Northwest Tennessee Head Start/Early 2016 Head Start Community Assessment Table of Contents Executive Summary……………………………………………………. Pages 8 - 12 State of the Grantee ……………………………………………………. Page 13 Program Philosophy ……………………………………………………. Page 14 Governing Structure ……………………………………………………. Page 15 Methodology & Sources ……………………………………………….. Page 16 Service Area Data/Geography …………………………………………. Pages 17 & 18 Population & Demographic Data ………………………………………. Pages 19 – 25 Social & Economic Status ……………………………………………… Pages 26 – 31 Economic Features and Trends …………………………………………. Page 32 - 34 Housing …………………………………………………………………. Pages 35 – 40 Education ……………………………………………………………….. Pages 41 & 42 Waiting List …………………………………………………………….. Page 43 Disabilities ……………………………………………………………… Pages 44 & 45 Health & Wellness ……………………………………………………… Pages 46 - 53 Food Insecurity/Food Deserts …………………………………………... Pages 54 & 55 Child Welfare …………………………………………………………… Pages 56 – 58 Child Care ………………………………………………………………. Page 59 Geographic Location of Head Start Eligible Children & Families ……... Page 60 Characteristics of Head Start Children & Families ………………………Page 61 Community Assessment March 2016 2 Head Start Teacher Qualifications ……………………………………… Page 62 Strengths/Needs of Eligible Families & Children ……………………… Pages 63 – 66 Community Partner/Key Informant Survey Information……………….. Pages 67 & 68 Strengths of Northwest Tennessee Head Start/EHS Communities …….. Page 69 Resources, Collaborative/Formal Agreements & Partnerships ………... Pages 69 & 70 Future Trends ………………………………………………………….. Page 71 Identification of Issues and Recommendations ……………………….. Pages 72 - 75 Census Tract Information ……………………………………………… Pages 76 – 88 Resources ……………………………………………………………… Page 89 - 90 Community Assessment March 2016 3 Table of Contents (Tables) Table 1: Population Change ………………………………………………. Page 19 Table 2: Population by Gender …………………………………………….Page 21 Table 3: Population by Race ……………………………………………… Page 23 Table 4: Language …………………………………………………………Page 25 Table 5: Poverty ……………………………………………………………Page 26 Table 6: Poverty Rate Change ……………………………………………..Page 28 Table 7: Households in Poverty by Family Type ………………………… Page 29 Table 8: TANF ……………………………………………........................ Page 31 Table 9: Employment/Unemployment …………………………………… Page 33 Table 10: Median & Per Capita Income Levels …………………………. Page 34 Table 11: Owner Occupied Homes ……………………………………… Page 36 Table 12: Housing Units without Plumbing ………………………………Page 38 Table 13: Fair Market Rent ……………………………………………….Page 39 Table 14: Percent Attaining Educational Levels ………………………….Page 42 Table 15: Disability Categories …………………………………………...Page 43 Table 16: Head Start Children with Disabilities ………………………… Page 44 Table 17: Early Head Start Children with Disabilities …............................Page 45 Table 18: Uninsured Persons……………………………………………...Page 47 Table 19: Teen Pregnancy Rate…………………………………………...Page 48 Community Assessment March 2016 4 Table 20: Households receiving SNAP ………………………………….. Page 50 Table 21: WIC ………………………………………………………….....Page 51 Table 22: Free Lunch …………………………………………………..... Page 53 Table 23: Food Insecurity Rate ………………………………………….. Page 54 Table 24: Food Deserts ………………………………………………….. Page 55 Table 25: Reported Child Abuse Cases …………………......................... Page 56 Table 26: Children in State Custody ……………………......................... Page 56 Table 27: Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome………………......................... Page 58 Table 28: Regulated Childcare Spaces …………………………………...Page 59 Table 29: Children 0-4 in Poverty by County ……………………………Page 60 Table 30: Most important issues facing families’ survey…………………Page 63 Table 31: Health insurance survey………………………......................... Page 64 Table 32: Employment status survey……………………......................... Page 65 Table 33: Banking status survey....………………………........................ Page 66 Table 34: Key needs and concerns of community survey..........................Page 67 Table 35: Number one issue affecting education survey…………………Page 68 Community Assessment March 2016 5 Table of Contents (Charts) Chart 1: Population Change ……………………………………………… Page 20 Chart 2: Population by Age …………………………………………….... Page 22 Chart 3: Population by Race ……………………………………………... Page 24 Chart 4: Poverty Rate ……………………………………………………. Page 27 Chart 5: Children (0-4) Poverty Rate Change …………………………… Page 27 Chart 6: Households in Poverty by Family Type ………………………... Page 30 Chart 7: Unemployment Rate …………………………………………….Page 32 Chart 8: Median & Per Capita Income ……………………………………Page 34 Chart 9: Owner Occupied Homes …………………………………………Page 35 Chart 10: Housing Units without Plumbing ……………………………….Page 37 Chart 11: Educational Attainment …………………………………………Page 41 Chart 12: Uninsured Population Percentage ……………………………….Page 46 Chart 13: Percentage of Students on Free/Reduced Lunch ………………..Page 52 Chart 14: Head Start Eligibility ……………………………………………Page 61 Chart 15: Early Head Start Eligibility ……………………………………..Page 61 Chart 16a & 16b: H/S Teachers with Bachelor’s Degree or Higher.