TABLE 9
Local Head Start Needs Assessments Reporting on Five Data Elements
Data are per most current Head Start Community Assessment as of August 2010. Data dates are best that could be determined.
HS Program / Poverty (%) / Domestic Violence / Sub-stance Abuse / Unemployment (%) / Child Maltreatmentper 1000 children / Comments on Local NeedsAlexandria HS
Campagna Cntr EHS
Apple Country HS
Delegate of People, Inc. for Frederick (09) / Frederick 8.8 (07)
Clark not provided by metric
Winchester not metric / 8.4 (09)
2.7 (07)
8.2 (07) /
- In 2007, the non-marital birth rate was 55% in Winchester (4).
- In 2007, the teen birth rate in Winchester was 2.4 times the state average (5).
- In 2008, Apple County Head Start enrolled 3 children whose families were homeless (6).
- In 2005, 31% of kindergarten students in Winchester were identified as needing additional early reading intervention. The state average was 19.7% (12).
Bridges HS
Buchanan Co HS (09) / 26.6 (05) / 4.8 (07) /
- 47.2% of the population 25 years and over has not completed high school (8).
- While there is a hospital in the county, the hospital does not offer OB services. Women must travel to a neighboring county to deliver a baby (11).
- In 2009, 50.89% of county residents received TANF, VIEW, and/or Medicaid (12).
- In 2007-2008, 22% of the children enrolled in Head Start had a disability (15).
CDI HS/Eastern Rivers VA
Child Dev. Resources EHS (08) / JamesCity 6.6 (04)
Williamsburg not provided by metric
York 2.9 (00) / 2.2 (06)
Chesterfield Publ. Schools HS (09) / Not provided by metric / Slight increase / Not provided by metric / Not provided by metric /
- 41 % families in HS are Hispanic or Latino
- Numerous for profit child care centers
- In several elementary schools in Chesterfield, more than 70% of children are eligible for free or reduced lunches (4).
- In 2009, 40% of children in Head Start were Hispanic (4).
Clinch ValleyCA / 15.3 (10) / 6.7 (09) / 4 (06) /
- Substance abuse is a behavior problem for the county.
- 38.47 % of the total school population is eligible for free lunches
Culpeper Human Services HS (09) / 8.8 (04) / 3.3 (08) /
- There is a substantial waiting list for child care subsidies and Head Start (18).
- Head Start parents indicated that they had difficulty dealing with their children’s emotions and emotional outbursts (42).
Commty Improvement Council, Inc. Head Start Child Dev.
Dinwiddie HS
Eastern Shore AAA/CAA Project HS
(09) / Northampton 17.6 (04)
Accomack 14.9 (04) / Growing concern / Growing problem / 7.9 (09)
6.3 (09) /
- Higher income development in Northampton has negatively impacted school funding
- Declining birth rate
- Growing drug problem
- The Accomack-Northampton Planning District is the poorest in Virginia (2).
- In 2004, around 5% (600 homes) lacked adequate plumbing (5).
- Since many residential structures are older and contain lead-based paint, the prevalence of lead poisoning in children age 5 and younger on the Eastern Shore is among the highest in the state (6).
- 38% of Head Start families do not own or have sufficient access to a vehicle (7).
- The number of HIV/AIDS cases is rising in the region (10).
- Drug activity and substance abuse are rising; these increases are producing an increase in the crime rate (14).
Fairfax Co Office for Children HS (08-09) / 5.3 (05) / 4.2 (09) /
- 90% if children at the Horizons Head Start speak a language other than English. The most frequent languages other than English are Spanish, Arabic, Amharic, and Urdu (3).
- Public assistance caseloads have increased by almost 71 percent from 2003 to 2008 (6).
Fairfax Co. Public Schools (08-09) / See Fairfax Co. Office for Children (08-09) /
- SeeFairfaxCounty Office for Children
Family & Early Childhood Ed Program/HS
Fauquier CA Committee, Inc. / 2.31 (07) / 2.31 (07), but many living/working in the county (09-10) are working poor /
- Growing # of English language learners
- Around 54% of income-eligible 3-5 years olds are enrolled in the Head Start program (6). Some of the families on the waiting list are over income by just a few dollars (31
Fredericksburg Regional HS (10-11) / Fredericksburg
King George 6 (09) / 6.3 (09) /
- Growing refugee and undocumented population
- The area supports a large number of refugees from Iraq, Afghanistan, or various African countries; many of the refugees struggle with cultural and language adjustments. The Head Start serves 8 refugee families (3).
