The Los Angeles Urban League has, for 90 years, offered quality social service programs to residents of South Los Angeles. The League has operated a Head Start program since the inception of the federal program in 1965.
From November 8th – 12th 2010 the Los Angeles County Office of Education commissioned a review of the League Head Start program. The review was conducted using the OHS Monitoring Protocol; the industry standard procedure designed to assess the performance and compliance of Head Start agencies in a more focused, efficient and comprehensive manner than had been done in prior years. The independent review, conducted by experts in the field, reviewed over 100 items of programmatic compliance including the areas of:
Health Services
· Health Services
· Nutrition Services
· Safe Environments
· Family and Community Services
· Mental Health
· Education and Early Childhood Development Services
· Program Design and Management
The League Head Start program was found to be in compliance on 100 of questions of compliance. The reviewers found the program noncompliant on 2 questions.
At the end of each day of program review League staff met with the reviewers to debrief the day’s findings. A summary of the comments from these daily debrief is available here. Generally, the reviewers were very positive regarding the League’s performance. Overall, Education and Early Childhood Development was demonstrated as a program strength. Parent involvement, a component of Program Design and Management, was also considered a program strength.
A tabular summary of the reviewer’s findings is available here. The reviewers returned to LACOE over 200 pages of detail regarding the program review. These documents are available here Part1 Part2 Part3.
Despite these findings, on November 16, 2010, 4 days after the review was completed, the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE), who is the local grantee governing the Los Angeles Urban League Head Start program, submitted a recommendation to its board of directors calling for the relinquishment all 1,143 of the League’s Head Start program slots due to enrollment information irregularities and seeking transfer of the slots to federal oversight by the office of Head Start. The Board delayed a vote on the recommendation as there were no urgent circumstances warranting a decision and to ensure the decision was made based on complete and accurate information.
The decision to delay came after the Board was addressed by League President & CEO Blair H. Taylor. It was concluded by Board members that there was a lack of sufficient information about the underlying basis for the recommendation to take action. The November 16th hearing was attended by more than 100 parents, children, staff and community members. The determination regarding the relinquishment of the League’s Head Start slots was continued until the December 14, 2010 Board meeting.
At the December 14, 2010 meeting the LACOE Board narrowly approved the relinquishment of the League Head Start slots despite protests from parents, staff and others. The Los Angeles Urban League steadfastly believes in its successful administration of the Head Start program and believes the relinquishment recommended is unwarranted. The League, with 90 years of impeccable service to the community, is fundamentally committed to programs and services that are run effectively and appropriately as mandated by governing agencies. As soon as enrollment irregularities were suspected the League retained the services of Proskauer Rose LLP and partner Anthony Pacheco, a former Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California, to conduct an independent and exhaustive investigation of the agency’s enrollment process. This independent review determined that a Head Start manager, responsible for enrollment systems, entered incorrect enrolment information into the League’s software monitoring system. The manager acted independently and contrary to League policy and practices and the guidelines mandated by LACOE and federal law. The manager and his direct report were terminated as League employees.
Entering incorrect information and reporting incorrect student enrollment numbers are issues which the League takes very seriously. The program moved quickly to document and report the proper enrollment of students and families. Additional systems have been put in place to prevent such actions by lone employees from occurring in the future.
Los Angeles Urban League Head Start & State Preschool program was developed to ensure that minority children benefit from the same level of education and social skills and training as students in private preschools.
Early Childhood Learning is critical in a growing child’s success. Head start programs enhance children’s physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development and the Urban League offers assistance for parents to move towards self sufficiency and support for parents in their efforts to fulfill their parental roles.
Perhaps the most important component of the program is involving the parents in the child’s development process. Head Start educates parents in all stages of child development and the responsibilities of healthy parenting.
With a staff of over 150 people, the League’s Head Start programs consist of 19 child development centers, a contracted food preparation facility and an administrative office to service the student’s and parent’s needs.
Head Start is a federal program designed to help children from three to age five, who come from low income families. The goal of Head Start is to help children become ready for kindergarten, and to provide other necessities of life like health care and food support. Past President Lyndon Johnson approved Head Starts in 1965 as part of the War on Poverty. The Urban League is instrumental in continuing that fight.
Research tells us a great deal about the skills and knowledge children need to be successful in school. Among preschoolers, vocabulary, letter knowledge, and phonetic awareness, in addition to social and emotional factors, have a significant impact on later success in school. For example, reading scores in the 10th grade can be predicted with surprising accuracy based on a child's knowledge of the alphabet in kindergarten. We must ensure that children are equipped with the basic skills necessary so that they begin school ready to learn.
The Urban League is on top of that mission to ensure that your child’s success begins in a comfortable, clean, and fun learning environment.
We know that children who are not afforded the opportunity of private school lessons enter school behind children from more privileged families in academic skills. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires that states be held accountable for ensuring that all children are proficient in reading and math. Given what we know about the positive effects of high quality preschool programs in conjunction with states being held accountable for student performance, we are taking a more prominent role in coordinating and providing a high quality preschool experience before children enter kindergarten.
Head Start is a comprehensive program providing activities that aim to promote social, emotional, and cognitive development, as well as health services, for children in lower income families. Children benefit most from programs that foster normal development and help remedy problems. Parents are the primary educators of their children and must be directly involved in this program. The well-being of children is linked to the well-being of the entire family. Partnerships with other agencies and organizations in the community such as the Urban League are essential to meeting family needs.
The Urban League Head Start State Preschool program includes several main services:
Education and Special Education Services - Early childhood education services are delivered through several program options such as half-day preschool, extended day, full-day and year round. Each class is staffed by a teacher, teacher aide and parent volunteers. Each class is developmentally and culturally appropriate for your child’s needs. And parent education activities are provided to help parents support their children’s development and education.
Health Services - The program also includes medical, dental, nutrition, and mental health services which include immunizations, medical, and dental screening with required follow-up treatment. Children receive about one-third of their daily nutritional requirements each day they attend school. Parents receive health information and materials as well. And the mental health component is supported by psychologists and Social Workers to provide crisis intervention and follow-up, parenting classes, child observations with feedback to teachers and parents, short-term counseling and other preventive mental health services if needed.
Parent Involvement/Community Partnerships - Parent involvement is the key to a child’s Head Start. Parents are requested to be involved in various ways including volunteering in the classroom, participating in activities and workshops we have planned, participating as decision-makers on the Parent Center Committee or Parent Policy Council, and as staff.
Social Services - Head Start’s social service staff assist parents to meet their needs through education, advocacy, and referral. Staff help parents assess family needs, develop strategies, access resources, and solve problems.
