Attachment A - Head Start Full Enrollment Plan.pdf

Full Enrollment Plan 
Grant Number 09CH001150 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Reviewed by the Policy Council on May 8, 2023 
 To be presented to the Governing Board on June 7, 2023 
ATTACHMENT A

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Contents 
 
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 3 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE PLAN ............................................................................................................ 4 
UNDER ENROLLMENT FACTORS ....................................................................................................... 5 
1. Workforce .......................................................................................................................................... 5 
2. Family Needs .................................................................................................................................... 7 
3. Community Needs ........................................................................................................................... 9 
4. Language Barriers ......................................................................................................................... 10

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INTRODUCTION 
 
The City of Phoenix Head Start Birth to Five Program (Birth to Five Program) provides 
educational and social services to 3,451 children and their families through three program 
options: Early Head Start Home-Based, Early Head Start Child Care Partnerships, and 
Head Start Preschool. 
The Grantee-operated Early Head Start Home-Based program serves 300 children and 
families through a home visitation model emphasizing child-parent interactions. 
The Child Care Partnership program is comprised of three private childcare facilities that 
provide year-round, full-day services for 188 children whose parents are working or 
attending school. 
The Head Start Preschool program provides services to 2,963 children between the age 
of three and four in center-based settings.  The Birth to Five Program contracts with 
school districts and non-profits that provide the program’s educational component, while 
Birth to Five staff offer comprehensive social services. 
The Birth to Five Program assembled essential team members to attend the virtual Full 
Enrollment Initiative meeting on April 12, 2023, facilitated by Head Start Region 9 staff.  
The following members participated in the meeting. 
Table 1.1 
Team Member 
Position/Role 
Program 
Councilwoman  
Betty Guardado 
Governing Board Chair 
Early Head Start 
and  
Head Start 
Marchelle Franklin 
Human Services Director 
Nichole Ayoola 
Assistant Human Services Director 
Patricia Kirkland 
Deputy Human Services Director 
Jose Garcia 
Human Services Program 
Coordinator 
Katie Perez 
Birth to Five Education Specialist

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DEVELOPMENT OF THE PLAN 
 
To ensure the Full Enrollment Initiative (FEI) Plan is relevant to the Birth to Five Program, 
the team used data from FY 2021-2022 and the current fiscal year to identify trends.  Four 
trends were identified as overarching factors impacting full enrollment: 1) workforce – City 
and contracted employees, 2) family needs, 3) community needs, and 4) language 
barriers.   
To comprehensively focus on these factors, subcommittees have been assembled with 
Birth to Five staff, contracted staff, policy council and governing board members, and 
community stakeholders.  Four Head Start Birth to Five management team members will 
facilitate these subcommittees. 
This plan is a fluid document that starts on May 12, 2023 and ends on May 12, 2024.   It 
will be stored in a location accessible to all subcommittee facilitators, management team 
members, and any other staff needing access to ensure timely updates and 
achievements.  The following staff drafted the FEI Plan. 
Table 1.2 
Team Member 
Position/Role 
Program 
Marchelle Franklin 
Human Services Director 
Early Head Start 
and  
Head Start 
Nichole Ayoola 
Assistant Human Services Director 
Patricia Kirkland 
Deputy Human Services Director 
Jose Garcia 
Human Services Program 
Coordinator 
Melanie Romero 
Marion Hill 
JoAnn Jackson 
Alma Quintana 
Quality Assurance Manager 
Katie Perez 
Education Specialist

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UNDER ENROLLMENT FACTORS 
 
1. Workforce 
 
The Birth to Five Program has experienced a significant staffing shortage over the past 
two years in critical positions that interact directly with children and families.  The Birth to 
Five Program has 44 total City vacancies out of 152 positions.  Head Start has 17 
vacancies out of 53 positions; 13 Caseworkers and four Caseworker Aides who determine 
eligibility and provide needed social services to families.  The Early Head Start Home-
Based program has 15 vacancies out of 28 positions that provide weekly home visitation, 
impacting more than 150 families. 
Head Start Education Service Providers have 48 vacancies out of 276 in preschool: 24 
teachers and 24 instructional assistants, impacting approximately 500 children.  The Early 
Head Start Child Care Partners have 12 teacher vacancies out of 46 positions, affecting 
47 children. 
 
