ADVANCING HEAD START AS A NATIONAL MODEL FOR HIGH-QUALITY EDUCATION, EQUITY, AND DEVELOPMENTWORKFORCE 2220Southwest HeadDevelopmentHumanStartAnnual Report
HEAD START is the national early education program founded in 1965 to give children from at-risk backgrounds the skills they need to be successful in school and life. Based on a “whole child, whole family” model, Head Start takes a comprehensive, two-generation approach to supporting kids, families, and communities on their path to success. Health and school readiness are emphasized for children from age three to five while Early Head Start (EHS) focuses on the healthy development of infants and toddlers including prenatal care. These multi-generational, community-based programs engage parents as equal partners with their child’s teacher and provide a full range of family services from crisis intervention to goal-setting, job training, and education. As Arizona’s largest nonprofit dedicated to early childhood development, Southwest Human Development proudly operates 19 Head Start/EHS centers and 7 Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships (EHS-CCP) centers in the City of Phoenix. Evolving through more than 40 years of continuous assessment, improvement, and innovation, our exemplary programs serve as national models for excellence in early childhood and literacy education.
2 2021-22 Community and Statewide Impact $24,312,204 toADDEDtheregional economy 288 HeadEMPLOYEDStart/EHSstaff 1,281 totalSERVEDchildren/pregnantwomen 992 comprehensiveReceivedservicesFAMILIES
Recognized on state and national levels, our high-quality programs deliver life-changing support, resources, and opportunities to those struggling with poverty and take evidence-based quality practices to scale. Families learn positive parenting skills and support in creating healthy, stable home environments—and parents receive individualized support in furthering their education and finding jobs. Our preschool children learn the skills and develop the executive function they need to be successful in school and life, while Early Head Start supports healthy prenatal development and provides infants and toddlers with positive learning experiences that foster intellectual and social-emotional development.
COVID-related economic hardship and the ensuing housing crisis have driven a sharp increase in statewide homelessness, especially for families with children. As overwhelming as these challenges may seem,
Leadership and innovation that drive solutions and meet critical needs
Southwest Human Development Head Start continues to develop and implement exemplary models of innovation, partnerships, education, and family support that change lives and move families forward.
Underlining our commitment to continue expanding access to extended full-day child care for working families, we were able to build and staff three new Head Start/Early Head Start centers. Southwest Human Development is nationally recognized for developing highly successful web-based tools for Head Start that drive professional growth, high-quality practices, and improved child and family outcomes. Our proprietary Embedded Professional Development-Consultation and Coaching models and accompanying Construct™ Coaching software incorporate real-world experiences and successes into research-based expectations. The stature of our Construct development work is evidenced by our research and evaluation partnerships with Harvard University’s Brazelton Touchpoints Center and Arizona State University, both highlighted in this report. Southwest
A RECENTLY PUBLISHED REPORT by the Arizona Head Start State Collaboration Office cited a number of daunting statistics. Only 22 percent of 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled in preschool have access to a highquality early learning setting, and 26 percent of the state’s young children under age 6 are living in poverty.
Southwest Human Development Head Start is a key partner in supporting state and national priorities from workforce development for the under/ unemployed to extended-hour quality child care for working families. Of the non-working poor with children under age 5 in Arizona, 71 percent cited lack of access to adequate care as the reason they are not working.
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Approximately 300,000 children under age 6 with parents in the labor force need care, but just over 256,000 slots are available. Based on a model that elevates the community and supports state and national priorities, 45 percent of our programs now provide opportunities for full-working-day early care and education.
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In the wake of the pandemic, one of the most critical challenges for Arizona and across the nation was a shortage of workers in nearly every field. This was especially devastating in the area of child care, where a survey by the National Association for the Education of Young Children found that 80 percent of respondents reported staffing shortages. This report also offers highlights of Southwest Human Development’s innovation in launching successful new initiatives that boost recruitment, foster retention, build team spirit, and raise levels of staff support and satisfaction.
