1. Priority Populations Procurement FY 11

2. Who are our Priority Populations? 2 Supportive Child Care: child/family involved with DCF for whom DCF has authorized access to EEC supportive care Homeless families: a child whose family is living in shelter Teen Parents: a child with a parent who is younger than 20 years of age

3. Research Supporting Services to Priority Populations Family residential stability is highly associated with educational success of children and youth and conversely, homelessness contributes to poor educational outcomes for children and youth. 1 EEC survey of supportive providers noted that mental health and domestic violence issues were the biggest areas of need for families in their programs 2 Supportive social relationships can play an important role in buffering the stresses experienced by teenage mothers, thus positively influencing their psychological well-being and mothering ability. 3 Scientists now know that chronic, unrelenting stress in early childhood, perhaps caused by extreme poverty, neglect, repeated abuse, or severe maternal depression, for example, can be toxic to the developing brain. 4 1. Aaronson, D. 2000. A Note on the Benefits of Homeownership. Journal of Urban Economics 47: 356-369 2. Proventive, July 2008. EEC Supportive Services Survey, Statewide Report Findings 3. Thompson, M.S., & Peebles-Wilkins, W. (1992) 4. Shonkoff, J.and Phillips, D. (Eds.). (2000). From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Source of Early Childhood Development. Washington DC: National Academy Press.

4. Supportive Child Care 4 Families must have active DSS protective cases to be eligible. Supportive child care is a closed referral service. Only families referred by DCF or by DCFs Family Based Services Lead Agency may be enrolled. Supportive child care is appropriate for DCF families only when it is used in conjunction with other services as part of a family treatment plan. Supportive Child Care services are intended to be transitional in nature. Issues/Recommendations for FY 11 Addressing the needs of DCF involved families whose open case has closed. Recommendation: provide child care for at least 6 months for family whose open case has closed, based on risk of re-engagement with DCF. Addressing the needs of foster families who need child care to sustain placement. Recommendation: use the supportive slots with regional director approval.

5. Homeless Families Must be referred by Housing Authority Program (HAP) or shelter; Must meet EEC income and activity requirements; activity requirements can include housing search and other shelter activities. Currently, only homeless families who reside in shelters in the Greater Boston area or the cities or towns of Framingham, Waltham, Worcester, Springfield, Malden, and Lynn are eligible for these services due to location of contracted providers. Currently, 10 Contracted providers, 85 available slots. There are no vendors in Regions 1 and 5. After a homeless child has been enrolled in a specialized child care services slot for six months, the Contractor must reassess the individualized service plan for that child to determine whether their needs have been met and what services should be continued or added going forward. In addition, the Contractor will work with the shelter to help meet the familys housing goals. Length of Eligibility Continuity of Care is provided at income eligible rate once goals are met. Increasing current number of contracted slots by 170 effective February 1, 2010. 5

6. Teens Parents 6 Teen parents must be under age twenty. The gross monthly income of a teen parent family must be at or below 50% of the States Median Income (SMI). Teen parent must have a service need based on the teens involvement in an educational program (such as attending high school or a General Equivalency Degree (GED) program) or work activities. Enrolled teens who turn twenty during their enrollment year may remain in care up to age 21. (some variance in this due to time of year (summer) and service need of teen) Currently, there is no continuity of care from contract to income eligible slot for teen parents aging out. Teens may enroll during their last trimester of pregnancy in order to receive support services, and to reserve a child care slot for their child. The children of teen parents are eligible from age one month through school age.

7. Program Characteristics in FY 10 Income Eligible bid embedded in Priority Populations Quality Standards IE Bid evaluated program capacity in the following areas: Developmental Screening – Curriculum and Learning Child Assessment - Curriculum and Learning Curriculum - Curriculum and Learning Transitions – throughout Family Engagement – Family Involvement Professional Development – Workforce Qualifications and Professional Development Comprehensive Services – Leadership, Management and Administration Collaborations & Shared Services – Leadership, Management and Administration 7

8. Priority Populations Program Quality Standards Curriculum and Learning: curriculum, assessment, teacher child relationships and interactions, special education, children with diverse language and cultures Environment: indoor, outdoor, health and safety Workforce Qualifications and Professional Development: directors, teachers, teacher assistants, consultants Family Involvement Leadership, Management and Administration: administration, management and leadership, supervision, evaluation, community involvement All contract providers will be expected to participate in the QRIS. 8

