MIGRANT AND SEASONAL HEAD START (MSHS)

MSHS is dually funded creating the program as not only a grantee but as a delegate. Our grantee is comprised of four centers in Wisconsin: Rice Lake, Montello, Plymouth and Palmyra and two centers in Missouri: Lexington and Mt. Vernon. Through our grantee, UMOS is funded to provide services for 255 children. Teaching and Mentoring Communities (TMC) is the funding source that allows UMOS to provide services to our Delegate program. TMC provides funds to serve 275 children. Our four centers are located in Beaver Dam, Plainfield, Spring Lake and Berlin, Wisconsin. During 2007, UMOS exceeded its funded enrollment in both Migrant Head Start programs by extending services to a total of 541 children and 349 families. The majority of the children served by the program were children under the age of three. All 541 children enrolled in the Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Program receive an array of services, including health, nutrition, Mental Wellness, transportation and family support services, as well as services for children with disabilities. Through the various partnerships established throughout Wisconsin and Missouri, children in the program receive physical and dental exams, immunizations, hearing and vision screenings, developmental screenings, three nutritious meals, and transportation to and from the center. Families receive support services, including but not limited to: ESL classes, referrals for emergency food and gas vouchers, shelter, and referrals to other providers as needs are identified. Some of the highlights of the services received by the children are: Physicals completed: 93% Dentals: 85% Immunizations: 96% Hearing Screenings: 89% Vision Screenings: 85% (over 3 only)

UMOS continues to utilize the Colcha (the Quilt) as the program's curriculum that represents many ideas, thoughts, values, and traditions of our families. These values are firmly supported and strengthened by the Head Start Performance Standards, Positive Outcomes Framework, and Educational Resources. This curriculum was developed with the assistance of parents, staff and consultants in order to meet the unique needs of migrant children.

This agency driven curriculum is supported and enhanced with additional resource books, guides and materials including the Creative Curriculum. During 2007 the Curriculum Advisory Committee was re-established. The committee looked at curriculum resources that needed replacement or that would fill a need. The resources identified by the committee were presented to the parent policy groups for approval. These five new resources were approved and provided to the centers. Training on these resources was provided at the staff pre-service training. The new resources are: The Peaceful Classroom which provides activities to promote friendships, cooperation with others and respect for feelings and differences; With Respect for Others is a resource for activities that recognizes and gains appreciation of human differences and cultural distinctions; Activities for physical health are in the resources Music & Movement in the Classroom and Kids in Action; dental health resource is the Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Future's.

UMOS continues to utilize the web-based developmental assessment tool: The Developmental Continuum for Ages 3-5 from Creative Curriculum. The tool is used to gather and analyze children's growth. In analyzing the data from the 2007 on-going preschool assessments, both the Grantee and Delegate programs Child Outcomes Report indicated that each skill area of language development, literacy, math and science, over 60% of the children were assessed as progressing one or more steps, with 40% remaining constant in their skill level. No child regressed in their skill levels. This meets the expectation of a 3-4 month program to assist the children's school readiness skills by maintaining the children's skills at one level or to progress forward.

The Child Development program conducts a developmental screening on every child that enters the program. A developmental screening demonstrates to the teaching staff the child's developmental skills, areas of strength and areas to be targeted in activity planning. Teachers are able to use this information to individualize classroom activities for each child. This screening is also a valuable tool to identify children with delays for follow-up assessment or further formal evaluations. The charts below indicate the number of screenings conducted throughout the program. UMOS continues to strive to increase screening efforts given the nature of the migration patterns for the program's children.

UMOS Special Services Program consists of disabilities and Mental Wellness services. At least 10 % of funded enrollment slots are allocated for children with disabilities. Close coordination and combined staffing efforts between the Health Services

Manager, the Special Services Specialist and Child Development Manager ensures early identification and immediate services to high risk children. As the program operates during the summer months identifying service providers is one of the program challenges as disability services continue to be needed by UMOS Head Start Children during these months.

The majority of diagnoses for UMOS Migrant Head Start Children continue to be in the area of speech/language development, which was 95% in 2007. Our grantee program's disability rate for 2007 was noted at 8.6% up from 6.7% the previous year. Our total disability rate for the delegate program in 2007 was 7% a noted increase from 5.6 % for 2006. This finding is not unlike other programs serving children in this age group.

Since mental health conveyed a negative connotation, the Mental Wellness name was derived from the need to ensure that the service was viewed positively. Mental Wellness embraces both cultural and individual differences while assessing environmental influences and family stresses in identifying underlining problems for behavioral concerns. Services under Mental Wellness include general observations, individual and group consultation, platicas for parents and personnel, assessments and ongoing therapy. In addition to Mental Wellness services, UMOS has successfully continued to implement the feelings and friendship group for children. This occurs in the classroom which involves all children and focuses on positive expression and identification of feelings.

UMOS Migrant Head Start took the wellness program even further and continues to offer assistance for staff by providing staff with the opportunity to speak with the wellness consultant when warranted. The consultant was able to meet with staff members and resolve concerns, or refer to an appropriate place. Presented topics are selected through staff surveys collected at the staff pre-service training