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A Message from our Director IT IS WITH GREAT PRIDE that we present the Annual Report for 2022, a challenging time of adjustment to a world still emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic. As staff returned to deliver in-person educational services and family support, we discovered unexpected benefits from the innovations that were developed to meet critical needs. The rapid expansion of Construct™ software, including a comprehensive Parent Portal, opened up a new world of virtual support and access. Throughout this report, you will see how new technologyenabled efficiencies and emerging hybrid models of in-person and virtual connections are improving outcomes for our families and staff.
Mindy DirectorZapataofHead Start and Early Head Start Mindy Zapata
I would like to express gratitude to every Southwest Human Development Head Start staff member whose dedication, passion, and contributions made a life-changing difference for nearly 1,300 children and pregnant women and more than 900 families. Your engagement, suggestions, and feedback became part of every improvement, every new initiative. Our appreciation also goes out to the thousands of supporters in public and private sectors who assist us in meeting critical needs. We are grateful for every volunteer and organization that work beside us to keep the window of opportunity open for all of Arizona’s children to enter school eager, healthy, and ready to learn. We are humbled by the courage and resilience of our Head Start parents, who take advantage of every possible opportunity to support their children and move their own lives forward. You are and always have been the soul of Head Start.
THE INNOVATIVE TOOLS AND SOLUTIONS rapidly developed to meet urgent needs and maintain distance delivery of services during the pandemic continued to evolve in 2021 and 2022. So many benefits emerged from virtual connections and equity of family access to technology that our Tablet Lending Program continued.
Nadia McKernan Data and Grant Systems Manager
Advancing Equity Promoting new pathways for family stability
Southwest Human Development placed Wi-fi enabled devices in homes that lacked digital access to ensure that every family could utilize the Construct™ Parent Portal suite of services and information. These tablets also provided access to vetted Internet resources and Zoom capability for virtual connections between parents, teachers, and Family Support Specialists (FSS).
“We want our families to have a virtual connection to vital services and feel a basic comfort level with digital formats. At the same time, Southwest Human Development innovation is leading the way for equity improvements in Arizona’s public education system. Our partnering school districts are seeing these Wi-fi enabled tablets as a way to overcome a critical stumbling block to supplying every family with a laptop when some homes lack digital access.”
Regular posts on the Parent Portal included a weekly Home & School Connection e-newsletter, relevant community resources and referrals, and healthcare updates from COVID testing and vaccination information to free dental exams. Content included at-home activities for parents and children that reinforce and expand classroom learning and foster an always-learning approach to education and life. The portal gives parents access to their own records including documentation of Family Support Specialist visits, discussion notes, helpful suggestions, and family goals and agreements. During the 2021-22 academic year, the websites that parents can access using our loaned tablets expanded to include select sites for personal use such as banking institutions, utility providers, and options for paying bills electronically. Learning more about the technology and financial literacy needs of vulnerable families will enable us to design supports and trainings that can have a transformational effect on self-sufficiency and upward mobility. Families will learn how to navigate the world of digital currency and feel comfortable with digital formats and email. Technical trainings will foster personal and professional growth including online employment searches, new resume skills, and comfort with Zoom a technology-forward direction also aligns with Head Start’s commitment to school readiness. Public school districts are increasingly using digital formats for documents, updates, newsletters, and parent communications. Comfort with our Parent Portal will make it easier for Head Start families to remain digitally engaged and successfully navigate the school district portal.
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Technology and technological equity advantages
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Continued refinement of Construct Engagement is providing Family Support Specialists with enhancements for building family partnerships and supporting family stability. A convenient ‘family dashboard’ feature enables the FSS to input and track goals and agreements for individual parents and/or the family. Having access to a comprehensive, trusted database of community services and resources frees family support staff to focus on providing individualized guidance and advocacy and strengthening their relationship with the family. The newly added five-star rating feature for community resources gives FSS staff an easy way to track and assess how well each resource is continuing to meet real-world needs based on input from conversations that occur naturally with families.
