Learning Program

he early Childhood Care and Education Program (ECCE) is designed to prepare students to work in preschools, child care centers, and other specialized settings serving young children. The program concentrates on child development, developmentally appropriate practices for young children, and child guidance strategies.

Course lectures are delivered via satellite broadcast at regularly scheduled times with additional supplemental information provided on the course website via the University of Cincinnati's Classware system. You will keep in contact with your instructor and submit assignments via e-mail, postal mail, or fax. Additional interaction may include real time chatting or a class notice board, again via the Classware system. Initially four courses will be offered per quarter. However, you may enroll in fewer classes.

If you would like more information, call 513-556-0893 or visit www.ucollege.uc.edu/eclc . Individuals who are enrolled in the ECCE Program will be meeting at the Friday breakfast of the October OHSAI meeting. This will be an opportunity to network and meet with UC staff.

Welfare Reform is Hitting Home

The long awaited deadline for the first TANF cut-off is just around the corner. As often happens in situations like welfare reform, the reality is much less than was expected. Many doomsayers were predicting large numbers of people without any means of support when the first round of cash recipients came to the three year ending time. The reality is, throughout the State of Ohio, there will be fewer people affected by the cutoffs than expected. Only six counties in Ohio have projected cut-offs that exceed the allotted 20% exemption numbers for fiscal year 2000.

An important piece for Head start staff to remember is that every county has guidelines for their exemptions and an appeals process for those being cut-off. You should be able to obtain a copy of this process from your local Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS). Additionally, families that end cash assistance will still be eligible for food stamps, Medicaid and other services to assist them in joining the workforce.

We must keep in mind that the purpose of the welfare reform legislation was to get people in jobs and to encourage self-sufficiency. Certainly the system has succeeded in finding people employment. Many people have obtained work and are pleased to be moving forward with their lives. Others continue to struggle as they juggle work, family responsibilities and education. As always our Head Start staff are there to support and encourage them on their journeys.

If any of you have problems getting information you need about the exemption process, please give the OHSAI office a call and ask for Susan.

Catherine Candisky and Jodi Nirode
Columbus Dispatch, Monday, August 21, 2000

About two-thirds of a group of Ohioans who left welfare still were working one year later, according to a study commissioned by the state.  This month, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services will release the findings, based on a survey of 631 former welfare recipients who left the system between October 1997 and March 1998.  The 67 percent who were employed worked an average of 38.4 hours a week for an average wage of $8.65 an hour.  News of the study comes as the state reached another historic low in its welfare rolls; as of July, 238,649 Ohioans were receiving cash assistance, the fewest since 1968.

"The welfare system is working, and by focusing our efforts on employment, we are helping people get into positions that have greatly improved their lives,'' said Joel Potts, assistant to Jacqui Romer-Sensky, director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.  "Our system all along should have been about work, but we never assessed them for work. We assessed them for resources'' to see what benefits they were qualified to receive, Potts said.  He acknowledged that living on $8 an hour is not easy but stressed that it's more per month than cash assistance and that many former recipients remain eligible for food stamps, child care and health insurance. A family of three, for instance, would receive a maximum of $380 a month on welfare. A 40-hour-a-week job at $8 an hour would provide a before-taxes income of $1,280 a month.

This week, the state will mail letters to as many as 5,339 recipients to inform them that their cash benefits will stop Oct. 1 because they will have exhausted the three-year lifetime maximum. The end to benefits will mark the first wave of effects from sweeping reforms to Ohio's welfare system.  Despite the historic decline, advocates for the poor say that survey results underline the state's next hurdle: meeting the needs of the working poor.

"This isn't over by a long shot,'' said Lisa Hamler-Podolski, director of the Ohio Food Policy and Anti- Poverty Action Center. "These are the best of times. Anyone who could, I think, has left (welfare), but there are families still struggling. We have to make sure supports are in place.  "The measure of welfare reform is not caseload decline, it has to be quality of life. How are families faring?''  Delores Crawford, director of the Mahoning County Department of Job and Family Services, said jobs don't translate to self-sufficiency for welfare recipients in the Youngstown area. Many of those still on the rolls in Mahoning County are working but earn so little that they qualify for cash assistance.  Crawford said the average hourly wage of a working welfare recipient is $5.25 -- 10 cents more than the federal minimum. "We had one man with as many as 17 different jobs who was still eligible,'' she said.  "In our area, what we're really talking about is servicing the poor, so what we're most concerned about is getting people into jobs and helping them move up the career ladder.''

When Ohio lawmakers enacted the state's version of welfare reform in 1997, they also requested a study to better see what happens to those forced off the rolls. Macro International of Calverton, Md., conducted the study and found that many had health insurance, some took advantage of child-care subsidies, and a few turned to charities for help. 

Specifically:

· 83 percent of the recipients reported that their youngest child had health-care coverage. Of those children, 59 percent used the state's Medicaid or Healthy Start program, and the rest had a parent's insurance.

