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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 04-20-1999 - 10bORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Action Agenda Item No. /p ~j ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: April 20, 1999 SUBJECT: Los Ninos Task Force DEPARTMENT: County Manager PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/1~ BUDGET AMENDMENT: (Y/l~ ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: Key Issues and Recommendations Los Ninos Task Force Members TELEPHONE NUMBERS: - -ext. Hillsborough 732-8181 Chapel Hill 968-4501 Durham 688-7331 Mebane 227-2031 PURPOSE: To receive a report from the Los Ninos Task Force. BACKGROUND: The Los Ninos Task Force was created by the Orange County Partnership for Young Children to assess the needs of Latino children ages 0-5, to identify gaps in essential services, and to determine the capacity of community agencies to serve these families and children. Tamaza Norris, Program Manager, Orange County Partnership for Young Children will present the Key Issues and Recommendations of the Task Force's Report. FINANCIAL IMPACT: None RECOMMENDATON(S): The Manager recommends that the Board receive the Los Ninos Task Force Report as information. Orange County Partnership for Young Children Los Ninos Task Force Key Issues and Recommendations February 24, 1999 Task Force Purpose The Los Ninos Task Force was formed in October 1998 at the request of the OCPYC Board of Directors to address the needs of the growing Latino population in Orange County. The purpose of the initiative is to assess the needs of Latino children ages 0 -5, to identify gaps in essential services, and to determine the capacity of community agencies to serve these families and children. The Task Force was comprised of approximately 30 agency representatives, community members and parents, and met three times between November 1998 and February 1999. Task Force members provided guidance to OCPYC staff to develop and implement the needs assessment, which included parent focus groups and surveys of Orange County organizations and child care providers. The Task Force then reviewed the key issues from the needs assessment and developed the following recommendations for consideration by the OCPYC Board of Directors. Needs Assessment Findings -Key Issues Family Support Language barriers are a concem for parents and children. • Parents want more classes on child development and behavior management. Old Well community is not safe for children. • Need for centralized information service -how to get driver's license, etc. • Domestic violence is a concern. • Lack of good quality affordable housing. Child Health and Mental Health • Lack of bilingual staff/ interpreters in health facilities. • Children need help with trauma of coming to U.S.(e.g. separation from family) Need more outreach about Health Choice. • Health Choice does not cover non-U.S. born children. • Families need `gap' support. • Need for preventive dental care. 2 3 Needs Assessment Findings -Key Issues Early Childhood Care and Education Issues • Families prefer friend or relative child care but find it unreliable. • Families want opportunities for learning English and social interactions from child care situations. • Need Spanish speaking staff and interpreters in child care settings. • Head Start is not available for all families who want it. • Families are on waiting list for subsidy. • Day care remains expensive for those who do not quality for subsidy. • Need transportation to child care. Task Force Recommendations - Create Hispanic Center as central place for resources, information, education, support (including a mobile unit). - More ESL classes accessible to parents (e.g. at Head Start settings). - More Bilingual Resource Coordinator positions. - Broaden Health Choice coverage to non-U.S. born children. - Need therapists to help children with trauma of coming to U.S. - Connect ESL class content to parenting, child development and life skills. - Need Spanish speaking liaison to help parents and children transition to child care. - Create a network of specialized professional translators. - Provide expanded transportation to Head Start. - Expand Head Start eligibility and spaces to serve more children. - Encourage bilingual hiring practices in community agencies. - Need Northern Orange bilingual health services. - Provide educational videos and materials in Spanish in health facility waiting rooms. - Develop a pool of translators/ interpreters for parents. - Provide child care subsidy for a parent who would serve as translator and liaison to parents in child care settings. - Provide cultural sensitivity training with an incentive for child care providers. 