Community Assessment 2006-2007
Berkeley-Albany YMCA
Head Start
Community Assessment
2006-2007
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Section 1: Introduction
Program Overview
Figure 1. San Francisco Bay Area showing Alameda County
Purpose
Methodology
Section 2: Description of Service Area
Figure 2: Service Area Census Tracts
City of Berkeley
City of Albany
City of Emeryville
Section 3: Demographics
Population & Race
Table 1. Population and Population Increase in 2000 and 2005.
Table 2. Population by Race in 2005.
Births
Table 3. Number of births and birth rate in the Service Area, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003
Table 4. Total and Average Annual Births and Birth Rates by Ethnicity, 2000-2003.
Medi-Cal Births
Table 5. Births Funded by Medi-Cal by Ethnicity, 2000-2003 & Pct of Total Births
Elementary School Enrollment
Figure 3: Ethnicity of Elementary School Students in Service Area
Table 6. Elementary Enrollment by Ethnicity, 2004-2005
Table 7. Comparison Total Population to Elementary Population (2004)
Figure 4: Comparison of City vs. School District Ethnic Distribution
Free Lunch Program
Table 8. Head Start Eligible Children Based On Free/Reduced Lunch Counts, 2004-2005
Cultural Diversity and Linguistic Isolation
Table 9. Elementary School Enrollment by Major Non-English Languages Spoken 2004-2005
Income And Poverty
Table 10. Head Start Eligible Children Birth to 5
Table 11. Children Receiving Public Assistance by Program, 2006
Section 4: Head Start Eligible Population
Eligibility Indicators
Geography: where do Head Start eligible children live?
Conclusions
Section 5: Berkeley-Albany Head Start Program
Enrollment Statistics During Program Year 2005-2006
Head Start Parent Survey
Section 6: Child Care Services - Demand and Supply
Other Subsidized Child Care Programs
Table 13. Other Agencies Providing Subsidized Child Care Services.
Children with Disabilities
Table 14. Special Education Enrollment by Age and Type of Disability, 2004. (3,4 and 5-year olds)
Section 7: Community Conditions And Trends
Asthma
Table 15. Asthma Hospitalizations by ZipCode, 2001-2003
Infant Mortality
Low Birth Weight (LBW) Infants
Hunger
Physical Safety and Crime
Lead-Based Paint
Housing Affordability
Section 9: Conclusions and Next Steps
Key Findings
Program Goals & Objectives For 2007-2010
Sources:
APPENDIX A – Child Care Assessment
APPENDIX B - BAYMCA Head Start Parent Survey Results, 2006
List of Figures and Tables
Figure 1. San Francisco Bay Area showing Alameda County......
Figure 2. Service Area Census Tracts......
Table 1. Population and Population Increase in 2000 and 2005......
Table 2. Population by Race in 2005......
Table 3. Number of births and birth rate in the Service Area, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003......
Table 4. Total and Average Annual Births and Birth Rates by Ethnicity, 2000-2003......
Table 5. Births Funded by Medi-Cal by Ethnicity, 2000-2003 & Pct of Total Births......
Figure 3. Ethnicity of Elementary School Students in Service Area......
Table 6. Elementary Enrollment by Ethnicity, 2004-2005......
Table 7. Comparison Total Population to Elementary Population (2004)......
Figure 4. Comparison of City vs. School District Ethnic Distribution......
Table 8. Head Start Eligible Children Based On Free/Reduced Lunch Counts, 2004-2005......
Table 9. Elementary School Enrollment by Major Non-English Languages Spoken 2004-2005..
Table 10. Head Start Eligible Children Birth to 5......
Table 11. Children Receiving Public Assistance by Program, 2006......
Table 13. Other Agencies Providing Subsidized Child Care Services......
Table 14. Special Education Enrollment by Age and Type of Disability, 2004. (3, 4 and 5-year olds)
Table 15. Asthma Hospitalizations by Zip Code, 2001-2003......
1
Berkeley-Albany YMCA Early Childhood Services
Community Assessment 2006-2007
Executive Summary
The Berkeley-Albany YMCA Early Childhood Head Start and Early Head Start Programs include the three very distinct cities of Berkeley, Albany and Emeryville and is one of four Head Start/Early Head Start grantees serving Alameda County, California. The purpose of this community assessment is to update the statistical data and relevant community information to identify the strengths, needs, and trends that impact on the design and implementation of the Head Start and Early Head Start programs.
Data was obtained from a variety of sources including the State Departments of Finance and Education, CountySocial Services and Health Departments, U.S. Census 2000 data and corresponding updates, BAYMCA Program Information Reports (PIR) and a recent survey of Early Head Start and Head Start parents. The information was used to frame a report that defines the number of Head Start and Early Head Start eligible children living in the service area, what are the greatest needs for the families and community, and what the program can do to meet those needs.
- Head Start Eligible Population
Using child population and percentages of poverty, there are 2,071 children ages birth to five who may be eligible for Head Start services living in Berkeley, Albany, and Emeryville.
There are 1,104 Early Head Start eligible children, birth to age 3
There are 967 Head Start eligible children, ages 3 to 5
According to Medi-Cal birth records, there are 396 pregnant women eligible for Early Head Start services in the target area.
