A
Capsule of Tyler Independent School District Head Start Facts
2002-2003
Project Head Start has been in partnership with the Tyler Independent School District for thirty-seven years, since the inception of the Program in the summer of 1965. It is a program designed especially for children from low-income and disadvantaged backgrounds.
The Tyler Independent School District is our Grantee Agency. (The manager of our yearly grant.)
Our
grant cycle is from September 1 through August 31 of each year.
Our
Program is funded through an annual continuation grant that is applied for
by the Head Start Director and her designees.
Our
grant award is funded from The Department of Health and Human
Services/Administration for Children and Families. Our budget for the 2002-2003 school year is $2,666,398.
Our program is funded to serve 432 children/families within Smith County and the
Tyler Independent School District attendance area.
We
are required to provide services for at least ten percent (10%) of our
funded enrollment to children with disabilities (43).
There
are currently sixty-eight (68) Head Start staff members: Director, 22
classroom teachers, 22 teacher assistants, 1 education coordinator, 1 health
coordinator, 1 social service coordinator, 1counselor, 1 behavior trainer assistant, 1
secretary, 2 clerical assistants, 6 traveling bilingual classroom
assistants, 11 case managers, 1 computer technologist, 2 materials/equipment
assistants and 1 special education assistant.
Head
Start pays 70% of teacher’s salaries.
Tyler ISD pays the remaining 30% from State Compensatory Education
Funds (inkind to our program in donations toward the required 20% match).
Head
Start pays 100% of all remaining staff salaries and a percentage of the
following fringe benefits: teacher’s retirement, workman’s compensation,
unemployment compensation, social security, medicare, group health and life
insurance, as well as all remaining functions that are related to our
program.
Head
Start classes are located on thirteen (13) sites (campuses) and twenty-one
(22) classrooms throughout elementary schools of the Tyler Independent
School District. Austin-2,
Birdwell-1, Bonner-2, Caldwell-1, Clarkston-1, Dixie-1, Douglas-1, Griffin-3,
Jones-2, Orr-2, Peete-2, Ramey-3, and Woods-1.
Dr. David Simmons, TISD Superintendent, is the Executive Director of Head Start
and signs the grant award as the authorized representative of our Head Start
Program.
Our
Program must provide 20% of our funded grant amount in inkind ($666,600),
donations/services, to indicate support and interest in our Program
(volunteers, services rendered through Tyler ISD, donated space, community
contact, etc.).
The
Head Start budget pays for medical and dental services for non-medicaid
and non-insured students when no other funding sources are available.
The
Head Start budget pays for breakfasts, lunches and snacks for all Head Start
students based upon the families’ eligibility of regular prices, reduced
or free upon the completion of the lunch application.
Our
Program encourages parents to continue their education in obtaining their
GED, learning ESL, job training skills, etc., from ETI, RTDC, and other
community resources.
Our
Program is full year/full day (8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.).
Our
Program is governed by the Tyler ISD Board of Trustees and the Head Start
Policy Council, which is composed of parents of currently enrolled Head
Start students and community persons. The
Policy Council meets from 6:00-7:00 p.m. on the last Thursday of each month
in the Head Start Office meeting room, 621 S. Gaston.
There
are three major areas of Head Start. They
are Early Childhood Development and Health Services; Family and Community
Partnerships; and Program Design Management.
The newest additions to our program include one computer technologist, one clerical assistant, and one special education assistant and one counselor.
We
enroll students who are four (4) years old on or before September 1 of the
current school year from families who are income eligible.
Additionally, we enroll three-year-olds with a professionally
diagnosed disability.
Our
Program is monitored by Squyres/Johnson/Squyres and Company (auditing firm)
and the Tyler Independent School District’s accounting department staff.
The newest classroom addition to the Head Start Program is Orr Elementary,
August 2002.
Our
grant for the 2002-2003 school year is due June 1, and June 1 of each
year thereafter.
Our strategic plan is to partner with United Way of Smith County to initiate the Early Head Start Program.
Head
Start Works!