Greater Mt.Vernon Community HS / Part of Fairfax Office for Children /
- Part of FairfaxCounty Office for Children
Hanover Co Public Schools HS (09-10) / 3.9 (06-08 ACS) / Not provided by metric / Not provided by metric / Not provided by metric /
- Braided funding of HS and VPI, single point of entry, and name for both is Hanover Preschool Initiative
- Since 2000, 20% or more children served by Hanover Head Start programs have been children with special needs (17).
- 58% of individuals in HanoverCounty are overweight or obese (22).
Henrico Co Public Schools (07) / 8.2 (05) / 2.9 (07); 40% HS families had no working parent /
- WIC is under-enrolled in HenricoCounty (and the rest of Virginia) (11).
- While the current funded enrolled is 172 children, an estimated 1,500 children are eligible for Head Start services (29).
Higher Horizons Day Care Center, Inc. (delegate) / SeeFairfaxCounty Office for Children /
- See Fairfax Office for Children
HOPE Community Services (09-10) / 1.72 (09)
Overall for Amelia, Appomattox, Buckingham, Charlotte, Cumberland, Goochland, Nottoway, Lunenburg, Prince Edward /
- Childhood asthma and obesity are major health concerns (2).
Hopewell Public Schools HS (09) / 14.6 (00) / 6.8 (08) / 10.4/1000 (02) /
- In 2000, the percent of children in poverty in Hopewell was nearly double the state average (3).
- From 1991 to 2002, the rate of child abuse and neglect in Hopewell was consistently 2.2 to 4 times higher than the state average (7).
- In 2008, the number of asthma discharges was 105.51 per 10,000 children 0-4 years old, which is 2.66 times higher than the state average (9).
Improvement Ass
Kids Central, Inc. (09) / Dickinson 21.3 (07)
Wise 21.6 (07)
Norton 20.6 (07) / 6.7 (08)
5.2 (08)
5.7 (08) /
- Dickinson is overlap with People, Inc
- DickensonCounty is classified as a distressed county by the Appalachian Regional Commission: its poverty and unemployment rate is 1.5 times the national average, and its per capita income is 2/3rds or less than the national level (10).
- Less than 60% of adults in DickensonCounty graduated from high school (15). However, 92% of Head Start families and 88% of Early Head Start families had one or more parents or guardians with a high school degree or GED (21).
- There is a shortage of child care in the area (31).
Lee Co Public Schools HS (10) / 24 (07) / Not reported in metric / High rate (rate not provided) / 6.5 (08) / Not reported by metric /
- 31% of the population in LeeCounty is in poor or fair health, and the county is a medically underserved area (7).
- In 2009, BMI assessments of children in Lee County Head Start programs indicated that 35.2% were overweight or at risk of being overweight (7-8).
- In 2006, 15% of children in LeeCounty were uninsured (8).
- In one elementary school, 65% of students are being raised by someone other than their parents (usually by their grandparents). The high rate of drug use has made many parents unable/unavailable to take care of their children (12).
- In 2003-2004, the homicide and suicide rates were 137% and 96% above the state average (12).
- LeeCounty has the third highest illiteracy rate in the state (52% of adults over 25 do not have a high school diploma) (12).
Loudoun Co Public Schools HS Program (08-09) / Not reported by metric, but lowest in Virginia /
- Dramatic growth over last two decades – rural west and urban east10% of families had no health insurance at the time of enrollment (16).
- 50% of Head Start families requested assistance with health care issues (20).
Lynchburg CA Group, Inc. HS (09) / Lynchburg 8.0 (?)
Amherst 8.0 (05)
Bedford 5.2 (05) / 12.3
4.7
3.5 /
- In 2007, 66% of the children with disabilities served by Head Start had a speech or language impairment (14).
- Few doctors in the area participate in FAMIS and Medicaid (25).
Monticello Area CAA HS (09) / Charlottesville 25.9 (00)
Albemarle 7.3 (06)
Fluvanna 5.9 (03)
Louisa 10.2 (00)
Nelson 12.10 (00) /
- Over 40% of Head Start families identified help with child education and help during the school year as their top needs (12).
- In NelsonCounty, 70% of Head Start families identified safe and affordable housing as their top need (13).
