Early Childhood Partnership for Homeless Preschoolers

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Early Childhood Partnership for Homeless
Preschoolers

• Child Welfare League of America
• February 23, 2009

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Challenge!

• Hillsborough County population 1,157,738
• In 2007, Hillsborough County had 9,532
• homeless men, women, and children residing in
  the county
• Highest homeless population in Florida
• 16 were children

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Community Needs

• In 2006-07 school year, Hillsborough County
  Schools enrolled 2,257 homeless, school-aged
  children.
• The Hillsborough County Department of Childrens
  Services had over 2,340 children on a waiting
  list, over 20 of whom were homeless.

4
Impact on Children

• The high return on investment in ensuring the
  provision of quality, early-learning
  opportunities to all preschool children has been
  well researched and documented.

5
Approach

• System of care research indicates that working
  with children and families at risk is best
  accomplished through comprehensive, integrated
  networks of services and supports that serve both
  the child and the family as a whole.

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Project Focus

• To provide quality early childhood education
  and care to homeless preschoolers and their
  families through a
• Family Centered
• Comprehensive
• Collaborative
• Integrated
• Case Management Approach

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Community Response

• Based upon already existing infrastructure of
  services
• Demanded collaboration, cooperation,
  communication of all existing providers

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Key Strategies

• Three existing key partners to begin process
• Metropolitan Ministries
• Hillsborough County - Health Social Services
  Department
• Hillsborough County Public Schools - Homeless
  Education and Literacy (H.E.L.P.) Project
• Two key supports
• Provide flexible funds through the Childrens
  Board Administrative Services Organization (ASO)
• Provide designated child care supports 
• McKinney Vento (McV) funds for families that
  would not meet eligibility of child care
  purchasing pool
• Child Care Purchasing Pool (CCPP) funds for
  families that are low income
• below 200 of FPL, working or involved in
  educational/job training activities

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Flexible Funding - ASO

• Goal
• To provide easy access to flexible dollars to
  meet the needs of families for services not
  funded by other sources.
• The Childrens Board Administrative Services
  Organization (ASO) is a financial tool used to
  help children and their families identify,
  arrange, and pay for supports and services with
  qualified community providers.

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ASO Background

• Administered by the Childrens Board of
  Hillsborough County
• 5 funding sources
• Childrens Board
• Hillsborough Kids, Inc
• Success 4 Kids Families/Dept. of Children
  Families
• Success 4 Kids Families/Behavioral Network
• United Way
• Total Fiscal Year 2009 funding pool 2,756,321
• 56 programs, with 300 case managers who access
  funding
• Programmatic Highlights
• Services are selected with the assistance of a
  case manager and must relate to a need or goal
  expressed in the family support plan.
• Service code matrix includes 100 services
  providers must meet credentialing requirements
  which vary by type of service.
• Rates for services are individually negotiated
  between each client and the provider.
• Payer of last resort

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Why an ASO?

• Provide infrastructure and financial management
  tools
• Improve outcomes for children and families
• Give families a way to select services that they
  identify as important
• Have defined procedures for procuring goods and
  services not otherwise reimbursed
• Access to immediate supports to prevent need for
  more costly interventions
• Manage costs and track service utilization over
  time
• Increase accountability and quality
• Assure timely and accurate identification and
  reimbursement of providers

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ASO Core Functions

• Funds Management processes provide structured,
  accountable mechanisms to manage flexible
  funding.
• Individual Budgets authorize funding but must
  address family needs and goals as expressed in
  Individualized Family Support Plans.
• Service Authorizations allow families and case
  managers to individualize services.
• Monthly Financial Reports to families, case
  managers, and funders provide accountability.
• A fully credentialed Provider Network includes
  clinical services and non-traditional supports.
  Network is expanded based on family choices and
  preferences.
• Web-based Provider Information Resource Directory
  allows families and case managers to view
  information on services and providers currently
  offered.
• Quality Management queries stakeholders on impact
  and ways to improve services.

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Childcare

• Goal
• Provide homeless preschool children placements in
  easily accessible, early learning environments
  that offer a full array of developmentally
  appropriate activities and services delivered in
  the highest quality manner.

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Existing Infrastructure

• Funding
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
• TANF Maintenance of Effort (MOE)
• Child Care Development Fund (CCDF)
• CCDF Maintenance of Effort (MOE)
• Social Services Block Grant (SSBG)
• State and Local Funds

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Existing Infrastructure

• Quality Services
• Enhance the quality of School Readiness early
  learning providers programs by offering them
  assistance in developing appropriate practices
  for school readiness and by conducting
  developmental screens with intervention
  strategies.

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Existing Infrastructure

• Child Care Resource Referral (CCRR) is a
  community service that works with parents, child
  care providers, businesses and community
  organizations to help promote the availability of
  quality child care services in the area.
• CCRR gives free personalized listings of child
  care and consumer information to any
  parent/guardian. This information is designed to
  empower families to make informed choices for
  their child care needs.
• CCRR maintains a database of legally operating
  child care providers in our county which provides
  critical information about the provider resources
  available to meet our community needs.

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Existing Infrastructure Intake and Eligibility

• Eligibility for subsidized child care is
  determined by employment and income verification
  and/or through partner authorizations. Families
  receiving subsidized child care pay a parent fee
  based on the sliding fee scale determined by
  income and the size of the family.
• Services are offered at three sites located
  throughout the County.
• When funding is not available, a family may be
  placed on the waiting list via telephone, in
  person, or online.

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Existing Infrastructure

• Voluntary Prekindergarten Educational Program
  (VPK), an entitlement program, serving any child
  four year old on or before September 1st which
  resides in the state of Florida, and has chosen
  to enroll in a VPK Program in Hillsborough
  County. Free regardless of income.

