Operation: New View
Community Action Agency
community assessment 2017
Head Start Program
ABSTRACT
This Community Assessment has been prepared with the information gathered from Head Start parents, community members, community partners and local, state and national agencies. This assessment details the most current reliable and recent data available concerning the counties and communities that we serve. As a vital part of our program planning process, the findings of this assessment will be the basis for program choices and options.
Overview of Grantee and Communities within the Service Area
Operation: New View Community Action Agency was formed in 1974 in the State of Iowa serving families in Delaware, Dubuque and Jackson Counties. With the Head Start program being a part of Operation: New View CAA the agency started serving children and families with one center in the City of Maquoketa (Jackson County), one in the City of Manchester (Delaware County), one in the City of Dyersville (Dubuque County), and two centers in the City of Dubuque (Dubuque County). Forty-three years later, we continue to serve families in Delaware, Dubuque and Jackson Counties expanding our services with one center in Manchester (18 children), 1 center in Earlville (16 children), 2 in Dubuque County (1 in Dyersville and 1 in Epworth) serving 32 – 36 children, 8 centers in the City of Dubuque (135 children). Our classrooms are located in church basements, community buildings, and schools. The building housing our Dyersville Head Start site is the only location owned by Operation: New View CAA. At the start of the 2014 – 2015 classes started the third week in August and the children attended 134 class days. In July 2015,we requested a reduction in enrollment from our current 250 slots to 225 slots. We have struggled with maintaining full enrollment over the past three years. The data shows that in the rural counties the population has decreased since the census in 2010, which has been problematic in not meeting and sustaining full enrollment. Our Head Start classrooms are licensed by the Iowa Department of Human Services and offer 6 – 7.5 hours of class time each day, four days per week ranging from 134 to 145 days per school year. Our funding is received through the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).
The mission statement of Operation: New View Community Action Agency, Head Start program reads, “We serve eligible preschool age children and their families by promoting education, self-esteem, socialization, health and community resource awareness through screenings, developmentally appropriate experiences, parent involvement opportunities, nutritious meals and transportation”. Working within the mission statement our program continues to provide quality service to all of our Head Start children and families. Our Head Start program has seen changes over the past two years with the retirement of the Operation: New View CAA Executive Director and the hiring of a new Executive Director in 2015. In June of 2016 with much discussion and planning for the future Head Start restructured its alignment of the management team. There were two positions eliminated from the organization structure to allow for the hiring of an Assistant Head Start Director and two-Family Advocates. All classrooms teachers and support staff are qualified to meet Head Start Performance Standards and offer an array of services and support including early childhood education, social services, family support, mental health, disability services, general health care and parenting.
Operation: New View Community Action Agency is overseen by a Governing Board of Directors made up of twenty-seven members from the tri-county area. Board of Director Members are elected City and County officials, representatives of low-income sectors, attorneys, accountants, etc. The Governing Board members are committed to shared governance with the Head Start Policy Council in operating a quality program.
Our Head Start program uses weighted enrollment criteria to identify the children with the greatest need. The criterion includes age appropriateness, income level, family needs and circumstances, and child disabilities. Outreach staff of Operation: New View CAA provides families with LIHEAP and Weatherization services; rental assistance; school supplies; food and clothing along with hygiene products. We work closely with other community service agencies to provide families with support services such as Child Care Resource and Referral, Visiting Nurse Association (VNA); Hillcrest WIC; Area Education Agency’s; We traditional serve over 250 children throughout a school year.
Community Assessment Process
Operation: New View Community Action Agency Governing Board members and Head Start Policy Council members provided input, reviewed and approved the Community Assessment questionnaire. The questionnaire was brought before the Governing Board and approved at their April, 2017 meeting. Head Start Policy Council approved the questionnaire at their March 2017 Policy Council meeting. The questionnaire was mailed to 500 families in Delaware, Dubuque, and Jackson counties in May 2017.