“Southwest Human Development is dedicated to providing the highest possible level of outgoing referrals. We understand how important it is for parents and pregnant women to access the full support available for handling today’s challenges and moving their lives forward. Having a master database at our fingertips gives us everything we need to guide our families: Where to go, how to apply, what to expect, what services are available, and what fees if any are involved. We don’t want anyone to leave us feeling confused, too intimidated to apply, or finding that a service is no longer available.”
The application process provides a biopsychosocial profile that includes overall health factors, family strengths and needs, and windows into the child’s development. Based on this comprehensive assessment, the FSS can quickly and effectively link applicants to the most appropriate assistance from a detailed, constantly refreshed master database of more than 500 entries.
ADVANCING EQUITY
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OUR COMMUNITY ENROLLMENT AND RESOURCE CENTERS are strategically located to make it easy for parents and pregnant women to apply for Head Start/Early Head Start services. Using our Construct™ Recruiting app, staff can schedule application appointments, document eligibility information, track the number of applications, and immediately review the status of each one. The addition of a Family Support Specialist (FSS) at each Center integrates recruitment with community engagement. Supported by the Construct Engagement app, the FSS is on hand with timely, relevant community resources and referrals that can meet immediate needs. Not everyone enters the program and some enrollments are brief due to changing family circumstances, so the initial enrollment contact offers a crucial window of opportunity to provide life-changing information.
Julio Chavez Reyes, Community Development Manager
Immediate connection of families to community resources
Investing in the Workforce Sustaining a highly effective workforce to support all children and families
National recognition for Construct™ Coaching value in staff retention THE SUCCESS OF SOUTHWEST HUMAN DEVELOPMENT HEAD START’S comprehensive support for breaking the poverty cycle with a two-generation approach is well-documented and recognized on state and national levels. Adding to this momentum, our innovative strategies and results are being studied and correlated in partnership with research at Harvard’s Brazelton Touchpoints Center. The COVID-19 pandemic created turmoil and unprecedented challenges for families and providers of family services. At the same time, these extraordinary circumstances offered a proving ground for the effectiveness of Construct™ Coaching to provide self-care and guidance to the staff, ease the transition to virtual communication, and help staff stay connected to their families in a world of crisis and change. The results of the research data gathered and analyzed over the past year on employee satisfaction levels have national relevance at a time so fraught with employee dissatisfaction and sweeping challenges in staff retention—particularly in the fields of child care and Fromeducation.theperspective of teachers as well as family support professionals, those using Construct Coaching reported a significantly better program climate in their schools. Defined as “an employee’s perception of the work environment,” climate is directly correlated to higher levels of motivation and job satisfaction and lower rates of professional burnout. Construct Coaching offers proven practices that can be relied upon and implemented along with coaches who are available to share concerns and caseload strategies, communicate reflectively, and provide professional support and guidance.
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The coaching cycle is built on an evidenced-based sequence that includes modeling, observation, feedback, reflection, and planning as core strategies. The positive findings of this research-driven data are even more impactful because family service professionals reported improved strength-based family engagement practices in the most challenging of times. As illustrated in the bar-graph analysis of study results, program climate scores continue to climb with each year of Construct Coaching implementation.