How Workforce Shortages Impact Enrollment 
This year more teachers left the classroom mid-year than any year prior.  The teacher, 
instructional assistant, and home visitor shortage have impacted more than 700 children 
who cannot attend a childcare facility or preschool setting.     Through conversations with 
the contracted providers, the following are the most common reasons teachers and 
assistants have left the profession, leaving classrooms closed. 
 Low Wages – Teachers with Childhood Development Associates credentials 
and/or Associates of Arts (AA) degrees and instructional assistants have left for 
jobs in the fast-food industry, where earnings are $5.00 - $7.00 more per hour.  
Reasons for leaving include different types of workloads, no data collection, 
monitoring, or observation.  Also, it was reported that the wages do not support the 
level of work required in the classroom. 
 Educational Level of Teachers – Arizona allows school districts to hire AA 
degreed teachers and provide time to achieve a bachelor’s degree while teaching 
in the classroom.  Teachers with AA degrees primarily have worked in non-profits

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but have been hired by school districts, reducing the number of candidates for 
teachers in Head Start classrooms. 
 Pay Inequities – Wages for teachers working for a non-profit are considerably 
lower than for teachers working in school districts.  Teachers prefer school districts 
for higher wages.   
 Children with Significant Needs – The Birth to Five Program has seen many 
children with severe behavioral challenges.  Many children are running from the 
classroom, hitting other children and staff, and throwing items in the classroom.  
Staff are requesting additional staff in the classroom, but there are not many to be 
found.  The Birth to Five Multidisciplinary Team, comprised of staff from mental 
health, health, education, and disabilities, has conducted numerous observations, 
coaching, and one-on-one work with children to help reduce the trauma it is 
causing in classrooms.  There has also been an increase in the number of children 
with higher special education needs enrolled.  School districts lack special 
education staff, so the children are placed in Head Start classrooms so services 
can be provided.  Often, these children are unsuccessful due to the class size and 
the staff’s inability to provide the children with more one-on-one attention. 
 Staff Well-Being – There has been a significant increase in staff absences.  Some 
state that “mental health” time off is needed, while others are ill and out for 
extended periods.  Teachers report feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, and unable to 
handle children with significant behaviors.  Others have stated, “I don’t get paid 
enough to be hit and bit every day.”  This has caused staffing issues, as there are 
not enough substitute teachers, so classrooms are closed at the last-minute 
catching parents off guard and unsure what to do with their children.  Classroom 
closures have caused some parents to withdraw their children from the program.

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Action Plan to Address Workforce Shortages 
Facilitator - JoAnn Jackson, Human Services Program Coordinator 
 
Table 1.3 
Action Items 
Issue 
Addressed 
Responsible 
Member 
Resources 
Needed 
Anticipated 
Completion 
Date 
Status 
 
Wages 
 
 
 
 
 
Pay Equity 
 
 
 
 
 
Staff Retention 
 
 
 
 
 
Staff Well-Being 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Workforce Quarterly Updates 
Table 1.4 
Issue Addressed 
Quarter 1 
July 2023 
Quarter 2 
October 2023 
Quarter 3 
January 2024 
Quarter 4 
April 2024 
Wages 
 
 
 
 
Pay Equity 
 
 
 
 
Staff Retention 
 
 
 
 
Staff Well-Being 
 
 
 
 
 
2. Family Needs 
 
Families are the heart of Head Start, and when program options do not meet the family’s 
needs, children are not enrolled or withdraw from the program. The Birth to Five Program 
has been collecting data on family needs for the past three years, focusing on why 
children do not enroll and why parents withdraw from the program. 
How Family Needs Impact Enrollment 
 Program Options – This cause mainly affects preschool classrooms.   
o Full-day versus Double-sessions - Parents prefer full-day class options. 
Still, the contracted providers offer very few full-day options and offer 
primarily shorter AM and PM sessions in many locations.  Some parents

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work and cannot pick their children up during the day.  Many of the PM 
sessions have gone unfilled in the current school year. 
o Classroom Locations - Classrooms are primarily on school campuses. 
Schools reserve rooms in highly populated schools for students in 
elementary grades and reserve Head Start rooms in schools with fewer 
students.  This causes transportation issues for families with no 
transportation or limited use of a vehicle.   
o Eligibility – The increase in the minimum wage and the high wage many 
fast-food restaurants pay excludes families from the program as the family’s 
income exceeds the 100 percent threshold of the Federal Poverty 
Guidelines.  The Birth to Five Program received Policy Council and 
Governing Board approval to include families whose income is up to 130 
percent.  This increased enrollment some, but many families are still above 
this threshold.  This is especially significant in the Child Care Partnership 
portion of the program.  With the criteria for parents to be working or 
attending school, many families do not meet the eligibility criteria. 
 