Demographic Information/Socioeconomic Characteristics of Operation: New View C.A.A. Service Area:
The Head Start program of Operation: New View C.A.A. serves a tri-county area on the eastern edge of central Iowa. The counties served by our program are Delaware, Dubuque and Jackson Counties. The tri-county area covers 3,745.41 square miles. The area is largely rural, composed of countryside, farms, lakes and streams, and small towns. Jackson and Delaware County are very rural with a population density of 31 people per square mile. Dubuque County is the most populated with the largest city having 154 people per square mile.
The tri-county area we serve is large concerning the ethnic and racial composition just as is the whole State of Iowa. The 2015 census projections show the largest composition in the tri-county area Caucasian. Jackson County is 97.3%; Dubuque is 97.5%; Delaware County is 98.9%. If you subtract all the other races that are counted for the three counties the Caucasian percentages is 98.7% in Jackson County; 96% in Dubuque County and 99.4% in Delaware County. The picture does notchange, as we look closer at the towns where our centers are located.
The largest minority group in the tri-county is in the City of Dubuque that has 4.2% African American/Black out of the 9.5% listed as one race alone or in combination. Operation: New View client characteristics for the FY 2015 shows the race/ethnicity of people we served were 10,569 white; 1,814 Black/African American; 281 Hispanic/Latino, 55 American Indian or Alaskan Native; 228 Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander; 75 Asian; 523 Multi-Race; 116 Other; and 84 Unknown/Not Reported. As we see the client characteristics change from year to year, it is not of a significant change.
Source: U.S. Census 2016 Projections
County / Town / Population / Race/EthnicityJackson / Maquoketa / 6,141 an increase of 1.01% from the 2013 Census projections / 94 % White
1% Hispanic/Latino
19% 2 or more races
Dubuque / Dubuque / 57,637 a decrease of 1.01% from the 2013 Census projections / 91% White
3% Black/African American
2% Hispanic
1% 2 or more races
>Pacific Islander
Epworth / 2,057 an increase of 1.06% from the 2013 Census projections / 93% White
7% Other
Dyersville / 4,214 an increase of 1.02% from the 2013 Census projections / 99.8% White
.2% Other
Delaware / Earlville / 787 a decrease of 1.03% from the 2013 Census / 98.6% White
1.4% Other
Manchester / 5,179 an increase of 1.01% from the 2013 Census projections / 97% White
3% Other
Jackson County
Jackson County lies to the south of Dubuque County and is made up of small farming communities. Jackson County covers 650 sq. miles, of which 636 sq. miles is dry land and 14 sq. miles is water. The 2016 census has a population estimate of 19,472 of which 47% is urban and 53% is rural. The County Business Patterns Website reports that in 2015 Jackson County had 529 employment establishments employing 4,576 paid employees. The two largest business sectors with the most employees is 30 manufacturing entities with 831 paid employees and 72 Retail businesses employing 885 paid employees. Maquoketa is the largest town and the county seat for Jackson County. The population of 6,141 is up slightly below the 6,062 reported with the 2013 census projections. There are 2,440 individuals in Jackson County considered food insecure plus 880 children food insecure. There is an average monthly participation of 2,324 recipient’s receiving SNAP and 142 average monthly participation of recipients receiving FIP. There are 290 unduplicated annual participation of infants and children receiving WIC and 99 women. Jackson County has 977 students’ eligible free lunches and 175 reduced price lunches. The number of persons 5 years of age and older identified with limited English speaking ability is 409.