9 INVESTING in the WORKFORCE “When we strengthen families, we ultimately strengthen the community. Our goal is that parents everywhere work with supportive providers, feel confident in their parenting role, and form strong, resilient attachments with their children. To help achieve this, providers must be responsive to parents, knowledgeable about child development, and eager to see every parent succeed.” - T Berry Brazelton, MD Prior to Construct Year 1 Construct Year 2 Construct 764532100 6.42 6.44 4.71 5.70 5.78 4.70 6.57 6.47 5.31 5.64 6.08 4.66 Identify and use of strengths Cultural competency Relationship-supportivebehaviorInterpersonal sensitvity and knowledge 100 80.13 Implementing Construct coaching 3+ years 2030504080706090100 71.57 Implementing Construct coaching < 1 year ScoresClimateProgramPositive
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– Nina Williams, Assistant Director Professional Development Support for building culturally and linguistically relevant workforce DESIGNED AS A CENTER OF EXCELLENCE with programming provided by Southwest Human Development, Educare Arizona expands access to programs that offer the latest science, research, and evidenced-based practices for infants, toddlers, and preschool children. The campus also provides a training ground for candidates in the field of early childhood development that includes a unique observation room where teachers-in-training and university researchers can observe an infant-toddler and a preschool classroom at the same time. Since the launch of Southwest Human Development’s on-site Child Development Associate (CDA) program in 2012, hundreds of graduates have completed the program—many of whom are employed today in Head Start and Early Head Start programs. One of the most significant outcomes of this innovative Apprenticeship Program is the number of men it attracts. Currently, five out of seven Educare preschool classrooms have a male teacher—a statistic unheard of nationally where only three percent of early childhood teachers are male. Our CDA program is one of the cornerstones of workforce recruitment that keeps Southwest Human Development at the forefront of cultural and linguistic sensitivity. Many program candidates are current or former Head Start parents or members of the surrounding community whose appearance, language, and culture are familiar to the children. Preparing young dual-language learners for success in kindergarten and life requires staff with proficiency in language(s) that align with the family’s first language or the one spoken in the home.
Construct coaching gains a national spotlight “WORKING WITH FAMILIES DURING COVID-19: Identifying Challenges, Finding Resources, and Adapting Family Engagement Coaching” was a featured section in the science-based monthly newsletter from Zero to Three, an organization focused on issues impacting very young children and their families. The article reports staff feedback on Project Breakthrough, a collaboration of participants in Head Start and Early Head Start programs that implemented Southwest Human Development’s Construct coaching model. Even during the highly stressful COVID-19 experience, participating family support professionals reported positive results using family engagement coaching practices that provided them with stability and professional validation while it enabled connection with and help for the families they served. “The work of our family engagement staff begins immediately. As soon as possible, they are working to support parent goal attainment, connect families to community resources for additional support, facilitate library access, support good nutrition and health literacy, and encourage healthy activities that lead to quality family time. Even for families who are only in our program for a brief time, our staff has the chance to make a positive lifelong impact—a gift that can follow them wherever they might go.
INVESTING in the WORKFORCE
“We have seen so many phenomenal success stories unfold over the years that our CDA program has been in place, including a woman who arrived as a Somalian refugee who will be receiving her bachelor’s degree and already has a son at Harvard and a daughter attending ASU on a scholarship. It is so gratifying to see individuals raise their education levels and witness the upward movement of the entire family.
– Lori Jablonsky, Director of Educare Arizona
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INVESTING in the WORKFORCE
Eligible candidates can begin the 30-week program at any time for 120 hours of formal training and 180 hours of classroom experience presented as standalone modules. The primary focus is on early childhood care and education but the program also teaches the soft skills needed for confident and effective communications and interactions. Of those completing the program, 97 percent are finding immediate employment. In the decade the program has been available, many have continued their higher education including master’s degrees. The CDA credential can be turned into nine hours of college credit toward an associate degree and used as the first step on an unfolding career path. The success of this CDA Apprenticeship Program represents a true recruitment breakthrough at a time when early care and education programs and schools in Arizona and across America are struggling to fill positions.
Innovative onboarding support for new employees
Educare Arizona hosted a Southwest Human Development Job Fair in partnership with Grand Canyon University, inviting college students to tour classrooms and observation spaces. Online recruitment through relevant websites and a Facebook Live event attracted people who were looking for a first career or a new direction. Those whose attention was first captured by the advantages of our on-site CDA credentialing program discovered a world of personal growth and career support—from tuition assistance and Success Coaching to technology-enabled innovation, ongoing staff development, and abundant opportunities for training and coaching.
