Running head: AUSTINTOWN PLAN OF CARE: HEAD START

Austintown Plan of Care: Head Start

Kaitlyn Fetchet, Alyssa Grimm, Jay Zaitzew

Youngstown State University

December 9, 2016
Austintown Plan of Care: Head Start 1

Austintown Plan of Care: New Head Start Program in Austintown, Ohio

Healthy People 2020 Goal

Under the Educational and Community-Based Programs section of Healthy People 2020,

it is stated that the goal is to increase the quality, availability, and effectiveness of educational

and community-based programs designed to prevent disease and injury, improve health, and

enhance quality of life. A developmental objective of this topic area is to increase the

proportion of preschool Early Head Start and Head Start programs that provide health education

to prevent health problems in the following areas: unintentional injury; violence; tobacco use and

addiction; alcohol or other drug use; unhealthy dietary patterns; and inadequate physical activity,

dental health, and safety. (Educational and Community-Based Programs, 2010)

Short Term Goals

Complete a needs assessment by bringing local stakeholders such as funders, social

service agencies, school administration, and community members to determine the needs

for an additional Head Start site.

Complete and obtain approval of a grant for funding.

Long Term Goals

Within Austintown Elementary School, a Head Start preschool will be opened that offers

a sufficient amount of opening slots to meet the needs of the community.

Improve statistics related to the health of preschool aged children in Austintown, Ohio.

Outcome Criteria

Within three months, a needs assessment will be completed by performing a gap

analysis to compare desired results to current results, identifying priorities and

importance, identifying the causes of poor performances, and identifying possible

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solutions. (Rouda & Kusy, 1996) In this case, there is currently only one Early Head Start

facility within Austintown. Healthy People 2020 states the importance of Head Start

programs in a community. A possible intervention to fulfill the objective set by Healthy

People 2020 is to open another Head Start site.

A stakeholder meeting will be held to discuss the need to expand Head Start enrollment

opportunities and the needs of the community. During the meeting, demographic

information will be shared with all to illustrate the number of preschool-aged children

living within Austintown, Ohio; the number of current Head Start centers; and additional

community resources. Surveys will be provided to all participants to record their opinions

and document the identified needs in the community. An advisory group would be

formed that would consist of key stakeholders, one of which will be an Austintown Board

of Education member. The board of education member will serve as the chairperson of

the advisory group.

Within six months, an Office of Head Start funding grant application will be prepared

from the federal Head Start program that reflects the needs of the community and the

benefits of Head Start expansion. This grant application will be presented to the entire

Austintown Board of Education. The program budget and expected outcomes will also be

presented. A review of the Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS) and the

requirements listed in the Head Start Act of 2007 will occur. After receiving approval, the

formal grant application will be submitted to Administration of Children and Families for

review. (Apply for Grants, 2016)

Within twelve to eighteen months, after receiving notification of award of funding, any

required renovations to Austintown Elementary School will be completed. The required

Austintown Plan of Care: Head Start 3

final facility inspection will be completed by a licensed engineer or architect before the

location is able to be utilized as a Head Start site to ensure that all building codes are met.

(1303.56 Inspection of Work) Necessary equipment will be purchased using the funding.

Equipment needed will include: tables, chairs, toys, health and safety items, computers,

etc. Staff will be hired and will go through the required training to become a Head Start

teacher. Marketing of the program will begin throughout the community through the use

of fliers, press releases on local news channels, publishings in the Austintown Town

Crier, and direct mailings.

Within twenty-four months, the location will be completely renovated, inspected, and

furnished. The registration of preschool-aged children will be completed for the 2018-

2019 school year. Enrollment for the full-day preschool program will be completed. It

will be ensured that the Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS) and the

requirements laid out in the Head Start Act of 2007 will be met. If further direction is

necessary, the Head Start location will assess for changes needed using the Office of

Head Starts Program Instructions (PIs) and Information Memorandums (IMs). (Apply

for Grants, 2016)

Nursing Diagnosis

Knowledge deficit of importance of health and dental care and available resources in the

community among low income-families with preschool aged children in Austintown, Ohio

related to socioeconomic status and lack of individualized direction that can be provided by a

Head Start program.

As Evidenced By
Austintown Plan of Care: Head Start 4

Research shows that disadvantaged children benefit from more exposure to

enriching early learning programs than is provided by the part-day, part-year

programs under the current minimum Head Start Standards. Research on full-day

programs, instructional time, summer learning loss, and attendance all indicate

that dosage is central to improving a child's outcome. (Head Start Program

Performance Standards Final Rule, 2016)

In the state of Ohio, not all children have received the recommended vaccinations

by the time they reach kindergarten. 92.1% of kindergarteners had received the

MMR and DTaP vaccinations. 91.5% received two doses of the varicella

immunization. 95.5% received the Hepatitis B vaccination. 92.4% received the

vaccination for polio. (2015-2016 School Year Vaccination Coverage Dashboard,

2016)

The Ohio Department of Health reports that of the residents living in Mahoning

County in 2004, ...4.4 percent of children 17 years and younger did not have

health insurance. (Healthy Ohio Community Profiles, 2008)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted survey of

northeastern region families and concluded that 2.7% of children have not had

contact with a healthcare professional in the last 5 years. (Summary Health

Statistics: National Health Interview Survey, 2014)

About 19.5% of children between the ages of 2 to 5 in the United States are living

with untreated dental caries. Of those children, 26.1% are from families below the

poverty level while 12.1% are from families 200% or more above the poverty
Austintown Plan of Care: Head Start 5

level. (Untreated Dental Caries (Cavities) in Children Ages 2-19, United States,

2011)

During the 2015 fiscal year, it is reported that of the children enrolled in Head

Start programs nationwide, approximately 47,000 of them belonged to families

that experienced homelessness during the program year. Of those, about 33%

found housing during the same school year. Almost 86,000 other families were

able to receive assistance involving utilities, house repairs, and subsidies. The

Head Start employees were able to direct these families towards available

resources in order to receive these housing assistances. (Head Start Program Facts

Fiscal Year 2015, 2016)

Interventions and Rationales

Intervention: Propose a plan for the opening of a new Head Start location in the

Austintown area to the Austintown Board of Education.

