Promoting Early Development Through More

Child-Friendly Shelter EnvironmentsMarsha Basloe

Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary and Interdepartmental Liaison for Early Childhood Development

Washington, DC

Grace WhitneyCT Head Start Collaboration Office, Office of Early Childhood

Hartford, CT

Sunday, November 15, 2015NAEHCY 2015 Annual Conference, Phoenix, AZ

AGENDA

• Overview of Families with Young Children Experiencing Homelessness

• Development of an Early Childhood Self-Assessment Tool for Family Shelters

• An Example of Collaborative Implementation with Head Start

Annual Percentage Rates of Shelter Use By Age (National)

Under 1 1 to 5 6 to 12 13 to 17 18 to 30 31 to 50 51 to 61 62+0.00%

0.10%

0.20%

0.30%

0.40%

0.50%

0.60%

0.70%

0.80%

0.90%

1.00%

Source: 2012 AHAR (HUD, 2012) and Census Data

Why The First Five Years Matter

• Birth to Five is a time of unparalleled growth!

• During early childhood, the brain strengthens the connections that are being used, while pruning away those that are unengaged

• The most critical developmental

skills learned at this early age are social emotional skills

Impact on Young Children of Homelessness and/or Unstable Housing

• Children in these circumstances are at the far end of a “continuum of risk.”

• Research has shown that trauma and extreme stress in childhood can lead to detrimental changes in brain structure and function.

• Stress is cumulative and mitigating factors are critical

Impacts of Homelessness and/or Unstable Housing on Young

Children*

• Poverty• Physical health• Developmental status• Mental health/behavior problems• Educational outcomes• Mobility

*Impact of (sheltered) homelessness on children studied in four domains since mid 80s.

Children Experiencing Homelessness

• Homeless children have lower birth weights and experience higher levels of childhood illness.

• Mental health problems among children are also prevalent.

• Mothers experiencing homelessness have a higher rate of depression, severe traumatized history and post-traumatic stress disorder.

• These issues can make bonding with and caring for children more challenging for parents experiencing homelessness.

• More than half of all children in shelter programs are age five or under.

Federal Interagency Workgroup on Family Homelessness

• In December 2012, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) directed HHS and USICH to convene an interagency workgroup tasked with developing a framework to achieve the Opening Doors’ goal of ending family homelessness by 2020.

• Interagency workgroup comprised of 13+ Federal agencies, Co-Chaired by HHS/HUD/USICH

• Workgroup sub-committees:

- Domestic Violence- Early Childhood Development and Education- Rapid Re-Housing- Access to Benefits & Employment

ACF – Released Late 2014/Updated 2015

Early Childhood Self Assessment for Family Shelters

Looks at:

• Health and Safety

• Wellness and Development

• Workforce Standards and Training

• Programming

• Food and Nutrition

Early Childhood Self-Assessment for Family Shelters

Review in Detail…..

Purpose

• The Early Childhood Self-Assessment Tool for Family Shelters is intended to help shelter staff ensure their facilities are safe and appropriate for the development of young children.

• Facilities and professionals that can use this tool include:• Natural Disaster Shelters• Domestic Violence Shelters• Maternity Group Homes• Family Shelters• Continuums of Care• Early Care and Learning Providers

Resources Related to the Self-Assessment Tool

• Guide to Developmental and Behavioral Screening for housing and shelter providers

• In Case of Emergency Form

• Childproofing Checklist

• Special Care Plan

How to Use the Tool

• Use as initial assessment

• Identify enhancement strategies

• Create an Action Plan

• Create Purchase List based on identified Actions and selected Priorities

• Identify needed Resources, key Partnerships

• Re-assess at midpoint and end

How to Use the Tool

Rated by Level of Funding/Staffing Needed

* Low Resource - white

** Some Resources – light blue

***Substantial Resources – darker blue

How to Use the Tool

• Throughout process, engage parents to tweak policies and practices

• One of many approaches one could use

• Use as guide to improve/enhance safety and developmentally appropriateness of program for infants, toddlers and preschoolers and their families and pregnant women

Explore Each Section…….

• Health and Safety

• Wellness and Development

• Workforce Standards and Training

• Programming

• Food and Nutrition

Health & Safety

19

Wellness & Development

20

Workforce Standards & Training

21

Programming

22

Food & Nutrition

23

Create an Action Plan

• Goal

• Action Steps

• Timeline

• Person(s) Involved

• Resources Needed

• Sign off

Resources Needed

• Partners

• Funding Sources

• Grants

• Donations

Ways to Take Action

• Build relationships with your Local Shelter Board and local Continuum of Care to emphasize the need for homeless services that are tailored for young children.