The Dollar General Distribution Warehouse is the largest employer for numerous residents along with HUSCO International, which is a world leader in the development and manufacturing of hydraulic and electrohydraulic controls for off-highway uses and Pacific Coast Feather, a leading manufacturer of down synthetic-filled comforters and feather beds. Many other residents operate their family farms. The unemployment rate in Jackson County has declined from 5.3% in January 2017 to 3.5% in August 2017. The race/ethnicity makeup of the community is 94% White. There are 5,900 non-institutionalized civilians living in Maquoketa, of which, 5,226 have health insurance coverage with 3,711 with private coverage; 2,489 with public coverage and 674 individuals with no insurance coverage. The 2015 Fact Finder data reports that of the 1,235 families with a child in their home under 6 years of age there is 870 families where both parents are in the workforce, 24.9% of the residents are living in poverty. The average household income per capita in the past twelve months is $24,988, which is extremely low in comparison to the State of Iowa per capita income of $28,628. Of the 2,807 households in Maquoketa, 327 are living below the 125% federal poverty level. There were 210 households receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and/or cash public assistance income in the past 12 months. During fiscal year 2015, Jackson County received $213,211 (5%) in housing voucher assistance serving 78 households. There is an increase from the $189,378 received in 2013 that assisted 71 households. Jackson County has 9,429 housing units. The City of Maquoketa was given priority and received $545,953 (14%) in housing voucher assistance under their annual contributions contract with the Eastern Iowa Regional Housing Authority, serving 168 households. Public transportation in Jackson County is limited. The Regional Transit Authority (RTA) provides public transportation in and around Jackson County and the City of Maquoketa for a fee.
Delaware County
Delaware County lies to the west of Dubuque County and covers 578 square miles. The county is made up of small rural communities. The entire county has a population of 17,327according to the U.S. Census population projection from 2016. The county is 29% urban and 71% rural. There are 478 business sectors in Delaware County with the 42 manufacturing establishments employing 1,908 employees; 76 construction establishments employing 260 employees; and 58 retail trades employing 673 individuals (16.3%). Some residents travel to Cedar Rapids and Waterloo for their work. Unemployment rates for Delaware County have slightly decreased within the past year. In January 2017, the unemployment rate was 4.4%, as of August 2017 the unemployment rate dropped to 2.4%. The Eastern Iowa Regional Housing Authority (EIRHA) provided 125 Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV) in Delaware County between July1, 2014 and June 30, 2015. The Housing Choice Vouchers assisted families in paying $332,821 towards their rent payments. The number of vouchers decreased from the 128 provided in 2015. There is no public transportation available in Delaware County. The Regional Transit Authority (RTA) provides transportation services to elderly and disabled for appointments throughout the cities located in Delaware County with the cost being $3.00 each way. The number of persons in Delaware County who are food insured is 1,920 or 10.9% of the population. There is 810 children 18years of age and younger who are food insecure. Food insecurity is defined as persons having difficulty at some time providing enough food for all family members. The number of adults diagnosed with obesity is 34% with 11% diagnosed that were also diagnosed with diabetes. The average monthly number of persons enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is 1,367 residences; 186 children were enrolled in WIC and 36.3% of students were enrolled in Free – Reduced school lunch program. Eighty-Eight to 91.5% of adults have a high school diploma; 12.7 – 17.1% have a Bachelor degree or higher; 97.6% of the population speaks English only in the home.
Manchester has two manufacturing industries along with retail stores that employees many of the residents. Manchester, Iowa is similar in demographics to Maquoketa in Jackson County Iowa. The U.S. Census reports that Manchester has a population of 5,179 residents in the 2016 Census projections report. This is an increase of 1.01% since the 2013 Census. Manchester is the county seat of Delaware County. The Race/Ethnicity make-up in this community is 97% white non-Hispanic. Manchester has 1,360 families living in the community, of which 161 families are living below the 125% poverty level. Manchester has 2,136 households of which 411 households have children under six years of age. The median household income in the City of Manchester is $45,616 with 146 households also receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and 66 families are receiving with public assistance dollars. Manchester has 2,338 individuals in the labor force between the ages of 18 to 64 years. There are 2,167 employed with health insurance coverage of which 1,866 with private health insurance and 322 with public health insurance and 88 individuals with no health insurance coverage. There are 83 unemployed individuals of which 33 have private health insurance and 50 have no insurance coverage.
