ARP – ESSER III Funding Allocations
Acceptance or Relinquishment
ARP – ESSER III Supplemental Funding Allocation:
Allocation:$30,000
Narrative and GEPA Statement
Narrative
How will the LEA ensure that the interventions it implements, including but not limited to the interventions under section 2001(e)(1) of the ARP Act to address the academic impact of lost instructional time, will respond to the academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs of all students, and particularly those students disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including students from low-income families, students of color, English learners, children with disabilities, students experiencing homelessness, children and youth in foster care, and migratory students?
Sewall has analyzed the data provided by the assessment measures used with the entire Sewall population of children. These measures include TS Gold and Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA) Data. Further, Sewall closely monitors IEP goals and progress for the children who are receiving special education services. The data has shown that all children have experienced an increased need for social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health support. The Data has been disaggregated for the groups listed in this question. The TS Gold Data from 2021-2022 indicates that, in Fall, 2021 52% of 3 year old children were below average in their social and emotional development. Also in Fall, 2021, 71% of 4 year old children were below average in their social and emotional development. By Spring, 2022, only 20% of 3 year old children and 42% of 4 year old children were below average in their social emotional development. Further, the IEP Data has shown that children with special needs and especially those with medical needs have experienced greater declines in their social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs due to the need for these children to remain home to avoid illness during the pandemic. Sewall’s enrollment for children with special needs has been down by 25-30% over the past 2 1/2 years. When these children are able to return to the classroom, the lack of child interactions and peer and teacher relationships is evident in their social and emotional development. In selecting our interventions, we focused on research-based approaches to address the greater need for social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health classroom and individual support. Social Workers will consult with classroom teachers and support individual children using tools such as the Pyramid Plus approach, Conscious Discipline and the DECA intervention program. Further, the Social Workers and the Sewall leadership team will support the staff’s health and mental health by offering a comprehensive Wellness program. The goals of the Wellness program are to support the staff’s needs and to ensure their mental health is robust because the teachers will then be able to whole-heartily support children in their social and emotional development. The staff time for these interventions is detailed in the budget. Sewall will be conducting progress monitoring through the review of the quarterly TS Gold data and IEP progress reports in order to ensure that interventions are addressing the identified children’s academic, social, and behavioral needs.
GEPA Statement
Overview
The following describes the steps the LEA will take to permit students, teachers, and other program beneficiaries to overcome barriers that impede equal access to, or participation in, programs funded with ARP ESSER III Funds.Use the narrative box provided to describe the steps the LEA will take to permit students, teachers, and other program beneficiaries to overcome barriers:
Sewall Child Development Center’s mission is based on the belief that inclusive cultures in schools transforms communities. The Sewall mission is to provide inclusive and joyful learning environments using the power of partnerships, diversity and belonging to enrich the social and academic growth of every child and family. Our promise is to work together to help each and every child reach their fullest potential. To ensure equity to access for Denver children and families, Sewall has inclusive preschool programs in seven unique Denver neighborhoods. In these neighborhood centers, Sewall staff are representative of the local community. Further, the Sewall staff participate in, at a minimum, yearly equity and diversity training which includes exploring individual biases. And Anti-Biased curriculum is used with the children and families. Also, efforts include teacher recruitment and retention plans, concentrated family outreach and recruitment in neighborhoods that have shown decreased enrollment and inconsistent attendance, culturally rich interventions, and the implementation of a staff wellness program. Barriers anticipated for recruiting and retaining teachers include the ability to ensure that the compensation is comparable to Denver schools and similar agencies within Denver county. Recently, Sewall was able to raise teacher salaries however as a not for profit mid-sized agency it is difficult to match what school districts and larger agencies are able to offer staff. Sewall continues to raise funds yearly through grants and fundraising efforts. Recruiting enough staff to be able to open all Sewall centers and classrooms continues to be extremely difficult even though Sewall has implemented several new recruitment strategies and strengthened collaborative community relationships to assist with identifying potential candidates. Sewall continues to raise funds yearly through grants and fundraising efforts. As well as, the Sewall leadership team will continue to work with the Board of Directors to identify methods for ensuring Sewall’s teacher salaries are competitive within the Denver market and creative recruitment strategies are implemented ongoing. Implementing a thorough staff wellness program has also been impeded by limited funds. To overcome this barrier, Sewall has created collaborative relationships with Caring Ambassadors and with community mental health providers to provide training, education, greater community support and mental health therapy for staff.
ARP – ESSER III Fund Supplemental Budget
Budget Summary
Budget Program Totals
Instructional Program (0010-2000)
| Object Codes | Supplemental ARP ESSER III(4418) | Supplemental ARP ESSER III LearningLoss Set Aside (9418) | Total |
| 0100 Salaries | $29,680.00 | $0.00 | $29,680.00 |
| 0200 Employee Benefits | $320.00 | $0.00 | $320.00 |
| Budget Program Total: | $30,000.00 | ||
Allowable Activity Totals
| Activity | SupplementalARP ESSER III(4418) | Supplemental ARP ESSER III LearningLoss Set Aside (9418) | Total |
| Mental health services | $24,000.00 | $0.00 | $24,000.00 |
| Summer learning | $6,000.00 | $0.00 | $6,000.00 |
ARP – ESSER III Supplemental Budget Totals
| Supplemental Allocation: | $30,000.00 |
| Supplemental Budgeted Amount: | $30,000.00 |