NYC Early Learning Project Parent Access Points

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NYC Early Learning ProjectParent Access Points

• Presentation to
• NYC Early Learning Council
• January 21, 2003
• Agenda for Children Tomorrow (ACT)
• Eric Brettschneider, Director
• Anthea McLaughlin, Deputy Director

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ACTs Role

• To understand
• the needs of parents
• where they go to get information
• how they prefer to receive information
• where they prefer to get information
• ways to improve parent access to early learning
  information and resources at the community level

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Neighborhood Selection

• Related Activities that ELP can build upon
• History of Successful Collaboration
• Need underserved communities, immigrant
  populations

• Leadership/Willingness by local providers to be
  actively engaged in the process
• Readiness, including capacity, scope of existing
  resources to build upon, coordination potential

• Community 1- Washington Heights/Inwood
• Community 2- Bushwick

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Strategy

• Partnering with informed Early Care and Education
  Coalitions
• Washington Heights/Inwood Early Childhood
  Coalition
• The Bushwick Child Care Network
• Conducting Focus Groups/Parent Dialogues
• Convening 100 parents/service providers/caregivers
  /community members
• Administering and Analyzing Parent Information
  Access Surveys
• Collecting 400 surveys from parents/caregivers/co
  mmunity members

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Key Information Collected

• Ages of children
• Current child care arrangements
• Language preferences
• Current and preferred information sources and
  availability
• Preferred media for information
• Barriers to accessing child care information
• Other information caregivers would like to receive

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Participants and Respondents

• Focus Group respondents were demographically more
  diverse
• Parents
• Child care providers
• Teachers
• Bushwick 60 participants
• 90 parents
• 10 professionals
• Washington Heights/Inwood30 participants
• 50 parents
• 50 professionals

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Ages of Children
Survey Respondents

• Washington Heights/Inwood has more children than
  Bushwick.
• Washington Heights/Inwood
• 16,559 under age 5 out of total population
  198,192
• Bushwick
• 9,871 under age 5 out of 102,572

Keeping Track of New York Citys Children,
Citizens Committee for Children (2000)
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Summary of FindingsCurrent Child Care
Arrangements

• Child care arrangements for survey respondents
  fell in the following categories
• Head Start
• Registered Family Child Care
• Child Care Center
• Relative or Friend
• Focus Groups indicated a strong preference for
  Head Start programs.

Note Distribution of survey was selective and
disseminated by child care centers. Families who
use in-home care arrangements were not surveyed.
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Language Preferences

• In Washington Heights/Inwood, parents are most
  comfortable speaking and reading Spanish.
• In Bushwick parents are comfortable speaking and
  reading both Spanish and English.
• Focus Groups indicated that Parent Access
  Points need to be culturally relevant.
• Someone who understands me and who can talk with
  me. Focus Group Participant

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Current and Preferred Information Sources

• Schools, Head Start Centers and Health Clinics
  were the most frequently used to get information.
  
• Focus Groups indicated
• Word of mouth is as reliable as place based
  information.
• Parents felt the most uncomfortable getting
  information from
• Emergency rooms
• School district office
• Banks
• DMV
• Unemployment Office
• Public Assistance Office

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Preferred Media for Info

• Interpersonal contact is the preferred type of
  information exchange
• Focus Groups indicated Parent Access Points must
  be staffed by
• knowledgeable, qualified, well-connected,
  experienced, and bilingual staff
• Staff must have the strong desire to work with
  parents and children

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Barriers to Accessing Childcare Information

• Competing demands and limited knowledge of where
  to find information
• Focus Group Recommendation Information should
  be coordinated
• They send you here, they send you there. Focus
  Group Participant

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Other Information Caregivers Would Like to Receive

• Afterschool information ranked the highest
• Focus Groups Key Recommendation Parent Access
  Points need to address the whole family.

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Additional Comments from Parents

• Focus Groups and Surveys Confirmed
• Desires for their children are the same for most
  parents.
• Parents place high value on the quality of the
  relationship between staff and their children.
• Programs cannot separate the parent from the
  child.
• Programs should educate parents on their
  responsibility for their childs education and
  development.
• The space and the quality of services must be
  welcoming.
• Programs should focus on the strengths of
  families, not just their needs.
• How the information is given is more important
  than the information itself.

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Neighborhood Specific Priorities

• Washington Heights/Inwood
• Prenatal information and support are key.
• I did not know where to turn when I was pregnant
  and when my child was born.
• Immigration Services
• Translation
• Bushwick
• Transportation
• Within Bushwick, its difficult for me to get
  around. I cant get from the day care center to
  the library without relying on family. The
  resource center should be in a central location.
• Special Education Services
• Both Communities
• Early Intervention Services
• After school Programs and Recreational Activities
• Adult Support and Educational Services
• Responsive and Coordinated System of Care
  (housing, child welfare, etc.)

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Essential Components of Parent Access Points

• Parent Access Points must
• Be convenient and accessible
• Hire staff that are qualified, knowledgeable,
  well-connected, and culturally competent
• Provide information that responds to the
  strengths as well as the needs of the family
• Respond to the needs of the whole family

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Next Steps

• Convening Parents and Local Design Teams to
  Validate Findings
• Concretize Vision and Location/Scope/Type of
  Access Point for communities
• Coordinate with Local Planning Entities and ELP
  Workgroups
• Formulate Implementation Plan
• Develop How-To Manual which documents findings
  and can be used as a tool to replicate the access
  points in other neighborhoods citywide

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NYC Early Learning Project
Parent Access Points

• Thank you