· 57 percent of the adults were insured, and of those, one-third still relied on Medicaid. Of the 39 percent who said they were not insured, two- thirds said they couldn't afford it. (Four percent didn't respond.)

· 40 percent with children younger than 12 had used state subsidies to pay for child care.

· 10 percent had been to a food pantry in the previous six months, and 4 percent said they had received assistance from charities.

Officials in each of Ohio's 88 counties can exempt up to 20 percent of their caseloads that are marked for cutoff. Most have policies in place and are evaluating caseloads to determine who will be exempted. Common exemptions are given to those who have physical or mental disabilities, are caring for children with severe medical disabilities or are finishing an educational program. Some of the less-common exemptions include:

· Mahoning County, which will exempt those age 50 and older who have not had a job during the past 10 years and convicted felons whose criminal records hinder their ability to find a job.

· Butler and Hamilton counties, which will allow recipients with large families (four or more children) to remain on welfare.

· Washington County, which is granting exemptions to heads of households who can't find a job -- if unemployment is higher than 10 percent in the county.

Only one county, Holmes, will allow no exemptions.  "Our numbers were so low to begin with that we only have seven or eight spots (to exempt). My concern was getting into a situation of playing Solomon,'' said Clyde Crabtree, director of the Holmes County Department of Job and Family Services.

Those denied extensions can appeal to the state.  The exemptions and dramatic drops in caseloads have helped ease the anxiety of many who once feared that Oct. 1 could bring an onslaught of new problems -- such as a higher crime rate -- once cash assistance was stopped.  In Franklin County, 367 recipients might be affected by the time limits, but half are expected to receive exemptions, said Lance Porter, spokesman for the Franklin County Department of Job and Family Services.  "To think that once we make it through October, everything is fine and dandy is wrong,'' Porter said. "Six months from now, things may not be going as smoothly. The clock keeps ticking from this point on.''

Ohio Family and Children First Update

* To streamline and coordinate existing government services to help families

seeking assistance for their children.

* Establish and communicate our goal that *all children will read*

* Emphasize community-based strategies and school involvement

* Jane Wiechel Chief of Staff and Policy Director

* Brad Mitchell Partnership Director

* Lynne Bratka Program Director

* Jessie Cannon Performance Director

Ohio Family & Children First        17 south High Street, Suite 550          Columbus, Ohio 43215

Terrie Hare, the Ohio Head Start Collaboration Project Director, will be working closely with the core team and can be reached at this new address.

Healthy Start Expands Eligibility Again

Many eligible children are still missing out on health insurance! There is no excuse for this in the State of Ohio. Children up to 19 years old whose families make up to 200% of the federal poverty level are eligible for Healthy Start coverage. Adults up to 100% of the federal poverty level are also eligible for coverage under the newest provisions. Head Start has played a key role in getting families to sign up for this invaluable service, yet we can and must do more. If you have partners, make sure that they are informing their families about the program. Perhaps you could volunteer to help enroll families at a special registration day. Take information to your family home providers. Can your agency help distribute flyers to send home with all the children in your partnerships? The office of Consumer and Program Support in Ohio Department of Jobs and Families (ODJFS) will provide the information if you just call and order it. Bring up the topic again at your local early childhood collaboration meetings. A new application for the CHIP program has been developed to simplify the process and will be implemented on October 1^st.

Brenda Lucas at the office of Consumer and Program support will help you in marketing the program in your community. Remember, signing a child up for health insurance is only a phone call away. The state hot line number is 1-800-324-8680. Families can apply over the phone, have an application mailed to them or apply on line via e-mail. Let’s show how Head Start can take the lead in assuring that all eligible children are insured!

Engaging Fathers

Setting our Sights on Quality: Ohio Initiatives

The Universal Finance Project The Ohio Department of Education/Office of Early Childhood and the Ohio Department of Human Services/Child Care Bureau, and other partners are working with Dr. Kagen of Yale University and Dr. Brandon from the University of Washington to explore universal approaches to financing a high quality early care and education system for Ohio’s children. Conditions to be studied include: 1) the range of services needed to develop a system that features universal access and is based on parental choice; and 2) the nature of the infrastructure needed to support the services.

Ohio Looks Into New Mirrors: Possibilities for Funding Early Childhood Education A broad-based collaborative coordinated by the Ohio Child Care Resource & Referral Association (OCCRRA) and their many partners has begun to look at alternatives to funding child care, with the intent to mobilize support for child care finance reform and create an action plan for change in Ohio.

Building Public and Political Will For Early Care & Education Ohio was one of seven states to receive this grant, providing technical assistance from the National Governor’s Association (NGA) to develop strategies to pursue our vison, that “all adults caring for children will have access to services and supports needed to ensure high quality early care and educational programs.”

Additional Quality Initiatives

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Dayton, Ohio 45459
Phone: (937)435-1113
Fax: (937) 435-5411