Description of Program Activities

The Vogel Alcove is a quality childcare center serving over 450 infants, toddlers and pre-school children annually. All services are provided free of charge and without regard to ethnicity, race, and religion or national origin. Twenty affiliated homeless programs refer families, including domestic violence shelters, homeless shelters and transitional housing programs in the Dallas area.

To address the unique needs of homeless families with children, the Alcove has designed and implemented a comprehensive program, which includes three main service components – Child Development, Social Services, and Medical/Preventive Health Care.

The Child Development/Early Education program is composed of:

• Basic physical needs met (nutritious food, clothing and other necessities)
• A high staff-to-child ratio which far exceeds state requirements
• Qualified and experienced teaching staff
• A developmentally appropriate and culturally sensitive curriculum
• An environment which is “child-centered”
• Active involvement of parents

The Social Services program consists of:

• Developmental screening and referral to outside resources for medical, psychological or educational services as needed
• Play Therapy, speech therapy and other developmental services
• Psychotherapy for parents by Masters level Social Workers, including marital and family therapy
• Parent education/support programs
• Case Management and follow-up upon re-entry into the community

The Health Services component is composed of:

• Primary health care includes well child check-ups, immunizations, vision and hearing checks and treatment of chronic and acute illnesses provided by the Homeless Outreach Medical Services Mobile Van (HOMES) of Parkland Hospital.
• In addition, a pediatric nurse is available for two hours each morning to check for illness and to educate and consult with parents as needed.

The Alcove operates weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. year round. All child development lead teachers and three of the assistant teachers at the Alcove have Child Development Associate certificates, with an average of 10 years experience. All staff members receive at least 15 hours of continuing education annually. Additionally, the teachers and assistants are certified in infant/child CPR and receive training in the special needs of homeless children.