ENCOMPASS EARLY EDUCATION AND CARE STATISTICS and TRENDS

(*  Sliding fee available through United Way and Encompass Early Education and Care funding )

·         Increased diversity is recognized throughout the agency.  On any given day, approximately 32% of the children cared for at these 6 centers are not white, Caucasian.  (2007 actual: American Indian—51, Asian—11, Afro-American—107, Hispanic—91, White—832, Native Hawaiian—0, Multi Racial — 124)

·         645 of the 1,286 children, or 50% were from single parent families.

·       142 of these children had identifiable special needs (developmental delays, speech and language problems, visual impairments, behavioral and emotional difficulties).

·         75 additional children were referred for Early Childhood Special Education Services

·         448 children or 35% qualified for free meals through USDA and 128 or 10% qualified for reduced meals.

·         45 of the families served grossed less than $14,000 per year.

·         83 additional families grossed between $14,000 and $20,000 for the year.

·         Added to these figures, 142 families received food stamps.

·        $83,739.80 was spent by the agency on the following:  white milk—$28,743.91, wheat bread—$7,604.33, fresh fruit—$14,516.65, acrylic gloves—$14,037.10, baby formula—$4,764.71 and art and craft supplies—$14,073.10

·         14 teen parents and 32 homeless families received care at Encompass during 2007.

In addition to the above:

·         209 children attended the Encompass nursery school program,

      Children's Day Out.

2007 Trends:

·         Parents are working different shifts and piecing together other care arrangements to minimize the need for child care.

·         More children are exhibiting behaviors which indicate a need for referrals, special programs, small group sizes, medical care plans, etc.

·         Families require more flexible child care arrangements.  Many jobs no longer fit into the traditional Monday through Friday 7-3, 8-5 or 9-6 time frames.

·         Middle-income families cannot afford the cost of quality care and often need to choose sub-standard care options.

·         Families often lack the support systems of extended families or trusted friends.  Child care often becomes that support.

·         4 year-old kindergarten has grown 70% over the past 7 years in Wisconsin.

 ·       Employers increasingly recognize the need for family friendly workplace policies.  However, few employers are committed to subsidizing the cost of child care for their employees.

·         Need for under age 2 care continues to increase but is the most costly care to provide and many parents cannot afford it.

·         Child care for school age parents, before and after school care and child care for children who are sick are often cited as needed by parents.

·         Due to research, national attention is increasingly being drawn to the importance of the early years.