The Escambia Children’s Trust staff has delivered to the Board of County Commissioners its annual report for 2022.
The annual report must include the following:
A) Information on the effectiveness of activities, services, and programs offered by the council, including cost-effectiveness.
Staff chose to include – not sure the following items fit this category:
Hired executive director Tammy Greer and four other employees as of November 2022.
Rented office space from Pensacola State College for about $5300 annually.
Published a comprehensive Needs Assessment that was created by staff.
Expanded on 2021 work to develop an initial one-year strategic plan
Bought four computer systems: SAMIS – client management system and grant application portal; MIP– accounting software with greater internal controls for fund accounting; OneMeeting – portal for access to Board meetings and agenda documents; and OneRequest – online repository for public records. Implementation is still in progress.
These are activities, services, and programs offered by the providers, not sure these should be listed as council activities. Probably should be under E):
Approved funds for two summer bridge programs to prepare children for kindergarten:
Not mentioned in this section – Potential Preschool Academy $40,000 – The church proposed to enroll 25 additional students in its preschool program. The original request was for $132,489 and included $93,796 for two 15-passenger vans. The grants committee deleted the vehicles from the proposal; ReadyKids! FL $27,700 – For three workshops for a minimum of 60 children and a maximum of 150.
Cost-effectiveness? Potential Preschool Academy grant was never issued. ReadyKids! FL only worked with 19 children set to enter kindergarten in August.
Out-of-School-Time RFP has been returned to Grants Review Committee because of inconsistencies in the process. No mention of difficulties made in the report.
Four agencies were funded through non-competitive procurement:
Children’s Home Society $77,658 to match other funding to implement a Community School model including a health clinic at Pine Forest High School; Community Health of Northwest Florida $72,837 for dental services/dental van equipment to serve children with little or no access to dental care; Early Learning Coalition of Escambia County $238,875 to match School Readiness funding from the state; and Legal Services of North Florida $617,034 to provide representation to children in the dependency system and children with disabilities who need educational advocacy.
Cost-effectiveness? Staff provided little data.
What else could have been mentioned: The RFP awarded for $51,580 for a Family Resource Guide
B) A detailed anticipated budget for continuation of activities, services, and programs offered by the council, and a list of all sources of requested funding, both public and private.
Budget provided.
C) Procedures used for early identification of at-risk children who need additional or continued services and methods for ensuring that the additional or continued services are received.
No procedures, target areas or “best practices” provided. The Needs Assessment fails to list neighborhoods and school zones to be targeted.
D) A description of the degree to which the council’s objectives and activities are consistent with the goals of this section.
Though staff says the Trust is dedicated to investing in children’s services that are based on evidence, proposers haven’t been required to provide evidence their services are effective.
E) Detailed information on the various programs, services, and activities available to participants and the degree to which the programs, services, and activities have been successfully used by children.
Staff overstates result ReadyKids! FL by including parents and siblings, even though they were part of the measurable outcomes in the proposal. No analysis is provided as to why program failed. Potential Preschool Academy isn’t mentioned. No information is provided on why the grant wasn’t issued.
The Early Learning Coalition contract began in October, and they have provided services to 90 children using Trust funding – Is that a good or bad outcome? Is this a success?
The Children’s Home Society and Community Health of Northwest Florida are in the process of procuring equipment and/or hiring staff to implement their projects. The Pine Forest clinic opens this week. The dental van is wanting on new chairs, but CHWF has started serving middle schools (Not in report but based on my conversations)
The Trust is currently in the process of negotiating its contract with Legal Services of North Florida for services to begin in early 2023.
F) Information on programs, services, and activities that should be eliminated; programs, services, and activities that should be continued; and programs, services, and activities that should be added to the basic format of the children’s services council.
Staff says everything is fine.
However, the report should have mentioned the Public Education& Outreach RFP that was awarded to a group headed by the Studer Community Institute. SCI later withdrew its proposal before the contract was drawn.