MountainCA Program HS (10) / Smyth Not reported by metric
Wythe “
Bland “ / 12.0 (10)
11.6 (10)
8.2 (10) /
- In January 2010, unemployment rate in Smyth and WytheCounties were 12.0% and 11.6%, higher than the state average of 7.6% (5, 12).
- Language/speech delay is the most common diagnosed disability among Head Start children (35).
New River CA, Inc. HS Program (09) / Radford 30.9 (?)
Floyd 12.9 (?)
Giles 11.4 (?)
Montgomery 11.4 (?)
Pulaski 19.9 (?) / 9.9 (09)
7.5 (09)
8.9 (09)
7.2 (09)
14.1 (07) /
- The poverty rate in Radford increased by 13.7% from 2000 to 2007; in 2007, the poverty rate was 30.9% (10).
- The rate of substance abuse in PulaskiCounty is high (15).
- In July 2009, the rate of unemployment in PulaskiCounty was 12.1, significantly higher than the state average of 6.9% (36).
Northern Neck HS (09-10) / Westmoreland 14.7 (08)
Richmond Co. 18.4 (08)
Essex 13.0 (08)
Lancaster 13.2 (08)
Northumberland 13.0 (08) /
- In 2008, the Head Start program had a waiting list of 110 families (2).
- 57.8% of children under 5 in single mother families lived below the poverty level in NorthumberlandCounty, which is significantly higher than the state average of 38.7%. In RichmondCounty, 50.9% of children under 5 in single mother families lived below the poverty level (3).
- Only 15.2% of income eligible children are enrolled in Head Start due to limited space and funding (4).
- The rate of teenage pregnancy (37.9%) and non-marital births (54.4%) in the Northern Neck are significantly higher than the state averages (27.2% and 35.3%) (11).
- The rate of unemployment in the Northern Neck is 34% higher than that of the State (7.9% vs. 5.2%) (12).
- 91% of preschool children not in Head Start are enrolled in a family childcare home or received in-home care from a relative or an unrelated adult (9).
Northern VA Family Service – ArlingtonChildDevCenter and NVFS EHS [also Arlington HS] (10) / Arlington 11 (06)
Loudoun Not reported by metric
Pr. William “
ManassasCity “
ManassasPark “ / All five not reported by metric /
- Pr. William has a rapidly growing immigrant population
- Arlington population is 25% foreign-born
- 99 different languages in elementary schools
- In 2008, PrinceWilliamCounty had the highest foreclosure rate in the state (3). The high rate of foreclosures, in combination with the economic recession, has increased homelessness across Northern Virginia (15).
- 25% of the population in Arlington is foreign-born (5).
- In ManassasPark and ManassasCity, only 62.10% and 64.10% of women respectively had prenatal care in the first trimester (12).
- Northern Virginia Family Services has seen a dramatic increase in the need for family mental health services, particularly for immigrants and refugees (20).
- Since the wait list for child care subsidies are so long, many parents cannot find affordable quality childcare (22).
Office of Human Affairs HS Program/EHS (09) /
- This HS program collaborated with Norfolk State Early Childhood Ed. Dept. to obtain a $2.5 million grant to provide free tuition assistance to teachers and teacher assistants lacking a four-year degree
- Many 3 year olds who would be eligible for Head Start are not being served (12).
Orange Co HS (07) / Not reported by metric /
- Families are unaware of many education and social services, and services are fragmented (Q, U).
- The number of children with health insurance in the County decreased from 98% in 2003 to 95% in 2005 (U).
- There are no hospitals in the county, making it medically underserved (H).
People, Inc. of Southwest Virginia (09) / SW
Buchanan 21.7 (07)
Dickinson 21.3 (07)
Russell (18.4) (07)
Washington 14.8 (07)
Bristol (18.3 (09)
N Shenandoah
Frederick (see Apple)
Page 12.2 (08)
Shenandoah 9.0 (08)
Warren 9.0 (08) / 10.5 (09)
9.8 (09)
12.4 (09)
9.0 (09)
10.4 (09)
10.9 (09)
8.8 (09)
7.8 (09) /
- Dickinson designated “distressed” by Appalachian Reg. Commission
- Washington Co and Bristol designated Hispanic Growth Counties
- Page Co. designated medically underserved
- In DickensonCounty, 12% of children under the age of 19 are uninsured, and around 11% are uninsured in Buchanan and WashingtonCounties (16).