9. Core Services for Priority Populations Children must be provided with a stable, nurturing and stimulating environment that meets their individual developmental, behavioral and emotional needs Parents of enrolled children must have access to counseling services to inform them about community support services and public assistance benefits they may access while they seek housing and employment, including housing, public assistance, WIC, and Food Stamps. Parents must have access to skill building programs focusing on literacy, parenting and employment and training for parents to attend. Individualized service plans outlining any behavioral, developmental or emotional issues which need to be addressed while in care must be developed for each enrolled child. Programs must plan and effectuate smooth transitions for children in care, coordinating information, identifying children and families specific needs and linking them to the appropriate community resources. Programs must provide families with enhanced therapeutic support as necessary. Through affiliations with the local DPH licensed mental health clinics, programs will provide access to services, such as: assessment; on-site therapy; family therapy; multi-family therapy groups; and/or consultation with Specialized Child Care Services Contractors. Programs must provide outreach to and parent involvement opportunities for families Individualized transportation services must be provided for all priority families as needed. Providing access to ongoing staff training related to the needs of the children and families in care, on topics such as: working with children with challenging behaviors, domestic violence, substance abuse and addiction and topics related to specifically to homelessness and teen parents 9

10. Scope of Services for Supportive Populations 10 Scope of Services for Priority Populations is built on foundation as defined in Income Eligible FY 10 procurement. Responsibilities of Supportive Child Care Providers: Case Coordination with DCF Case Managers Discharge Planning Assessment and Referrals to Community Resources Resource Utilization: negotiating and coordinating resources on behalf of families Consultation: supportive child care providers and/or programming staff must have access to either consultants or social workers who are knowledgeable in the needs and behaviors of children involved in DCF services. Outreach to Families/ Parent Involvement Transportation : assess needs of each family and provide or arrange for such services, as needed, for each child Coordination and Linkages with Other Services, e.g. mental health, parenting and family support Support DCF treatment goals by providing appropriate services to children and families SEE CORE SERVICES SLIDE

11. Scope of Services for Homeless families 11 The Goals of the Specialized Child Care Services for Homeless Children procurement include: Provide families with information about community support services and public assistance benefits they may access while they seek housing and employment, e.g. WIC, food stamps Offer skill building programs focusing on literacy, parenting and employment and training for parents to attend. Develop a comprehensive individualized service plan for each enrolled child, which includes transition planning and continuity in early education and care Link families with the local DPH licensed mental health clinics to provide enhanced therapeutic support as necessary. Provide outreach to families/ parent involvement Provide/coordinate individualized transportation services Maintain affiliations with Homeless Shelters SEE CORE SERVICES SLIDE

12. Scope of Services for Teen Parents 12 Through direct services or referral, providing appropriate social service supports, e.g life skills training, academic development, money management, domestic violence prevention education, career planning services, health and nutritional education counseling Providing activities to promote parenting skills, parent education, family literacy, social services and case coordination. Case management, which includes linkages to community based health and social services, regular and routine contact with local schools and DTA offices to monitor and document parent participation in school, or GED attendance. Conducting outreach to parents and providing parent involvement opportunities In conjunction with DPH licensed mental health clinics, providing access to mental health services to provide enhanced therapeutic support whenever it is necessary. Providing individualized transportation services as needed, to and from child care, school and/or work. Transition planning - continuation of child care must be part of the transition planning process. SEE CORE SERVICES SLIDE

13. EEC Priority Populations Funding 13

14. Priority Contract add-on rates: Supportive Child Care $15.65 per. day includes: case management/counseling/referrals coordination with DCF Transportation Teen Parent Child Care Service $14.50 per. day includes: case management, counseling/referrals transportation Up to $9.00 per. day based on need and utilization of following services for teens and their child(ren): $3.00 per. day counseling $3.00 per. day parent training $3.00 home visiting Specialized Child Care Services for Homeless Children $8.00 - $12.00 per day depending on the proposed services to specific homeless population for case management/counseling/referrals $6.00 - $9.00 per. day for transportation Non-Traditional Hours Child Care $10 - $15.00 per. day includes depending on the proposed services to specific population for case management/counseling/referrals 6.00 - $9.00 per. day for transportation 14

15. Homeless Placements by Month 15

16. Homeless Placement totals by Age Group 16

17. Teen Parent Data 17

18. Children in Supportive Child Care Placements as of December, 2009 18 Contracts:3,119 9S Vouchers: 990* Totals:4,109 * 9S vouchers are expansion vouchers. Supportive contracted providers are allowed to provide supportive services in other regions and other program types where they do not have contracts.

19. 19