Rocio Onak Coordinator of Administrative Support
SOUTHWEST HUMAN DEVELOPMENT HEAD START LAUNCHED a new Employee Onboarding process in 2022. Based on a professional development coach-supported model, we combine hands-on and virtual training for a hybrid approach to evidence-based adult learning. This innovative training process was developed in response to feedback from recent hires who expressed a desire to feel more confident and prepared for their new role. Employee Onboarding supports a process of deeper learning through an active multi-methodology coaching approach that is far more effective than extended hours of passive training sessions.
Success Coaching consultations for improved staff retention TO SUPPORT AND BUILD STAFF RETENTION, we launched the Success Coaching program for new employees in 2022. Check-in sessions between a coach and the new employee occur in months two, four, six, and nine, ending with the one-year anniversary. As part of Construct™ Employee software, discussion notes, goals, follow-up actions, and recommendations from Success Coaching are documented electronically and available for reference and sharing. Combining in-person with virtual meetings, Success Coaching provides ongoing guidance, information, and support for a wide spectrum of topics and issues.
INVESTING in the WORKFORCE
Innovative engagement of the workforce development effort
“Each year, we provide our employees with a branded T-shirt as a gesture of staff appreciation and team spirit. These shirts tend to be so comfortable and loved that our employees end up wearing them all over community.the One of the innovative marketing initiatives for 2021-22 was turning our staff into walking recruitment advertisements by adding our website to the T-shirt design!
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JANUARY OF 2022 marked an intensified focus on workforce development recruiting efforts that were remarkably successful in attracting new employees. In addition to participation in broad-scale job fairs dedicated to Head Start programs, Southwest Human Development hosted the inaugural Thrive to Five Playfest on March 12. Lively music, family activities, and book giveaways set the stage for parents to watch their children engage in rewarding play, creative expression, and immersive literacy experiences. The recruitment table gave staff easy opportunities to discuss the life-changing benefits of Head Start and share the value and reward of Head Start work.
Employees engage in a reflective process, sharing any challenges they are facing, the progress they are making, and goals they want to set moving forward. Coaches guide professional skills development, provide evidence-based best practices for overcoming obstacles in the classroom, and familiarize the employee with organization-wide resources for support on specific issues. Fostering selfdirection and independent thinking around professional and career growth, Success Coaching includes applicable information on opportunities for educational advancement and tuition assistance.
The employee receives a comprehensive Professional Practice Checklist that covers Construct Parent Portal software content and function, program governance, parent meetings, and parent leadership positions. Following the macro-level Onboarding coaching, the employee’s manager begins an orientation with detailed information on caseloads and/or specific classrooms. The employee goes into that instruction with a strong foundation of program structure, software programs, the expectations of the position, and the reasons and science behind the work they will be doing.
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The Onboarding process for family engagement staff is similar, but instructional videos replace direct observation of families. The participants are introduced to Head Start’s two-generation approach, evidence-based family engagement practices, Construct software, and community resources and referrals.
For teachers, the first step is a virtual meeting with an Onboarding coach who supports the upcoming experiential observation with a content-specific checklist. In the company of a different professional development coach, the new teacher engages in real-world observation of the classroom environment and practices. The new teacher then returns to the Onboarding coach for a follow-up virtual meeting—a session for reflection, discussion of observations, and clarification of high-quality teaching practices and specific learning objectives including the use of Construct™ software. The same schedule repeats in the afternoon but includes a session with a mentor teacher who provides talking points, teaching tools, and proven methods for being successful in teaching that day’s content. Continuing for four days, the process creates a cohesive flow of comprehensive learning. New teachers who have completed the Onboarding process reported feeling confident and having a thorough understanding of materials and content, curriculum and lesson plans, routines and schedules, health and safety, positive emotional practices, teaching strategies, and best practices in early childhood classrooms.
Coaches are free to do their work at any location and still provide individualized support to staff members across all content areas.”