• Share this tool with other emergency shelter providers in your area, either informally or through your community’s Local Shelter Board and Continuum of Care.

• Connect with your local Head Start program and Child Care Resources and Referral agency.

• Review recommended strategies for increasing early care and education services for homeless children.

Earlier Version – Additional Items

Funding• We target some funds from our budget for basic needs of infants, toddlers

and preschoolers and pregnant women• We take advantage of the CACFP to help support nutritional needs of

infants, toddlers and preschoolers and pregnant women

 Tracking and Evaluation• We track the number of infants, toddlers and preschoolers and pregnant

women and monitor service trends over time • We track the numbers of young children who are not with their parents while

staying at the shelter

 Building Awareness• Our Board/community are kept aware of the needs of infants, toddlers, preschoolers and families and pregnant women

Reflection 1

Take a moment to reflect on the sections and items we’ve just reviewed in the self-assessment and the needs of infants, toddlers and preschoolers experiencing homelessness. Jot down a phrase or two to record your thoughts.

SERVING YOUNG CHILDREN EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS

An Example of Collaborative Implementation with Head Start

Head Start: A Perfect Match for Homeless Families

Head Start provides comprehensive services that homeless children may not otherwise receive

The Head Start focus on entire family means parents receive assistance in reaching their goals

Community partnerships put Head Start in an excellent position to work with all agencies serving homeless families

Head Start programs are required to identify and prioritize homeless children for enrollment; allow homeless children to enroll while required paperwork is obtained; and coordinate with McKinney-Vento liaisons and community agencies

Why Partner?

• Families in homeless service programs are among the most vulnerable ‒ Early learning programs can help housing programs meet

the needs of young children ‒ Parents are under inordinate stress ‒ Children are at a critical developmental life stage – time

that cannot be recaptured.

• Homeless service providers have expertise in housing resources in the community and how to help intervene with housing crises

Project Design

•Self-assessment•Action plan •Purchase list

Stipend Progress Report

beginning X X

middle X X X

end X X X

Increase Head Start enrollment

Child-proof using self-assessment

Develop & Strengthen Partnerships

PROJECT GOALSCohort 1 – 11 Shelters

Cohort 2 – 5 Shelters + 1 Recovery

Head Start-Family Shelter Teams

Technical assistance, team building and cross-sector training

Structured team work

Small Grants

ORGANIZING STRATEGIES

Self-Assessment Tool

Child-proofing Action Plan

Enhancement Purchase List

Progress Reporting:Head Start Enrollment

Activities, accomplishments, barriers

TOOLS & WORK PLANS

Enhanced efforts to identify and engage young children experiencing

homelessness

T1 T2 T3 T41

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

Young Children Experiencing Home-lessness:

Average ES Self-Ratings Across TimePhysical Envi-ronment

Policies

Qualified Work-force

Programming

Funding

Tracking/Eval

Building Awareness

Total

Time

Av

era

ge

Sc

ore

Picture of Change: From this......

......................to this

Creating family-friendly space……

Family style meals

..……..and family-friendly time

Mommy & me, Daddy & me spaces

Parent-Child Curricula

Recent ACF Efforts

Building Partnerships to Address Family Homelessness

Promising Practices for Children

Experiencing Homelessness: A Look at Two States

ACF Summary Recommendations

• Prioritize access to services for homeless families

• Provide “grace periods” that give homeless families sufficient opportunity to gather required documentation

• Coordinate with homeless education state coordinators and local liaisons

• Work with homeless coalitions to ensure that the unique needs of young children are well represented

Reflection 2

Take a moment to reflect on existing and potential resources in your community and how you might create new relationships to ensure that programs are designed to address the unique needs of pregnant women and infants, toddlers and preschoolers and their families. Jot down a phrase or two to record your thoughts.

Reflections to Actions

1. Considering now your four reflections on the information we’ve covered during this session, take a moment to record an action or two that you will take when you return to your program

2. Share your Action Plan with another person, or two, or three.....

Contact InformationMarsha BasloeSenior Advisor for Early Childhood DevelopmentOffice of the Deputy Assistant Secretary, ACF, DHHS370 L’Enfant Promenade, SW (901 D Street, SW); 6th Floor WestWashington, DC 20447(202) 401-7241; Marsha.Basloe@acf.hhs.gov

Grace Whitney, PhD, MPA, IMH-E, DirectorCT Head Start Collaboration OfficeCT Office of Early Childhood165 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106(860) 713-6767; grace.whitney@ct.gov

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ecd/ech_family_shelter_self_assessment_tool_120114_final.pdf