Community Assessment Overview Early Explorers Head Start & Early Head Start Policy Council November 2011

Community Assessment Overview Policy Population Changes in Communities- oil, flooding, housing & low unemployment rate Child Care/Early Childhood Services Children with Disabilities Characteristics of Head Start children Perceptions of Head Start parents Community Resources Conclusions

Community Assessment Policy Policy s/files/252_Community_Assessment.pdf s/files/252_Community_Assessment.pdf

Service Area Current Sites: Anamoose Bottineau Devils Lake Harvey Maddock Rugby Towner Turtle Lake Velva

Population

Population 0-5 Geographic Area Number of Births 2008 Teen Births 2009 Number of Children born to unwed women Children Children Children under 5 in poverty Children served in County (2010) Benson (76%) Bottineau64n/r12 (19%) McHenry55n/r13 (24%) McLean76n/r23 (30%) Pierce53n/r15(28%) Ramsey (48%) Sheridan7n/r Towner19n/r11(58%) Wells30613 (43%) Total (36%) [1] [1] North Dakota Kids Count [2] [2] Community Health Profiles

Race & Ethnicity County White/ Caucasian Black American Indian Asian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander HispanicTotal Benson Bottineau McHenry McLean Pierce Ramsey Sheridan Towner Wells Total

Changes in Communities Oil Producing Areas Flooding Housing Low Unemployment Rate ▫Commuting ▫No support ▫North Dakota does not have the same services as other states.

Oil Facts -2011Edition of ND Oil & Gas Industry Report North Dakota is the fourth largest oil producing state in the US. Seventeen counties in North Dakota are oil producing. The state’s average production in 2010 was 309,679 barrels of oil per day, totaling 113,032,814 barrels for the year. This is 33,296,346 barrels greater than the 2009 total. In 2010, the average wage in the oil and gas extraction industry was $90,225. That wage is 141.5% above the state average wage of $37,353. In 2010, the oil industry paid $85.2 million in royalties and $295 in lease bonuses to trust funds managed by the State Land Department. The oil and gas industry employed 12,750 last year, and companies expect that number to keep going up. The industry and the state are updating a study to keep pace with the need for labor, skills and housing as the number of rigs in the state keeps increasing.

Flood Facts Over 4100 homes were lost in the Minot flood forcing families into neighboring communities or looking for housing. Only 471 homes had flood insurance. Devils Lake has swallowed up 182,240 acres around the lake taking over homes and farmland. At its spill elevation, Devils Lake will cover more than 261,000 acres. Over 40 miles of roads have been have been raised and 220 homes and/or business have been moved away from the lake. Construction/rebuilding requires housing

Supply VS Demand 2010 County % of Women with children ages 0 to 5 in labor force Children ages 0 to 5 potentially needing child care Capacity of licensed child care Children enrolled in Head Start Recipients of Child Care Assistance program 0-13 Benson68% Bottineau80% McHenry73% McLean70% Pierce79% Ramsey86% Sheridan58% Towner82% Wells81% Total75%

Licensed Providers 2010

Children With Disabilities Early Head Start works primarily with two infant development programs Head Start works with five special education units Each unit and school district operates complete different Program is required to reserve 10% of enrollment for children with special needs

Disability Enrollment Head Start – 23%Early Head Start- 26%

Program Options Head Start – 216 childrenEarly Head Start – 66 children

Enrollment by Age Head StartEarly Head Start

Eligibility Type of EligibilityHead StartEarly Head Start Income below 100% of federal poverty line Receipt of public assistance such as TAF, SSI 136 Status as a foster child33 Status as homeless11 Over Income143

Health Care / Medical Homes

Family Composition

Employment Status Two Parent Family EmploymentSingle Parent Employment

Community Resources Rate of families have insurance Reasons physicians will not move to rural areas List of Services

Nutrition Services County Free and Reduced Meals, 2009 Recipient of Food Stamps (SNAPS) 0-18, 2009 Women, Infants and Children Participating in WIC, 2009 Benson76.4%59%870 Bottineau35%21%133 McHenry48%21.5%109 36%18%176 Pierce33%24%100 Ramsey40.5%30%660 50%43%44 Towner32%23%31 Wells31%18%95

Community Assessment Conclusions 1. Early Explorers Head Start is serving the majority of at risk or income eligible children. Recommendation – Head Start will continue to focus on recruitment efforts and work with local agencies to identify at risk populations. There are no areas within the service area that have a large number of underserved income eligible children. Any pockets of underserved children may be served through future Pre-Kindergarten Partnerships with school districts.

Community Assessment Conclusions 2. Pre-Kindergarten collaborations are necessary to survive future legislation providing funding for state funded Pre-Kindergarten programs. Recommendations- The program will continue to work with local school districts in identifying potential partnerships. The program will focus on hiring new employees that meet the Title 1 state teacher licensor requirements.

Community Assessment Conclusions 3. Increase collaboration with community partners. Recommendations- The program has a number of strong partnerships with community partners. This can be increased to extend parent education opportunities to families not enrolled in the Head Start program and better connect financial resources to serve at risk families.

Community Assessment Conclusions 4. Expand Early Head Start Services in Pierce County. Recommendation- Infant and toddler childcare are difficult to obtain by low income families. The program will make application when expansion opportunities arise.

Community Assessment Conclusions 5. The population and housing trends are unpredictable based on the oil boom in the Bakken Formation and the impact of the Minot and Devils Lake flood. Families are moving to North Dakota looking for work and unable to find house. The shifts in population are too new to have concrete evidence of population trends. Recommendations- The program will work with community leaders and economic development boards to educate on the importance of availability to affordable housing and quality care.

Community Assessment Conclusions 7. Improve the data collection of parent-identified needs outside of program services. Recommendations- the program will begin a survey of parents identifying more target services that respond to the identified needs of families. Based on shortages in the medically underserved areas, the program must focus on the importance of a medical home and increase parents medical literacy skills. Recommendations- The program will continue to encourage parents to establish a medical home and provide information on preventative health measures including physical fitness, childhood obesity, nutrition and mental health.

Community Assessment Conclusions 8. Revise Community Assessment Process. Recommendations- The program will look at individual county assessments to provide a stronger target of services and needs. Based on shortages in the medically underserved areas, the program must focus on the importance of a medical home and increase parents medical literacy skills. Recommendations- The program will continue to encourage parents to establish a medical home and provide information on preventative health measures including physical fitness, childhood obesity, nutrition and mental health.