Technology-enabled support for workforce development ENHANCEMENTS AND EXPANSION TO CONSTRUCT™ software are providing adaptable new consultation software capabilities for workforce development. A new Consultation and Training option enables content team members to document every discussion and interaction including follow-up agreements. At the end of a session, both the staff member and their manager receive a copy for reference and review, replacing paper forms and manual attendance tracking with digital efficiencies. Specific reports are instantly available on consultations in every key area: Health/mental health, nutrition, environmental health and safety, family development, and curriculum. Employees can access their own records and managers can track helpful data for reviews, goal-setting, and career planning. Although staff training sessions are scheduled throughout the year, access to past records makes it easy for managers to respond to sudden changes in staff position or in a child’s status by reviewing past records and identifying the need for new training, updates, or reviews.
Another new Construct feature is Reflective Supervision, one of several innovations that were rapidly developed to continue providing services and professional support during the pandemic. Prior to 2020, Reflective Supervision consultations had always been face-to-face with a coach who documented the meeting on paper forms. During the 2021-22 academic year, many of these virtual solutions evolved into highly effective hybrid models that combine in-person and virtual consultations. The addition of Reflective Supervision to the Construct software portfolio aligns with Southwest Human Development’s commitment to a “green” paperless environment while it provides data-driven efficiencies including electronic sharing, reporting, and record-tracking.
“Reflective Supervision has always been one of the touchstones of our ongoing staff support. As the world began to open back up, we saw so much value in keeping the option for virtual connections in an organization that is spread over so many sites.
INVESTING in the WORKFORCE
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Jazzel Silvas, Assistant Director of EHS-HS Quality Initiatives
INVESTING in the WORKFORCE FAN training for improved interactions IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ERIKSON INSTITUTE, Southwest Human Development began employee-wide training in FAN (Facilitating Attuned Interactions), an evidence-based approach to building better relationships. Based on the belief that people need to feel connected and understood in order to be open to change, FAN training helps in reading cues from self and others that enable empathetic, appropriate responses. Whether these interactions are meetings with managers and supervisors or parents and families, FAN offers an effective way to keep everyone moving forward in their thinking.
Learning and applying the FAN approach can enhance every relationship while it strengthens program quality by building confidence, mindful self-regulation, and competence. After the initial series of FAN training sessions, employees consult monthly with a coach to review their use of FAN guidelines in day-today work situations. FAN is an ideal complement to Reflective Supervision: When an entire team becomes proficient in using FAN tools, the process becomes parallel. Everyone begins to speak the same language and the FAN approach becomes the most natural way to enter every interaction.
FAN reminds us that we can’t head straight to solutions until we get to the other side of emotional states. Once we clear the backlog of emotion with calming techniques, the move into the FAN steps of cooperation and integration can happen very quickly.”
“If you are talking to someone who is not listening or distracted or upset, it’s easy to feel agitated and want to wrap up the conversation or the meeting. No one seems to be getting anything out of their time investment.
Beth Weller Program Manager Quality Family Engagement
Clues Guide for FAN Core Processes: 15 self-regulationmindful empathicinquiry collaborativeexploration capacitybuilding Integration
scheduled Curriculum Spirit Days through the 2021-22 academic year presented opportunities to generate excitement and fun with staff and children. Ideas had to be fun but simple enough to be easy and cost-free for families. The animal-themed Curriculum Spirit Day aligned with the staff team-building zoo event, so Southwest Human Development provided “animal headbands” for children and staff. The teachers who visited the zoo also returned with photos of the animals to show the children. Pizza Spirit Day included free pizza as a classroom snack and a “build your own pizza” art activity using colored construction paper. In celebration of Head Start’s 57th anniversary, the staff received treats to share at each site.
