CITY Councll REPORT Meeting Date: June 30, 2020 General Plan Element: Neighborhoods General Plan Goal: Preserve and Enhance the Unique Sense of Neighborhood ACTION
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Item 6 CITY COUNCll REPORT Meeting Date: June 30, 2020 General Plan Element: Neighborhoods General Plan Goal: Preserve and enhance the unique sense of neighborhood ACTION Adopt Resolution No. 11810 authorizing Contract No. 2020-087-COS a revocable license agreement with Maricopa County, to use space at Paiute Neighborhood Center to operate the Head Start and Early Head Start Programs. BACKGROUND Head Start was established in 1965 as part of Lyndon B. Johnson's "War on Poverty". It began as an eight-week summer program to prepare low-income children for elementary school. The program expanded as a result of the Head Start Act of 1981; more recently under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act added over 64,000 slots to the Early Head Start and Head Start programs. Head Start is a federally funded program that is currently administered by the Administration of Children and Families (ACF) within the US Department of Health and Human Services. Maricopa County operates a Head Start preschool for children ages 3 and 4 years old and an Early Head Start program for children under 3 years old. Both programs focus on comprehensive early childhood development consisting of education, health, nutrition, and social services to low-income children and their families. The Program helps meet the emotional, social, cognitive, and physical growth needs of children by monitoring progress while and preparing them for kindergarten. The City of Scottsdale and Maricopa County have collaborated to provide a Head Start Program using City playground and classroom facilities at Paiute Neighborhood Center since 1996. ANALYSIS & ASSESSMENT The federal government's initial implementation of the Head Start and Early Head Start programs was influenced by the effects of poverty and its impact on education. The purpose of the program is to compensate for economic and social inequities by preparing income-eligible children for elementary school while attempting to break the cycle of poverty. The program aligns with the State of Arizona's early learning standards and school readiness goals. In 2016, Head Start began programming on a year-round basis at the Paiute location and operates at full capacity by serving approximately 40 children annually. The program continues to complement the values, philosophy, Action Taken _______________ .