- At least 1,372 pregnant women and children under age 3 who would be income-eligible for Early Head Start live in their Southwest service area. People, Inc. has insufficient funding to expand their services to this population (20).
Petersburg Pub Schools HS (delegate) / See Richmond City Public Schools /
- See Richmond City Public Schools
Pittsylvania Co CAA(10-11) / Pittsylvania 12.1 (07)
Campbell 11.6 (07)
Henry 16.1 (07)
Martinsville 18 (07) / 10.5 (09)
6.8 (09)
14.1 (09)
20 (09) /
- While the population of Head Start eligible children in the area is predominantly white, 78.6% of the children enrolled in PCCAA Head Start are African-American (4).
- Unemployment is the biggest problem in the service area (11).
Prince William Co Schools HS Program (07-08) / Not reported by metric /
- In 2008, 51% of Head Start children spoke a language other than English (9).
- By 2015, 15% of 3-4 year olds will likely have a primary language other than English (5).
- By 2015, 56% of disadvantaged preschools will likely be Latino.
- Because of limited funding, Head Start programs are limited to four year olds. There are no public preschool programs for non-special education three-year olds (10).
- The waitlist for child care subsidies is over 500 children (12).
- Head Start parents identified chronic conditions and vision/hearing as the greatest unmet health care needs (14).
Richmond City Public Schools HS (10) / Richmond 9.9 (09)
Petersburg 14.9 (09)
Powhatan 6.3 (09) /
- Richmond is seeing increase in homelessness
- From 2008 to 2009, the unemployment rate in Petersburg increased from 9.8% to 14.9% (2).
- Although the number of homeless children in Richmond slightly decreased, the number of homeless individuals increased by 7 percent from 2008 to 2009 (3).
Rooftop of VA CAP HS (09-10) / Galax 15.4 (?)
Carroll 13.2 (09)
Grayson 19.8 (?) / Not reported by metric / Not reported by metric / 8.4 (09)
11.0 (09)
11.1 (09) / Not reported by metric /
- Both home and center-based options are provided
- Grayson area needs a local dentist who will accept Medicaid
- Due to the rural mountainous region, enrollment in Head Start is limited by the program’s ability to transport children to the program (18).
- The Head Start provides a home-based option to serve children in rural areas. Enrollment is consistently 100%, and there is a waiting list at each home-based site (20).
- In GalaxCity, the non-marital birth rate was 60.4% in 2007, much higher than the state average of 35.3% (25).
- Families in the region have expressed an interest in Early Head Start services (26).
- Drug activity, including the presence of Mexican drug cartels appears to be growing in Galax and GraysonCounty (30).
- In 2008-2009, the Head Start served 12 homeless families (of around 225 families) (34).
Scott Co Public Schools HS (08) / 20.9 (00) / Not reported by metric / Not reported by metric / 4.04 (07) / Not reported by metric /
- No hospital or pediatrician in the county
- Public school provides in-kind transportation of HS children living in remote areas
- There are no hospitals or pediatricians in the county (14).
- The nearest free clinic in Bristol, VA brings a mobile unit to the county once a month (14).
- Many areas of the county lack fluoride in their water supply, increasing the risk of dental caries. Additionally, neither of the two dentists in the county serves Medicaid patients, so Head Start refers families to a dentist in Tennessee. In 2007-2008, 18% of children in Head Start were referred for dental treatment (14).
- The number of cases of substance abuse reported during child abuse and investigations increased by 47% from 2005-2006 to 2006-2007 (75 to 115 children) (16).
- In 2000, 6% (586 homes) of housing units in the county lacked indoor plumbing, and 46.4% lacked an approved source of water (17).
- 500 families are on the waiting list for housing projects and rental assistance (17).
- There are no homelessness prevention or residential drug treatment programs in the county (24).
Shenandoah Valley Consortium for HS (10) / Harrisonburg 25 (?)
Augusta 8 (?)
Waynesboro 23 (?)
Staunton 15 (?)
Elkton
Bath
Highland /
- Children in Harrisonburg schools speak over 20 languages. While Head Start has bilingual staff and Spanish printed materials, there are insufficient early language services for families who speak Russian, Chinese, various Balkan languages, and Laotian (11).
- Parents and staff indicated a need for nutritional and appropriate foods for three and hour year olds (12).
- In Harrisonburg and Waynesboro, the rate of teenage pregnancy is 1.5 times greater than the state average (20).