Action Plan to Address Family Needs 
Facilitator – Melanie Romero, Human Services Program Coordinator 
 
Table 1.5 
Action Items 
Issue 
Addressed 
Responsible 
Member 
Resources 
Needed 
Anticipated 
Completion 
Date 
Status 
 
Program Options 
 
 
 
 
 
Classroom 
Locations 
 
 
 
 
 
Transportation 
 
 
 
 
 
Eligibility

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Family Needs Quarterly Updates 
Table 1.6 
Issue Addressed 
Quarter 1 
July 2023 
Quarter 2 
October 2023 
Quarter 3 
January 2024 
Quarter 4 
April 2024 
Program Options 
 
 
 
 
Classroom Locations 
 
 
 
 
Transportation 
 
 
 
 
Eligibility 
 
 
 
 
 
3. Community Needs 
 
The Birth to Five Program contracts with an agency to conduct a triannual comprehensive 
community needs assessment, and annual updates are provided in between.  The 
comprehensive assessment in FY 2022 indicated that the Birth to Five Program needs to 
adjust slot locations to meet the community’s needs. 
How Community Needs Impact Enrollment 
o Location of Slots – The assessment indicates that families with young children 
living in poverty have moved to different sections of the city.  In some cases, there 
are too many slots for the number of eligible children, while there are not enough 
slots in other areas.  This has caused under-enrollment in both situations. 
o Contracted Providers – The Birth to Five Program contracts with school districts, 
non-profits, and private childcare centers for educational services.  Some 
preschool providers have too many slots and cannot be fully enrolled due to 
locations, program options, or the number of eligible children in their service area.  
o The Cost of High-Quality Services – Services for young children are costly due 
to staffing, furniture and materials, and services provided.  Due to these costs, 
educational contractors fill classrooms to the maximum capacity, which causes 
stress for teachers to individualize instruction for children and meet the needs of 
children with significant needs or behaviors.  This factor has resulted in staff 
resigning and, in some cases, parents withdrawing their children from the program.

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Action Plan to Address Community Needs 
Facilitator – Marion Hill, Human Services Program Coordinator 
 
Table 1.7 
Action Items 
Issue Addressed 
Responsible 
Member 
Resources 
Needed 
Anticipated 
Completion 
Date 
Status 
 
Location of Slots 
 
 
 
 
 
Size of Contractor 
 
 
 
 
 
Cost of Services 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Community Needs Quarterly Updates 
Table 1.8 
Issue Addressed 
Quarter 1 
July 2023 
Quarter 2 
October 2023 
Quarter 3 
January 2024 
Quarter 4 
April 2024 
Location of Slots 
 
 
 
 
Size of Contractor 
 
 
 
 
Cost of Services 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4. Language Barriers 
 
Language barriers are primarily a factor in the Early Head Start Home-Based program 
due to the limited number of bilingual staff to provide services to the many families who 
speak a language other than English. 
How Language Barriers Impact Enrollment 
 Shortage of Bilingual Staff – Many families speak Spanish and require home 
visits in their primary language to ensure comprehension of the strategies 
presented to increase interactions between the parent and child.  The limited 
number of bilingual staff have larger caseloads, creating inequity in workloads.  
This has caused families to remain on the waitlist until additional bilingual staff are 
hired or secured through a translation service.

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 Translation Services – The Birth to Five Program contracts with a translation 
service.  Due to the cost of translation, these services are reserved for families 
who speak languages other than Spanish. Specific languages are more difficult to 
find translators who speak the distinct dialect, creating communication challenges. 
When a translation is a good fit with the family and home visitor, that individual is 
requested routinely. Still, the translation agency cannot always meet that need, 
making families uncomfortable.  Using a translator also increases the time to 
conduct a home visit, meaning the home visitor may not be able to complete the 
lesson.  This has caused families to withdraw from the program due to these 
challenges, while some families remain on the waitlist until a translator can be 
secured. 
 Materials in Multiple Languages – The Birth to Five Program aims to provide all 
information and lessons in the family’s home language.  This process is 
challenging due to copyright laws, the time it takes to be translated, and the 
accuracy of the content when translated.  This has caused families to withdraw 
from the program due to these factors 
 
Action Plan to Address Language Barriers  
Facilitator – Jose Garcia, Human Services Program Coordinator 
 
Table 1.9 
Action Items 
Issue Addressed 
Responsible 
Member 
Resources 
Needed 
Anticipated 
Completion 
Date 
Status 
 
Bilingual Staff 
 
 
 
 
 
Translation 
Services 
 
 
 
 
 
Materials In 
Multiple 
Languages

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Language Barrier Quarterly Updates 
Table 1.10 
Issue Addressed 
Quarter 1 
July 2023 
Quarter 2 
October 2023 
Quarter 3 
January 2024 
Quarter 4 
April 2024 
Bilingual Staff 
 
 
 
 
Translation Services 
 
 
 
 
Materials In Multiple 
Languages