HEAD START SERVICE AREA PLAN

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

PERFORMANCE STANDARD OBJECTIVE / ACTION / STAFF RESPONSIBLE / EVALUATION & DOCUMENTATION / TIME FRAME
1304.41 (a)(1)
(1) Grantees must take an active role in community planning to encourage strong communication, cooperation, and the sharing of information among agencies and their community partners and to improve the delivery of community services to children and families in accordance with the agency's confidentiality policies. Documentation must be maintained to reflect the level of effort undertaken to establish community partnerships / Collaborate and coordinate with other family service planners and providers to ensure a community wide comprehensive system of family-centered services. / HS Director,
Designated staff,
Interested parents or family members / Meeting minutes Agendas
Committee Rosters / On-going
Participate in a variety of community and agency planning meetings that impact Early/Head Start children and families.
Develop interagency agreements with agencies that serve Early/Head Start children and families. / HS Director or designee / Interagency agreements
Share information with other agencies in accordance with program confidentiality policies. / Management staff,
Teaching staff,
Family Advocates and
Home Visitors / ECS Confidentiality policy
ATCAA's Code of Confidentiality and Ethics policy
1304.41 (a)(2)
(2) Grantee and delegate agencies must take affirmative steps to establish ongoing collaborative relationships with community organizations to promote the access of children and families to community services that are responsive to their needs, and to ensure that Early Head Start and Head Start programs respond to community needs, including:
(i) Health care providers, such as clinics, physicians, dentists, and other health professionals; (ii) Mental health providers; (iii) Nutritional service providers; (iv) Individuals and agencies that provide services to children with disabilities and their families; (v) Family preservation and support services; (vi) Child protective services and any other agency to which child abuse must be reported; (vii) Local elementary schools and other educational and cultural institutions, such as libraries and museums, for both children and families. (vii) Provider of child care services; and (ix) Any other organizations or businesses that may provide support and resources to families. / Early Head Start/Head Start staff will serve on community agency boards and councils. / HS Director and designated staff / Membership rosters and meeting sign-in sheet / On-going
Invite community agencies to designate members to participate in Early Head Start/Head Start planning sessions and serve on Early Head Start/Head Start councils and committees.
Invite mental health and health professionals and community volunteers to participate in the Health Advisory Boards (HAB) in each county. / Health Services Manager / HAB minutes and meeting sign-in sheets / Fall and Spring
Present Annual report at community events including School Board meetings. / HS Director, / Meeting Agendas and minutes / On-going
Attend First 5 meetings in both counties
Join Prevent Child Abuse Councils
Join Local Childcare Planning Councils / Service Area Managers and designated staff
1304.41 (a)(3)
(3) Grantees must perform outreach to encourage volunteers from the community to participate in Early Head Start and Head Start programs. / Use social media, web sites, presentations, flyers and other methods to let the community know about the importance of community participation in Head Start / HS Director,
Family Engagement & Services Manager and designated staff / Documentation from media sources,
Parent Policy Council roster, agendas and minutes / On-going
Make personal contact with elementary school personnel, child care agencies, libraries and other educational institutions to invite their participation on the Parent Policy Council, per by-laws. / Parent Policy Council roster, By-laws, agendas and minutes,
In-kind documentation
Recruit volunteers from the community, including college students, service organizations, etc. / In-kind documentation
1304.41 (a)(4)
(4) To enable the effective participation of children with disabilities and their families, grantee and delegate agencies must make specific efforts to develop interagency agreements with local education agencies (LEAs) and other agencies within the grantee and delegate agency's service area. / Review and update MOU’s with SELPA and other agencies serving children with disabilities (See Disabilities Services Area Plan) / HS Director,
Disabilities Manager / Interagency agreements / On-going
Develop interagency agreements with the special education offices of Amador Office of Education and Tuolumne Superintendent of Schools for service coordination for children with disabilities. / Disabilities Manager / Annually
1304.41 (b)
(b) Advisory committees.