INVESTING in the WORKFORCE 16
Celebratory events for work wellness and team-building AS WIDESPREAD ACCESS TO VACCINATIONS and testing eased pandemic restrictions, Southwest Human Development Head Start hosted a series of events to uplift spirits and restore the sense of in-person team camaraderie that had been so deeply missed. Beyond physical isolation, many employees had experienced a prolonged period of overwhelming stress and loss including COVID-related deaths. We designed Work Wellness events to bring staff back together for laughter and conversation. Beginning in outdoor settings where everyone could feel safe and comfortable, we kicked off with a visit to the Phoenix Zoo. Free of charge to all staff, the day included a scavenger hunt, “zoo bucks” for lunch and snacks, and prizes for winning teams. Los Olivos Park was the scene of another popular event, where staff encountered several tons of “freshly dropped” snow for a snowperson-building competition. Based on Head Start’s broad-range five-year goals, each department set out to build a snowperson around the themes of Wellness Impact, Quality Family Engagement Impact, and Impact on Children Being Ready for School. One of the day’s highlights was watching employees who had grown up in the Phoenix area play in snow for the very first Regularlytime.
The entire organization boosted use of the Kudoboard website for announcements of special occasions but also for notes of employee appreciation. Particularly during Teacher Appreciation Week, Southwest Human Development wanted all the classroom staff to feel seen, heard, and honored for their life-changing contributions and passionate dedication.
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“Using Zoom for socialization experiences had an overall positive effect on the quality of parent-child interactions. One dad began using fun voices as he was reading and discovered how much his child loved it and how much longer his child could stay with the story. Another parent who said she used to worry about the mess and be too controlling of her child was learning how to let down her guard and just play with her child.”
Hybrid models for best practices in home visitation services
SUPPORTED BY THE TABLET LENDING PROGRAM, the home-based team continued to offer a full range of distance family services with minimal interruption throughout the pandemic. The Construct™ Parent Portal supported child development and social services, enabling families to review past home visits and information on child development, health, nutrition, mental health, parenting, and family engagement.
Reaching More Children and Families with Quality Services
While attendance rates for home visits remained relatively constant, father involvement in socializations and home visits rose significantly: The pre-pandemic participation levels of 1-2 fathers per dozen caseloads rose to as high as 5-6 fathers. Attendance at parent meetings also skyrocketed when virtual connections removed the obstacles of childcare and transportation. Home-visiting staff found it easier to carry over and integrate topics from parent meetings into home visits, socializations, and engagement conversations. As health restrictions lifted, home visits and small-group socializations returned to in-person delivery but the value of virtual parent trainings and meetings was undeniable. Family Support Specialists had discovered new ways to maximize the use of home resources in supporting a child’s development and carried those learnings forward. During the 2021-22 academic year, the HOVRS (Home Visit Rating Scales) score for planning with families landed in the high range for the first time (6.25 out of 7). Previously, that score typically fell into the mid-range.
– Elizabeth Christensen, Program Manager of Teaching and Learning
Birth-to-Five Curriculum evaluation partnership with ASU FIELD AND PILOT TESTS MOVED FORWARD during the 2021-22 academic year, as work continued in the research collaboration with Arizona State University (ASU) to validate Southwest Human Development’s locally designed curriculum: Constructs for children and families and the Construct™ Teaching Birth to Five ongoing assessment tool grounded in the Head Start Outcomes Early Learning Framework. This webbased app will provide real-time assessment data that supports individualized instruction and high-quality teaching practices, including improvement of parent-teacher communications. Finalizing the validation of these measures will provide functional, research-based curriculum and ongoing assessment tools for Southwest Human Development Head Start/Early Head Start and Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership programs and for the field in the future.
“This curriculum-based measures approach is exciting because it brings together the voice of classroom teachers and the voice of the experts. Using a simple score of No, Inconsistent, or Yes to evaluate a child’s progress in the last week of themed instruction makes it easy for parents to understand and easy for teachers to see what remains to be taught or reinforced.”