4 Los Ninos Task Force Members Dena Abbott, UNC-Chapel Hill Family Support Network of NC John Burton, St. Paul A.M.E. Church Patsy Byrd, Chapel HiIU Cazrboro Schools Head Start Moses Carey, Piedmond Health Services Patricia Casper, Piedmont Health Services Dina Castro, UNC-Chapel Hill Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center Megan Clark, Catholic Social Ministries Angela Cooke, Orange County Dental Department Karen Current, Carr Court Family Resource Center Michele Easter, Inter-Faith Council Juan Echeverria, Orange County Schools Mariana Ehrens, Chapel Hi1UCarrboro Schools Head Start Sharon Freeland, Orange Congregations in Mission Brenda Ford Harding, North State Legal Josephine Harris, Chapel HilUCazrboro Schools Beckie Hermann, Orange County Health Department John Hermann, St. Thomas More Catholic Church Ron Holdway, Orange County Health Department Donna Jennings, Orange County Health Department Wallace Kuralt, The Intimate Bookshop Maria Lapetina, Chatham County Partnership for Children Sharon Lee, Orange County Department of Social Services Paul Llanos, Orange Congregations in Mission Genoveva Marin, Prospect Hill Community Health Center George Ann McCay, Orange County Public Library Carolyn Outerbridge, Early Head Start Maria Teresa Palmer, Iglesia Unida de Cristo Marti Pryor-Cook, Orange County Department of Social Services Luis Reinoso, Mebane United Methodist Church Maria Elena Rodriquez, Rayito de Luz United Church of Christ Sharon Shazpe, Inter-Faith Council Sabrina Simon, Day Caze Services Association Libertad Villalba, Piedmont Health Services Jeannie Wakefield, Wee Caze Child Development Center Bessie Wiggins, Northern Orange Family Resource Center Angela Wilcox, Eazly Head Start G~. 1 a SNOIl`dUN3WW0~321 dNb' SJNIONI~ 3~210~ NSIYl SON/N S07 N321a~IH~ JNf10A 210 dIHS213N121`dd ~1Nno~ 3~Ndao Purpose of Los Ninos Initiative ^OCPYC Mission to ensure children arrive at school healthy and ready to succeed ^Assess community capacity to meet needs of Latino families and children ^Inform Smart Start grant-making Needs Assessment Overview ^ Determine needs of Latino children 0 - 5 ^Focus on Child Health, Early Childhood Education, Family Support ^ Input from 37 Task Force Members ^Gather information from Latino parents and Orange County organizations Focus Groups and Surveys ^4 Parent Focus Groups in northern and southern Orange County ^Surveyed 31 Child Care Providers ^Surveyed 47 Agency Representatives ~, __ __ ___ J Child Care Provider Barriers to Serving Latino Parents and Children ^ 39%- language barriers with parents and children ^24%- parents could not afford our rates ^20% -parents lack regular transportation ', i ^ 17% -children have trouble adapting to child care setting Agency Capacity to Serve Spanish Speaking Clients ^ Two-thirds serve clients speaking only Spanish ^ 53% have some staff who speak Spanish ^One-third. have no Spanish speaking direct service staff Agency Barriers to Serving Spanish Speaking Clients Most reported barriers in their organization ^ 80% -insufficient Spanish speaking staff ^ 67% -Latinos lack knowledge of services ^ At least 50% cited inadequate interpretation and/or translation services Focus Group Participant Profile - 50 % of the families had incomes less than $15,000/year -Mexico country of birth -Majority have 3-4 household members Focus Group Participant Profile - 81% live in Chapel Hill or Carrboro -Only 1/3 of the children were born in the U.S. - Most had less than high school, or only high school degrees -Almost all live in a 2-parent household Child Care and Education ^ Some expressed dissatisfaction with informal care arrangements because of the lack of reliability of the care provider ^ Families trust Head Start and feel it ~~ does a good job of preparing children for school ^ Some expressed frustration at not being eligible for Head Start Child Care and Education ^Some participants who have applied !, for child care subsidy have been denied, but find care too expensive ^ Some are on the waiting list for subsidy Child Health Care ^ Clients feel they are well treated at Carrboro Clinic (Piedmont Health Services), where doctors and nurses speak Spanish ^ Clients expressed less satisfaction with experiences at UNC Hospitals & Hillsborough Health Dept., where bilingual staff or interpreters are not always available Child Health Care ^ Many have not heard of Health Choice. ^ Some who have applied for Health Choice have been denied because family income was too high, or chose not to drop child from other coverage for 6 months to qualify ^ Preventive dental care is a problem because it is expensive and not readily available Family Support ^Parents expressed great concern around language barriers, both for themselves and their children ^Transportation is a problem for some families, particularly if they find the bus system unfamiliar Family Support ^Many residents of Old Well Apartments expressed concerns about safety for their children -some have witnessed violence, altercations and drug activity ^Participants felt that police respond appropriately but would like a more constant presence at Old Well Los Ninos Recommendations Early Childhood Care and Education ^Spanish speaking liaison to help parents and children transition to child care ^Expand eligibility, spaces and transportation for Head Start Los Ninos Recommendations Child Health/ Mental Health Care ^Broaden Health Choice coverage to non-U.S. born ^Provide therapists to help children adjust to life in U.S. ^Provide bilingual health services in northern Orange County Los Ninos Recommendations Family Supporf ^ Develop Hispanic Center as central place for resources, information, education (including mobile unit) ^ More ESL classes accessible. to parents, with parenting and life skills content ^ More Bilingual Resource Coordinators Los Ninos Recommendations Family Support ^ Develop network of translators/ interpreters for parents and agencies ^Encourage bilingual hiring practices in agencies