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First Year Process Implementation

• Monthly Steering Committee Meetings to refine
  processes exchange information.
• Adopted the homeless definition of the 1987
  McKinney-Vento Act
• Facilitate access to UNITY database for
  Hillsborough County to share data coordinate
  cases.
• Head Start protocol established to link
  identified homeless families on the Wait List to
  Hillsborough Countys Health Social Services.
• Recent Federal Head Start Policy prioritized
  services for homeless families.
• Trained case management staff in ASO Child Care
  Support Access.
• FY09 Child Care Supports doubled based on funding
• Based on Child Care Support Utilization Data the
  target population was changed in August to serve
  homeless families with at least one child under
  the age of five.
• Developed Outcome Reporting Template based on the
  ROMA (Results Oriented Management and
  Accountability) Outcome Measurement Tool

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Child Care Utilization April 2008 February 2009
 FY09 Allocations McV Allocated McV Used CCPP Allocated CCPP Used
Metropolitan Ministries, Inc. 26 28 8 4
Hillsborough County Public Schools 26 26 8 4
Hillsborough County BOCC (HSS) 26 10 8 3
TOTAL 78 64 24 11
Year to Date Slots Used McV 124 CCCP 15
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ASO Utilization April September 2008
  Metropolitan Ministries, Inc. Hillsborough County Public Schools Hillsborough County HSS TOTAL
Program Allocation 27,444 19,444 9,444 56,332
Funds Budgeted 23,909 19,443 7,927 51,279
Expenses Paid 22,152 19,258 7,927 49,337
Unbudgeted (Reserve) 3,535 1 1,517 5,053
ASO Case Managers 8 2 2 12
Enrollments ( of Family Members) 79 (314) 13 (62) 8 (30) 100 (406)
Services Authorized Electric, Emergency Shelter, Furniture, Rent/Mortgage, Respite, Adult Education, Clothing Stipend, Public Transportation, Vehicle Fuel Appliance, Electric, Emergency Shelter, Furniture, Household Supplies, Rent/Mortgage, Security Deposit, Adult Education, Camp, Food Stipend, Public Transportation, Vehicle Fuel, Vehicle Payment Emergency Shelter, Rent/Mortgage, Security Deposit, Public Transportation  
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ASO Utilization October 2008 January 2009
  Metropolitan Ministries, Inc. Hillsborough County Public Schools Hillsborough County HSS TOTAL
Program Allocation 33,333 33,333 33,333 99,999
Funds Budgeted 14,084 9,181 7,501 30,766
Expenses Paid 11,874 8,181 7,381 27,436
Unbudgeted (Reserve) 19,249 24,152 25,832 69,233
ASO Case Managers 9 2 5 16
Enrollments ( of Family Members) 83 (310) 15 (72) 15 (62) 113 (444)
Services Authorized Educational Equipment, Electric, Emergency Shelter, Furniture, Household Supplies, Rent/Mortgage, Clothing Stipend, Recreation, Public Transportation, Travel Expenses, Vehicle Fuel Electric, Emergency Shelter, Gas, Household Supplies, Moving/Storage, Rent/Mortgage, Security Deposit, Water, Clothing Stipend, Public Transportation, Vehicle Fuel, Vehicle Insurance Emergency Shelter, Rent/Mortgage, Security Deposit, Public Transportation  
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Primary Client Demographics April September
2008 (based on ASO)
61 female 39 male
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First Year Outcomes The Numbers
Report Period April 1, 2008 September 30, 2008 TOTAL
Number of Families Served (target 60-70) 87
Number of Children (target 105) 217
Of the families served, the who are safe, stable or thriving in these domains at 6 month assessment or discharge Of the families served, the who are safe, stable or thriving in these domains at 6 month assessment or discharge
HOUSING (33/46) 72
TRANSPORTATION (29/31) 41
CHILD CARE (37/51) 95
EDUCATION (20/21) 94
EMPLOYMENT (20/49) 73
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One Family

• Single mother, 3 children ages 4,6, 11
• Living in shelter for homeless families
• Mother working on self-sufficiency plan
• Mother was able to secure a job
• Family moved to a mobile home in transitional
  housing program

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One Family - Collaboration

• Metropolitan Ministries ? employment counseling
  supportive housing
• Hillsborough County (Homeless Recovery) ?
  security deposit for housing
• Wheels of Success ? vehicle
• Genesis Financial ? financial counseling
• Homeless Early Childhood Partnership
• ? Childcare for 2 children
• ? ASO funds for bus passes, beds, household
  supplies

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One Family - A Fresh Start
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One Family Happy Ending
ASO funds are a blessing, not only to the client
but also to the case manager, allowing us to be
proactive. N.C. Case Manager
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Next Steps

• Continued discussion with other entities (County,
  Homeless Coalition Members) to maximize available
  housing funds so that CBHC funds can be used for
  other services.
• Explore Countys contribution to ASO to increase
  access to flexible funds.
• Connect this initiative into the larger
  Homelessness, Housing and Self-Sufficiency
  discussions.
• Homeless Coalition
• Housing/Self-Sufficiency Projects

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Hillsboroughs poorest families face a daunting
Catch 22 They cant afford childcare unless
they have decent jobs, and they cant get those
jobs unless they have reliable safe childcare.
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Thomas Papin Hillsborough County Childrens
Services papint_at_hillsboroughcounty.org (813)
264-3821, ext. 101
Rebecca Robbins Childrens Board rrobbins_at_children
sboard.org [phone]
Marina Harkness School District of Hillsborough
County Marina.Harkness_at_sdhc.k12.fl.us (813)
744-8941, ext 225
Beverly Wickson, Ed.D. School District of
Hillsborough County Beverly.Wickson_at_sdhc.k12.fl.us
[phone], ext 395
B