………Page 62 Chart 17: Most Important Issues Facing Families Survey…………………Page 63 Chart 18: Health Insurance Status Survey ………………………………...Page 64 Chart 19: Employment Status Survey ……………………………………..Page 65 Community Assessment March 2016 6 Chart 20: Banking Status Survey ………………………………………….Page 66 Chart 21: Issues in Education Survey ……………………………………..Page 68 Community Assessment March 2016 7 Executive Summary Northwest Tennessee Head Start/Early Head Start currently has funding for 1,160 Head Start children and 156 Early Head Start Children for a total of 1,316 children. With 9,470 children less than 5 years of age living in poverty based on the 2012 American Community Survey, the Head Start and Early Head Start program combined is only serving 13.9% of the eligible children in the Northwest Tennessee Head Start/Early Head Start service area. The methodology to develop the Community Assessment includes data collection from a variety of sources; surveys completed by currently served parents and community partners; HS/EHS program data; various external data sources such as the American Community Survey, Kids Count 2015 and many others listed under the sources in the methodology section. The following leading trends and significant indicators, identified throughout the Community Assessment, have implications for the program in terms of planning including design, geographic location, approach, and services needed. 1) Poverty- In the Northwest Tennessee Head Start/Early Head Start service area, 32% of children under age five are living in poverty—while the rate soars to 52.1% in Lake County, 44.8% in Lauderdale County and 41.6% in Crockett County. This means over half the children in Lake County and close to half the children in Lauderdale and Crockett Counties also are living in poverty. It is estimated that almost 1 in 3 children live in poverty across the Northwest Tennessee Head Start/Early Head Start Community Assessment March 2016 8 service area. There is also a huge need for more early childhood education slots for children birth to age 3 due to the large number of children living in poverty and the lack of available spaces for children 0 to 3 in income eligible programs and the inability of parents to pay for childcare. 2) Diversity- Northwest Tennessee continues to grow in the area of diverse populations. The number of individuals identifying as Hispanic in origin has grown annually with the most significant gain being in Crockett County. As a result, the number of families with limited English proficiency continues to grow. Based on the above, there is an increased demand for bilingual services, especially for schools, medical providers and social service agencies. Despite this need, high quality bilingual employees are often difficult to find and in high demand by area employers making it difficult to obtain quality bilingual staff. 3) Economy- The economy continues to be a concern for those living in the Northwest Tennessee Head Start/Early Head Start service area. Median household incomes are much lower than the state rate and United States median income rates. Additionally, the Head Start Head Start/Early Head Start population continues to have difficulty acquiring a living wage position that would reduce their reliance on additional services. The average median household income of the service area is $38,794 compared to the state median household income of $44,140 and the United States median household income of $60,119. The unemployment rate in our area continues to be a major issue as well with the rate for the service area being 6.0% compared to a state rate of 4.9% and a national rate of 4.9%. Only two of our thirteen counties have unemployment rates below the state Community Assessment March 2016 9 and national average. Additionally, social service providers continue to struggle with funding, while faced with increased and complex needs of families. 4) Age and Educational Level- Like many communities, Northwest Tennessee Head Start/Early Head Start is facing a significant challenge with the low number of qualified individuals to fill positions as they become available in the next several years. Almost 18 percent (17.92%) of area residents over the age of 25 do not have a high school diploma or high school equivalency diploma. Less than 39% of adults 25 and older in the Northwest Tennessee Head Start/EHS service area have a Bachelor’s Degree or higher. Many on-going opportunities for parents to participate in continuing education