- Family and Community Needs
Based on analysis of family surveys, review of reports and service referrals provided to families, the following are some of the most critical needs for families in the service area:
Housing subsidies and/or supports.
Services for children birth to 3 years.
Continued need for services to serve an ethnically, educationally, and linguistically diverse population.
3. Findings
There are some key findings in this report that stand out and provide vital information for program planning:
This 2006 analysis finds between 2,095 eligible children birth to age 5, as measured by the most readily available indicators.
There is a continued shortfall, or gap, in the availability of full-time subsidized care to serve eligible children from birth to 2 years.
TANF and Medi-Cal enrollment are no longer accurate indicators of child eligibility due to time limits for family enrollment and the higher bar for participation in these programs. TANF rates have dropped over 50% in the past five years, while economic trends have not lowered the numbers of poor children live in working families.
School enrollment in free or subsidized lunch programs shows a continued strong demand for Head Start services in the Service Area despite relatively slow population growth in two of the three cities served.
Birth rates are highest among the fastest growing ethnic groups in the area, specifically among Asian and Latinos. Given the steady demand for English-language assistance in the schools, the Service Area continues to attract first-generation immigrants with young children. There are growing concentrations of families from India, Pakistan, and the Middle East, as reflected in increasing diversity of Head Start and elementary school age enrollment.
Input from parents and community members indicate continued concern to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse population with language and literacy challenges, and related impacts on the staff and overall program.
- Three-Year Goals and Objectives
The following goals were approved by the Policy Council and Board at their respective meetings on May 25, 2006.
Goal 1.Increase services to infants and toddlers birth to age 3.
Goal 2. Improve family, staff and child literacy.
Goal 3.Continue to address demographic changes in the community.
Goal 4.Collaborate with community groups and families to address the issues of domestic and community violence.
Goal 5.Participate in Preschool for All efforts in AlamedaCounty.
The above goals and objectives will serve as the cornerstone for program planning to address the needs of Head Start children and families in the service area. The information compiled in this report will also assist the Head Start Program and their partners to better collaborate in implementing programs and services.
Section 1: Introduction
Program Overview
The Berkeley-Albany YMCA Early Childhood Services Branch/Head Start and Early Head Start programs provide comprehensive child development services to children from birth to age five, pregnant women and their families. The Berkeley-Albany YMCA Head Start (BAYMCA) program offers three types of programs, serving 388 children in Head Start in both part-day, part-year and full-day, full-year programs. Early Head Start currently serves 20 pregnant and post-partum women and babies in a home-based program, and 76 infants and toddlers in mostly full-day, full-year center-based programs. BAYMCA also provides additional state preschool and child care services to eligible children/families as a contractor with the California Department of Education/Child Development Division and as a subcontractor to EmeryUnifiedSchool District (State Preschool), BerkeleyUnifiedSchool District (CalSAFE – child care for teen parents) and Kidango (General Child Care).
BAYMCA is one of four Head Start/Early Head Start grantees serving Alameda County, California. The county is central to the nine-county Bay Area, a region of 6.9 million people shown in Figure 1. AlamedaCounty is one of the most densely populated and affluent counties, second only to Marin in median household income ($83,500 in 2003). The BAYMCA service area is in the northwestern portion of AlamedaCounty on the San FranciscoBay, directly across from the county of San Francisco.
Figure 1. San FranciscoBay Area showing AlamedaCounty
Source: Association of Bay Area Governments, 2002.The Berkeley-Albany YMCA Head Start and Early Head Start Programs serve the cities of Berkeley, Albany and Emeryville. Geographically, the cities are situated on a low coastal plain that extends eastward from the shore of San Francisco Bay for about two miles. The border of Berkeley runs along a coastal range to the east and along Interstate 80 to the north, forming two of its boundaries within AlamedaCounty. Emeryville, Albany and west Berkeley lie entirely within the coastal plain within a mile of the freeway edging the Bay.
The service area includes some of the oldest housing stock, and highest concentrations of low-income families in the county. Both Berkeley and Emeryville are entitlement cities that qualify for federal Community Development Block Grants and other anti-poverty, anti-blight funding.
Purpose
This 2006 community assessment provides updated demographic data and relevant community information to identify the strengths, needs, and trends that impact on the design and implementation of the Head Start and Early Head Start programs.
Specific questions addressed during this assessment process include:
- How many low-income, Head Start eligible children/families reside in the service area from birth to age five?
- Are there changes in the low-income population or demographics in the Head Start service area?
- Are there community trends affecting Head Start families since the last community assessment?
- What are the most critical needs and challenges facing the children and families in the Head Start service area?
Methodology
Berkeley-Albany YMCA Head Start contracted with independent consultants to collect and analyze data for the communities served by Head Start. Data were reviewed from a variety of sources, including the State Departments of Finance and Education, CountySocial Services and Health departments, as well as BAYMCA program information reports and a recent survey of Head Start parents.