Each grantee directly operating an Early Head Start or Head Start program, and each delegate agency, must establish and maintain a Health Services Advisory Committee which includes Head Start parents, professionals, and other volunteers from the community. Grantee and delegate agencies also must establish and maintain such other service advisory committees as they deem appropriate to address program service issues such as community partnerships and to help agencies respond to community needs. / Establish Health Advisory Committees in both counties per 1304.41(a)(2)(i)above. / Health Services Manager / HAB meeting agendas and minutes / Fall and spring
Hold meetings annually, and as needed, to address unmet service needs, service delivery, problems/improvements, new regulations, trends, and needs of Head Start children and families. / HS Director,
Service Area Managers / Policies and procedures on Matowih / Annually
and as needed
1304.41 (c)(1)
(1) Grantee and delegate agencies must establish and maintain procedures to support successful transitions for enrolled children and families from previous child care programs into Early Head Start or Head Start and from Head Start into elementary school, a Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act preschool program, or other child care settings. These procedures must include: / Develop and implement procedures to provide transition services for children transitioning into Early Head Start or Head Start from previous child care, from Early Head Start into Head Start, and from Head Start into kindergarten. / Education Manager, Teachers and
Home Visitors / Policies and procedures on Matowih / On-going
1304.41 (c)(1)(i) (i) Coordinating with the schools or other agencies to ensure that individual Early Head Start or Head Start children's relevant records are transferred to the school or next placement in which a child will enroll or from earlier placements to Early Head Start or Head Start; / With parent input, develop transition plans for each child. Parents, EHS/HS staff, and school staff will agree on the records needed for transfer. / LCTs
Home Visitors / Progress notes
Individual transition plans / On-going
1304.41 (c)(1)(ii) (ii) Outreach to encourage communication between Early Head Start or Head Start staff and their counterparts in the schools and other child care settings including principals, teachers, social workers and health staff to facilitate continuity of programming; / Make contact with appropriate staff members in schools and other child care settings to facilitate communication between Early Head Start/Head Start staff, parents, and personnel at the child’s next placement. / LCTs
Home Visitors / Progress notes
Individual transition plans / On-going
1304.41(c)(1)(iii) (iii) Initiating meetings involving Head Start teachers and parents and kindergarten or elementary school teachers to discuss the developmental progress and abilities of individual children; and / Make contact with Principals and kindergarten teachers to set up initial transition meetings in order to develop plans of action. / Teachers
Home Visitors
1304.41(c)(1)(iv) (iv) Initiating joint transition-related training for Early Head Start or Head Start staff and school or other child development staff. / Attend transition-related training sessions with kindergarten teachers. / Teachers
Home Visitors / Meeting materials and handouts / Annually
1304.41 (c)(2)
(2) To ensure the most appropriate placement and services following participation in Early Head Start, transition planning must be undertaken for each child and family at least six months prior to the child's third birthday. The process must take into account: The child's health status and developmental level, progress made by the child and family while in Early Head Start, current and changing family circumstances, and the availability of Head Start and other child development or child care services in the community. As appropriate, a child may remain in Early Head Start, following his or her third birthday, for additional months until he or she can transition into Head Start or another program. / With parent participation, develop an individual transition plan for each child transitioning from Early Head Start to another setting. The plan must address each element listed in 1304.41(c)(2) (shown here in bold text). / Teachers
Home Visitors / Individual transition plans / On-going (six months prior to child’s third birthday)
1304.41 (c)(3)
(3) See 45 CFR 1304.40(h) for additional requirements related to parental participation in their child's transition to and from Early Head Start or Head Start. / See Family Partnerships Service Area Plan 1304.40 (h)(1-4) / Family Advocates
Teaching Staff
Home Visitors
Service Area Managers / Policies and procedures on Matowih
Computer database
Meeting agendas and minutes / Ongoing

PPC Approved 05-20-11

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PPC Approved 01/16/2009