Project Grant 21SFFNY002

HEAD START SERVICES HAVE BEEN IN ROCKLAND COUNTY FOR 50+ YEARS AND HEAD START OF ROCKLAND'S ("HSOR") PROGRAMS HAVE CONSISTENTLY BEEN FOUND IN COMPLIANCE WITH ALL REGULATIONS DURING ONGOING INDEPENDENT AUDITS, FEDERAL, AND STATE REVIEWS. HSOR'S PROGRAMS ARE NAEYC ACCREDITED AND ARE APPROVED AS NEW YORK STATE SPECIAL EDUCATION EVALUATION SITES. OF THE APPROXIMATELY 60 FOSTER GRANDPARENTS CURRENTLY IN ROCKLAND, AROUND 36% SERVE AT HSOR'S DIRECT-RUN SITES, AND 11% SERVE AT HSOR'S COLLABORATIVE AGENCY. HSOR HAS BENEFITTED FROM THE MEASURABLE IMPACT THE FOSTER GRANDPARENT PROGRAM ("FGP") ACHIEVES IN HELPING CHILDREN DEVELOP SOCIALLY AND EMOTIONALLY. HSOR'S STRONG LOCAL PRESENCE IN ROCKLAND COUNTY HAS ALLOWED HSOR TO CLOSELY COLLABORATE WITH THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COUNCIL AND VOLUNTEER STATIONS TO MAINTAIN A STRONG CONTINUUM OF CARE FOR THE FOSTER GRANDPARENTS AND THE CHILDREN AND FAMILIES WE SERVE. HSOR'S PRIMARY FOCUS AREA IS EDUCATION. HSOR AIMS TO PROVIDE SUPPORT AND FACILITATE ACCESS TO SERVICES AND RESOURCES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO SCHOOL READINESS AND ACADEMIC ENGAGEMENT FOR ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED AND EXCEPTIONAL/SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN. THE FOSTER GRANDPARENTS WILL PROVIDE ASSISTANCE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD CLASSROOMS AND TUTOR IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. HSOR'S CURRENT STRATEGIC GOALS ALIGN WITH CNCS'S AGENCY-WIDE PRIORITY MEASURE'S OF SCHOOL READINESS AND K-12 SUCCESS. HSOR PLANS ON PLACING 100% OF FOSTER GRANDPARENTS IN WORK PLANS THAT RESULT IN AGENCY-WIDE OUTCOMES WITH APPROXIMATELY 43% OF FOSTER GRANDPARENTS SERVING IN THE K-12 SUCCESS AGENCY-WIDE PRIORITY MEASURE AND 57% OF FOSTER GRANDPARENTS SERVING IN THE SCHOOL READINESS AGENCY-WIDE PRIORITY MEASURE. IN THE THIRD YEAR OF THE PROGRAM, APPROXIMATELY 120 CHILDREN WILL DEMONSTRATE GAINS IN ACADEMIC ENGAGEMENT OR SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT. THE ANNUAL CNCS FEDERAL INVESTMENT OF $358,381 WILL BE SUPPLEMENTED BY A TOTAL OF $40,358; COMPRISED OF STATE AND LOCAL FUNDS AS WELL AS IN-KIND MEALS PROVIDED THROUGH VOLUNTEER STATIONS. HSOR'S STRONG LOCAL PRESENCE IN ROCKLAND COUNTY, CLOSE COLLABORATION WITH THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COUNCIL AND VOLUNTEER STATIONS, 50 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AND COMMUNITY COLLABORATION, AND HSOR'S AND THE CORPORATION'S ALIGNED GOALS OF SCHOOL READINESS AND K-12 SUCCESS PUT HSOR IN A POSITION TO EFFECTIVELY AND EFFICIENTLY SUPPORT THE FGP IN ROCKLAND COUNTY.