SkylineCA Program
(09) / Madison 9.8 (07)
Green 7.4 (07)
Rappahannock 7.8 (08)
Delegate for People, Inc.:
Page 12.2 (?)
Shenandoah 9.0 (07)
Warren 9.0 (07) /
- Around 10% of children had no health insurance when they enrolled in Head Start (10).
- The number of migrant and season workers has increased in Shenandoah and other counties (12)
Spotsylvania HS (10) / 4.7 (?) / 6 (09) / 96 (09) /
- In January 2010, the foreclosure rates in the Fredericksburg area were among the highest in the state (8).
- In January 2010, 108 children were on the waiting list for Head Start (the program serves 121 children) (23).
Stafford Co Schools HS
(09) / 4.9 (00) / 4.4 (08) / Not by metric /
- From 2008 to 2009, the number of homeless students in K-12 quadrupled from 40 to 185 students (2).
STEP, Inc. (08) / Franklin 7.3 (08)
Patrick 9.6 (08) / Not by metric
Not by metric / 6.1 (08)
8.2 (08) / Not by metric
Not by metric
STOP Organization (08) / Chesapeake 6.1 (08)
Franklin 19 (08)
Isle of Wight 11 (08)
Norfolk 19.4 (06)
Portsmouth 13 (?)
Southampton 13.5 (08)
Suffolk (15 (07)
VA Beach 5.1 (08) / 3.2 (08)
7 (08)
2.7 (08)
4.1 (08)
4.3 (08)
3.3 (08)
3.5 (08)
3.0 (08) / Non provided by metric /
- In Franklin, Norfolk, and Portsmouth, a large percentage of children under 5 are cared for by their grandparents (7, 12).
- Child abuse incidents were reported at a rate 53% higher than the state average (54).
- The infant mortality rates in Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, and Virginia Beach are higher than the national average (51).
TAP HS/EHS
Tri-County CA, Inc. (08) / Halifax16.0 (04)
Mecklenberg 14.8 (04) / 6.3 (07)
5.1 (07) / 7.5 (01-02)
2.9 (01-02) /
- 36.1% persons over 25 no high school diploma – Halifax
- In Mecklenberg, 32.2 % no high school diploma
- There are no free clinics serving Charlotte, Mecklenburg or HalifaxCounty, and dental services are very limited in the tri-county area (23, 44, 64).
Western Tidewater EHS
(09-10) / FranklinCity 19.4 (08)
Isle of Wight 7.8 (08)
Southampton 17.5 (08)
Suffolk 10.8 (08) / 6.1 (08)
3.7 (08)
4.8 (08)
4.2 (08) / 1.3 (08)
1.3
1.0
2.3 /
- Only Early Head Start provided (also see STOP)
- The City of Franklin and SouthamptonCounty have much higher rates of children under age 5 living in poverty and of grandparents caring for grandchildren than the state averages (7).
- The percent of public school students graduating high school in Suffolk is 72.2%, which is lower than the state average of 82.1% (8).
- The city of Franklin has experienced a drastic increase in the percentage if low birth-weight babies from 9.7% in 2003 to 17.9% in 2007 (9).
- The teenage pregnancy rate in Franklin is nearly double the state average (10).
- In 2006-2007, Franklin, Suffolk, and Isle of WightCounty had kindergarten retention rates that were nearly double the state average (14).
Williamsburg-James City Co CAA Head Start (08) / Williamsburg not reported by metric
JamesCity 6.6 (04) / 2.4 (07) /
- The number of people using homelessness services increased by 41% from 2002 to 2005 (7).
- In 2005, less than 70% of eligible children in YorkCounty were enrolled in FAMIS and Medicaid (25).
- In JamesCityCounty, the percent of women who begin prenatal care in their first 13 weeks decreased from 98% in 2001 to 79.7% in 2005. This rate also decreased in the City of Williamsburg (26).
- The ability to pay for basics and monthly bills is the top need of Head Start families.
York Co HS (10) / 4.4 (08) / 3 (09) / Not reported by metric /
- There is no public transportation in YorkCounty, and many Head Start families lack sufficient personal transportation to access services and employment (8). For example, there are no WIC offices in YorkCounty (12).
- Almost 30% of enrolled children are overweight or at-risk of becoming overweight (20).
- Affordable housing is scarce due to the county’s overall affluence. There are 471 families on the waiting lists for housing vouchers (8).
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