Earlville Iowa is located in Delaware county and lies 11.5 miles east of Manchester. Earlville has a total area of .55 square miles. There is no major industry in the city of Earlville, which leads to many of the residents traveling out of town to work at factories. Earlville has a population of 812 residents, which is a 1.3% increase from the 2013 census. There is 9.6% of the individuals living in Earlville below poverty with 27 families receiving Food Assistance (SNAP) and no families receiving public assistance (TANF/FIP). The median annual income for Earlville is $59,464.00. The Race/Ethnicity in this small town is 98.6% white. Of the 805 Non-institutionalized individuals, living in Earlville 766 have health insurance. Of the 766 people, 649 have private health insurance, 244 have public health insurance and 39 individuals has no health insurance. Earlville has 343 housing units with 235 families living in.
Dubuque County
Dubuque County is the seventh largest County in Iowa with the fastest growing economy out of the 99 counties. The 2016 population estimates of Dubuque County are 97,003, which is a 1.01% decrease from the 2013 Census projections. The employment status for individual over sixteen years of age in the workforce is 52,387 with 52,339 in the civilian labor force; 50,102 employed and 2,237 unemployed and 48 in the Armed Forces. The top three employment sectors in Dubuque County is 144 manufacturing establishments employing 17,460 employees, 442 Retail Trade establishments employing 11,840 employees and 271 Health Care and Social Assistance establishments employing 14,665 employees. The median income in Dubuque County is $54,605. Dubuque ranks 34th on the Forbes list of “Best Small Places for Business and Career.” Dubuque County is 74% urban and 26% rural and includes approximately 608 square miles of both urban and rural areas. There are 21 incorporated communities. When you look at the population for Dubuque County, 11,640 or 12% are living in poverty; 1,013 are children under the age of 5. As of May 2017, Dubuque County had a count of approximately 10,984 residences were receiving Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program services. The average monthly participation of families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is l,057. Of the 94,656-noninstitutionalized population, Dubuque County has 89,563 with health insurance coverage of which 76,037 have private health insurance; 27,733 with public health insurance and 5,093 with no health insurance coverage. Of the 22,175-noninstitutionalized population under 18 years of age, 630 have no health insurance coverage. When you look at the population for Dubuque County, 11,640 or 12% are living in poverty; 1,013 are children under the age of 5. As of May 2017, Dubuque County had a count of approximately 10,984 residences were receiving Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program services. The average monthly participation of families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is l,057. The WIC program served 2,195 children birth to five in 2016. There were 4,837 students eligible for the Free-Reduced School Lunch program during the 2015 – 2016 school year. Of the 9,942 men and women between the ages of 18 – 24 years of age, 609 had less than a high school diploma; 2,309 a high school diploma (includes equivalency); 5,875 had some college or associates degree; and 1,060 have a bachelor degree or higher. The population of children over the age of 5 with limited English speaking ability is 871 – 1,261 children. There is 11,570 of the total population in Dubuque County that are food insecure. Twenty-nine percent of the adult population are diagnosed as obese and 10% are diabetic. Housing vouchers for Dubuque County increased from $565,671 (16%) serving 158 low-income families and elderly/disabled by providing rental assistance to $601,817 (15%) with 169 housing vouchers. Transportation is available through RTA to and from the City of Dubuque to Dyersville in Dubuque County.
In the County itself, there are two cities that house Head Start classrooms, Dyersville and Epworth. Dyersville has a population of 4,214 as of the 2015 census projection. This is a 1.02% increase in population since the 2013 census. The Race/Ethnicity make-up is 97% White Non-Hispanic. The total number of families in Dyersville is 1,145 with 9.7% living in poverty and 83 or 4.7% receiving SNAP benefits. Dyersville has 4,167 non-institutionalized civilians of which 4,120 have health insurance coverage. The individuals with private coverage is 3,721; 1,072 individuals are covered through public coverage and 47 individuals have no health insurance coverage. There are 5.8% of the 1,145 households living below the federal poverty level, of which 11.5% of those are with children under the age of 5. The median household income of families living in Dyersville is $49,392.