Most of the data comes from published sources available online or in a draft form from the originating public agencies. Population estimates for 2005 came from the State Department of Finance using vehicle registration and driver’s license registrations. These show a slight increase in population. The State data are thought to be more accurate than census projections which showed a slight population decline in the Berkeley service area. Given the rate of new housing construction in Berkeley over the last 4 years, the State’s figures seemed more likely to be accurate.
Primary data from BAYMCA Head Start program records included: family assessments and action plans, Program Information Reports, Policy Council and Health Advisory Committee minutes and activities, as well as tracking systems for services delivered. A parent survey was disseminated to determine the needs and challenges of Head Start children and families. Community members and parents were invited to share their perspectives and knowledge as well as to brainstorm ideas for future planning at a focus group.
Secondary sources of demographics are described by census tract, by zip code and by elementary school catchment area. While census tracts follow political boundaries, zip code 94608 covers both Oakland and Emeryville. Both communities have high numbers of children in poverty, particularly for female heads of household, and more significantly for African American women. However, each city has its own school district. Children and families often cross school district boundaries depending upon parents’ work location, child care arrangements, or family convenience, and sense of where the child might be better enrolled. Albany and Emeryville have smaller schools, while Albany and Berkeley schools are generally perceived as better than either Oakland or Emeryville’s.
The Alameda County Child Care Planning Council released a draft of an updated report on April 29, 2006, titled: Meeting the Child Care Needs of Alameda County’s Children, while this assessment was being written. We have used its findings where appropriate, but they remain incomplete. The most current version of the child care demographics is attached in Appendix A.
Section 2: Description of Service Area
Figure 2 shows the boundaries of the Service Area served by Berkeley Albany YMCA Head Start. Berkeley, the largest community, is at the center of the Service Area. Albany lies to the northwest, and Emeryville to its southwest. There are 40 census tracts in the Service Area: 6 in Albany, 33 in Berkeley, and one in the City of Emeryville. The Service Area has an estimated population just under 130,000 people in 2005, of whom roughly 5% or 5,483 are children under the age of five.
Berkeley has a land area of 10.9 square miles, and a population estimated at 104,543 in 2005. Albany has 1.7 square miles and 16,743 people, while Emeryville is still smaller, with 1.4 square miles and 8,261 in population.
Figure 2. Service Area Census Tracts
Source: 2000 U.S. CensusSan Pablo Avenue is the western-most commercial corridor moving north-south through the Service Area. It is a state highway as well. Most of the program’s families and service centers are located on or within a quarter mile of San Pablo Avenue, as do a number of the area’s nonprofit and public offices serving low-income families. Other north-south major streets include 6th Street (west of San Pablo), and moving from west to east, are Sacramento Street, Shattuck, Oxford, and Telegraph (south of the UC Berkeley Campus). Major east/west streets, moving north from Ashby Avenue include Dwight Way, University Avenue, Cedar, and Gilman/Hopkins. University Avenue is another major commercial corridor. Most of BAYMCA facilities lie west of Sacramento Street, primarily within a few blocks of San Pablo Avenue and the I80 freeway.
City of Berkeley
By virtue of its size, Berkeley dominates the Service Area. The total population of the City of Berkeley is 104,543. In 2000, 4.76% of the population was children under age five. That translates into an estimate of 4,986 children under the age of 5 in 2005. Sixty-four percent (64%) of children under 6 live in households headed by a single working parent or where both parents work. This is the largest proportion of the three cities.
According to the 2000 Census, almost 60% of the population of Berkeley lives in non-family households. In 2000, 18% of all households included children - 5% headed by single women. Berkeley has a low housing vacancy rate – 4.1%. Over 57% of Berkeley’s residents live in renter-occupied housing units.
Berkeley is a city very involved with and dependent upon the University of California, the prestigious campus that serves over 32,000 students in graduate and undergraduate programs. Berkeley’s strong identification with the University of California, the very high educational levels of its residents, masks a significant disparity in the economic, educational, and social needs and resources of residents of “the hills” closest to campus versus “the flatlands” where Head Start families live.
Berkeley's ethnic/racial composition varies from northeast to southwest. White families with some Asian and a very few Black and Hispanic families occupy the hills districts to the north and east, while the southwestern parts of the city are home to a larger share of Black families, but with a mix of Latino, White, and Asian families as well. African-American families with children under five are most heavily concentrated in south-west Berkeley, while Latino and Asian families with young children are somewhat more distributed in south, west, and central parts of the city.
Major employers include the University of California and Bayer Laboratories as well as the city and school district.
City of Albany
The City of Albany is located in the northernmost part of AlamedaCounty and borders the cities of Berkeley and El Cerrito. Albany is served by AC transit bus service throughout the city with a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station on the Albany-El Cerrito border. With easy access to the greater San FranciscoBay area, Albany is one of the most densely populated communities in the state. Major employers include the city and school district, Golden Gate Fields (a race track), and Target, a discount retail store.
Of the 16,743 people who lived in Albany in 2005, we estimate 1,217 are children under age 5, based on the percent found in the 2000 census (7.26%). The majority require child care, as 56% of children under six live in homes headed by a single working parent or have both parents working.
With only a 3% vacancy rate in housing, slightly over half of the households in Albany are owner occupied.