Rationale: Research shows that children who attend a Head Start program are more likely

to graduate high school, attend college, and receive a post-secondary degree, license, or

certification. (Bauer & Schanzenbach, 2016)

Intervention: Reach out to the community by publishing in local newspapers, recruiting

the help of local media, and contacting community leaders directly to boost interest and

support of the cause.

Rationale: Although it is federally funded, having community support would help to

increase the number of available services. Head start is beneficial to communities in a

variety of ways, one being Head Start graduates are 19% less likely to smoke than their
Austintown Plan of Care: Head Start 6

siblings who did not attend. The savings from these reduced health costs are equal to 36-

141% of the program costs. (Anderson, et al., 2010)

Intervention: Educate the community on the variety of benefits of a Head Start program

that could be experienced by the end of the program.

Rationale: Early Head Start children show significantly better social-emotional,

language, and cognitive development. Children who attend Early Head Start and

transition to Head Start are more ready for kindergarten than children who do not attend

Head Start. (Love, 2002) Obese, overweight, or underweight children who participate

in Head Start have a significantly healthier BMI by kindergarten entry. (Lumeng, et al.,

2014) By making the community aware of these benefits, in addition to the many other

benefits that can be obtained through enrollment in a Head Start program, they will be

more likely to support the program and enroll their children.

Intervention: Complete a grant to receive funding to open a Head Start location.

Rationale: Funding is necessary in order to renovate the Austintown Elementary School

to prepare a Head Start location, purchase necessary equipment, hire employees, and

provide a safe, healthy learning environment for enrolled preschool aged children in

Austintown, Ohio.

Evaluation

Three-Month Evaluation

A gap analysis was performed, completing the needs assessment. The stakeholder

meeting was held at the Board of Education which discussed the community's needs, and
Austintown Plan of Care: Head Start 7

resulted in a plan to expand enrollment and to open another Head Start location. The number of

preschool-aged children living in Austintown was addressed, and stakeholders determined that

one location was not enough to accommodate the amount of children in the area who could

benefit from the Head Start program. A group survey was performed that addressed needs in the

community and it was unanimous that the group agreed Austintown needed an additional Head

Start location. An advisory group was formed, with the chairperson being an active member of

the Austintown Board of Education, Dr. David Ritchie. By evaluating progress after three

months, it is determined that all three-month outcomes were met.

Six-Month Evaluation

The Head Start funding grant application included detailed budgeting information and

expected outcomes of the program. Budgeting was performed by assessing the pre-existing Head

Start location in Austintown and other locations in Ohio. Our outcomes included building the

new Head Start in Austintown Elementary School. This application was then sent for review to

the Administration of Children and Families and passed the Head Start Program Performance

Standards. The approval determined we would receive the amount of funding needed to get the

program started. The six-month outcomes were met.

Twelve- to Eighteen-Month Evaluation

The funding from the Administration of Children and Families was provided and building

plans were formed. They passed the inspection performed by Members of the Mahoning County

Building Inspection and all building codes were met. The school was informed of new addition

and using the funding money, all required equipment was purchased. Some toys were donated by

local supporters and businesses in the area. Teachers and future Head Start employees were

interviewed and hired. They went through the appropriate training required to be a Head Start
Austintown Plan of Care: Head Start 8

teacher. The Town Crier published an article informing the community of the new Head Start

addition. Local news channels such as WFMJ and WKBN announced the plan on the nighttime

news. Informational fliers were given to all students throughout the elementary, middle, and high

schools to take home to parents. Mailings were sent to Austintown residents and families who

could benefit from enrolling their child in the program. The twelve- to eighteen- month outcomes

were met.

Twenty-Four Month Evaluation

The new Head Start program located at Austintown Elementary School passed all

inspections performed by Patrick T. Ginetti, official engineer of Mahoning County. Enrollments

were completed and were higher than anticipated, but enough funds and resources were available

to support the number of enrolled children. Our twenty-four month goal was met. The new Head

Start program passed the Program Performance Standards and was ready for the 2018-2019

school year to begin.

Overall Evaluation (End of 2018-2019 School Year)

The percentage of children who received immunizations increased throughout the school

year, beginning at 93% and ending at 97% of children immunized. Additionally, more families

had health insurance, medical homes, and dental homes for their children at the end of the 2018-

2019 program year compared to the beginning of the program year. See Figure 1 for a bar graph

depicting the comparison of childrens health measures at enrollment and at the end of

enrollment. 50% of the Head Start families were able to obtain knowledge on the necessary

resources to obtain housing assistance in regards to utilities and subsidies. Also, 1 Head Start

family experienced homelessness during the program year. This family found housing before the

end of the school year. The majority of Head Start parents reported satisfaction with the
Austintown Plan of Care: Head Start 9

education their child received during the full-day preschool program and appreciated the

knowledge of the employees on available resources that they otherwise would not have known

about.

Figure 1: Comparison of Childrens Health Measures At Enrollment and At End of Enrollment

References

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managers/coverage/schoolvaxview/data-reports/coverage-dashboard/2015-16.html
Austintown Plan of Care: Head Start
10

Anderson, K. H., Foster, J. E., & Frisvold, D. E. (2010, July). INVESTING IN HEALTH: THE

LONG-TERM IMPACT OF HEAD START ON SMOKING. Economic Inquiry, 48(3), 587-602.

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