– M. Jeanne Wilcox, Ph.D., Nadine Basha Professor of Early Childhood Education Infant Child Research Laboratory, Arizona State University
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REACHING MORE CHILDREN and FAMILIES
These new centers represent a significant expansion of access to high-quality, full-working-day child care and early education—one of the most critical needs in our service area. Through innovative blending of funding streams and the overhead savings provided by tech-enabled efficiencies, we continued to expand the resources most needed by working families: Access to extended full-day hours of safe, reliable, highquality child care. Pandemic-related disruptions also created the opportunity to reimagine a central office design that supports equity and inclusion:
SOUTHWEST HUMAN DEVELOPMENT is well known for maximizing resources through innovative approaches and layered funding that enable our Head Start programs to meet the real-world needs of children, families, staff, and the community. Our programs also benefit from the national visibility that our models of excellence have earned and the grant awards our stature facilitates. As part of the grassroots response to the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing economic distress, our Community Assessment reviews identified several deep tracks of poverty where realignment of funding enabled us to build three new Head Start birth-to-five centers. Lessons from the pandemic informed the learning environment design, including HEPA-filtered air-conditioned classrooms, shaded outdoor playing and learning spaces, and additional indoor space for “learning hubs” that support individualized teaching approaches.
• Coaching and consultations are a hybrid model of virtual and in person
• Newly developed software further supports a commitment to a paperless environment
Expanded access to high-quality services and improved workplace equity
Independent Audit Results CliftonLarsonAllen LLC, Certified Public Accountants, completed the Fiscal Year 2021 audit ending June 30, 2022. Summary of findings: The financial statements present fairly, in all material aspects, the financial position of Southwest Human Development, Inc. as of June 30, 2022 and 2021, and the changes in its net assets and its cash flows for the years then ended in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Head Start Fiscal Summary $24,312,204 Total Revenues $11,747,882 Head Start Preschool $5,845,167 Early Head Start (EHS) $1,826,174 EHS-Child Care Partnerships $101,232 Head Start/EHS CRRSA ACT $21,834 Head Start/EHS CARES ACT $495,971 USDA/CACFP $55,250 QF Incentive $3,130,530 Local In-Kind Donations $1,088,163
REACHING MORE CHILDREN and FAMILIES 2020-21
• Touchdown spaces are available for video conferencing, collaboration, and library research
• Staff enjoy an improved work climate that blends in-office and remote efficiencies
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This new approach supports workforce wellness and improves work-life balance for the entire team, with less time lost traveling between sites and a healthier environment based on principles of equity and beauty.
• A bright, open layout with flexible workstations replaced offices and cubicles
Head Start and Early Head Start Center Locations Balsz/Educare District Pat Tillman School 4309 E Phoenix,BellviewAZ85008 Brunson-Lee School 1350 N 48th Street Phoenix, AZ 85008 Crockett School 501 N 36th Street Phoenix, AZ 85008 Educare/Brunson-Lee Site 1300 N 48th Street Phoenix, AZ 85008 Creighton East District Creighton School 2802 E Phoenix,McDowellAZ85008 Gateway School 1100 N 35th Street Phoenix, AZ 85008 Monte Vista School 3501 E Osborn Road Phoenix, AZ 85018 Papago School 2013 N 36th Street Phoenix, AZ 85008 Creighton West District Excelencia School 2181 E McDowell Road Phoenix, AZ 85006 Kennedy School 2702 E Osborn Road Phoenix, AZ 85016 Machan School 2140 E Virginia Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85006 Osborn-Madison Park District Encanto School 146 West Osborn Road Phoenix, AZ 85013 Montecito School 715 E Montecito Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85014 Phoenix College 3310 N 10th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85013 Paradise Valley District Campo Bello School 2650 E Contention Mine Phoenix,RoadAZ 85032 Echo Mountain School 1811 E Michigan Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85022 Palomino School 15833 N 29th Street Phoenix, AZ 85032 EHS-Child Care Partnerships Ninas Family Child Care Centers (Locations vary) 3502 East Indian School Phoenix,RoadAZ85018 Strong Foundations 2302 West Colter Street Phoenix, AZ 85018 2850 North 24th Street • Phoenix, AZ 85008-1004 • Tel (602) 266-5976 • Fax (602) 633-8755 Head Start Referral (602) 560-0000 www.swhd.org