HEAD START®

Planning for Transitions

Training Guides for the Head Start Learning Community

Table of Contents | Preface | Introduction | Module 1 | Module 2 | Module 3 | Module 4 | Continuing Professional Development | Informational Resources Section

MODULE 3: Making Connections With Other Programs

Outcomes | Key Concepts | Background Information | Activity 1 | Activity 2 | Activity 3 | Activity 4 Activity 5 | Activity 6 | Next Steps
Download these pdf attachments: Handout 15 | Handout 16 | Handout 17 | Handout 18 | Handout 19

Outcomes

As a result of completing this module, participants will be able to:

• Assess joint transition practices, the relationships among staff in different programs, and the role of each program in planning and implementing initiatives

• Build relationships between sending and receiving program staff by exchanging information about program-specific terms, program policies, transition practices, and goals

• Establish common goals and share with key partners the responsibility for planning and implementing joint transition efforts

Key Concepts

• Staff can develop effective strategies for coordinating transitions by assessing program connections, including their relationships with staff from other programs.

• When partners are familiar with each others' terminology, policies, practices, and regulations and when they can agree on goals, they reduce misunderstandings, enhance communication, and plan more efficiently.

• Coordinated transition planning based on common goals and shared responsibility ensures that children and families receive support from both senders and receivers throughout the transition process.

Background Information

In the same way that individual transition planning creates positive outcomes for children like Maria and Marcus, joint transition planning creates positive outcomes for each program involved. Program staff gain a broader understanding of the issues children and families face as they move between settings. Joint planning helps staff develop ongoing efforts within their programs to address these issues, thereby increasing the overall quality of the program. In addition, joint planning ensures that resources are pooled and programs are not duplicating efforts.

Supporting Children and Families

Coordinated transition efforts are easier to plan when staff have developed an understanding about each other's programs and strategies for communicating with each other. Staff from both sending and receiving programs work as a team coordinating transition efforts such as health fairs, summer learning packets, multi-age classroom activities, and systems to track children's progress. Through strong program connections and regular contact, these staff establish continuity for children and families. Then, when it is time to meet for individual transition planning, staff have already laid the foundation for effective transitions between their programs.

In the case of Maria, the Head Start program is located in the elementary school building. The Head Start and kindergarten teachers conduct joint classroom activities on a regular basis. For Maria and her peers, familiarity with the environment eases transitions. The Head Start children become accustomed to the next classroom, hear about the class from older peers, and learn the routines before they move to the next class. In addition, the children establish a relationship with the kindergarten teacher before they leave Head Start.

In some instances, although programs may be located many miles from each other, they still have similar philosophies and regularly share information about their daily activities and special events. These connections help staff provide support to families during transitions. For example, staff from an Even Start Program and a Head Start Program may discover at a statewide conference that they have similar philosophies. Although they are not located near each other they can keep in contact by exchanging newsletters and regularly engaging in phone conversations. Then, when families move between settings, sending staff can point out the activities and services that will continue or help the family make a personal contact with staff in the receiving program.

Some programs do not have strong connections with other programs. The programs may be isolated by distance, philosophy, and even language. Jargon, or acronyms and other program-specific terminology, makes communication difficult. Planning transitions can be very frustrating for both staff and families without these connections. Transition planning meetings may be ineffective because of poor communication among programs. Parents may have difficulty obtaining necessary forms because of insufficient coordination among programs. Neither staff nor parents have accurate information to share with the child, and as a result, the transition is difficult.

Beginning Connections

Beginning program connections arise from the initiative of an individual or the need of a small group working on a short-term project. These connections are not reliable from year to year. However, they provide a starting point for establishing stronger connections. For example, a staff member who has taken responsibility for organizing an informal idea exchange with her counterpart in another program creates a link between programs. This link might be broken if she leaves the program. However, connections can be strengthened by sharing ideas program-wide.

Established Connections

Regular participation of partners in planning meetings and annual joint initiatives such as health fairs and joint training indicates established connections. These established connections increase the effectiveness of coordinated efforts. When planning teams meet regularly to review their progress, issues in implementation can be discussed and new strategies developed. For example, individualized transition conferences might be ineffective because staff do not have adequate planning time for the conferences. The team can ensure that planning time is available by developing an administrative policy stating staff can use substitutes to prepare for transition conferences.

Institutionalized Connections

As staff formalize established connections they become institutionalized. Formal agreements, administrative policies, and funding provide structural supports enabling programs to pool resources and develop collaborative initiatives. These strong connections offer models for building other program connections.

Making Connections

Many steps can be taken to make connections with early childhood programs. Through informal telephone conversations and formally scheduled meetings, staff can discuss transition policies and administrative practices. Joint training and discussion groups provide staff and parents with opportunities to share experiences and discuss educational philosophies, services, and issues. By visiting other programs and participating in their events, staff observe important setting characteristics such as class size, curriculum content, discipline practices, available services, and parent involvement practices. Even when direct visitation is difficult, staff can gain insight into how other programs work by sharing newsletters.

Partnerships

Once staff from different programs have learned about each other's program policies and current transition practices, they can identify common concerns and goals. When they establish mutual goals and implement the steps needed to achieve these goals, programs form a partnership. As partners, they share responsibility for developing, implementing, and reviewing their joint transition plan. It takes strong connections, commitment, and time to achieve long-term goals. However, with more coordination there are better transition outcomes.

Crossroads

At the end of each workshop and coaching activity in this document, participants reach a Crossroads. There they are asked to decide how they will extend the training experience using the activity's information and resources. The trainer asks participants to organize their materials in a Planning Folder and record their ideas on their Personal Planning Log. To prepare for the Crossroads refer to Trainer/Coach Preparation Notes on page 4 of the Introduction.

Activity 3-1: Program Linkages

Purpose: In this activity, participants will assess joint transition practices and develop strategies for strengthening their connections with other programs by improving these practices.

Materials:
Handouts 15 and 16
Planning Folder, Personal Planning Log (Introduction)

Discuss Joint Practices

1. In the first coaching session, use Handout 15: Joint Transition Practices as a guide to discuss the joint transition practices that staff have initiated and the strategies used to involve various partners.

Identify Successful Strategies

2. Ask staff to focus on one program that they have worked with successfully. Discuss the strategies they used to implement each joint transition practice with this program and suggest that they list them in the right-hand column of the handout.

Review Strategies

3. Use the Background Information to explain the kinds of connections that can be developed among programs. Then review the strategies listed on Handout 15: Joint Transition Practices to help staff determine if the connections between these two programs are beginning, established, or institutionalized connections.

Illustrate Connections

4. Have staff label one building on Handout 16: Mapping Connections with their program name and another building with the name of the program identified on Handout 15. For each joint practice, have them use the legend to draw one line connecting the buildings.

Assess Second Program

5. Ask staff to choose another early childhood program with whom they have a connection. Have them write this program name under the third building on Handout 16: Mapping Connections. Give staff a clean copy of Handout 15: Joint Transition Practices and have them use the two handouts to assess and map these program connections.

Compare Assessments

6. Discuss and compare the connections staff have with the two different programs. Explain that strategies that work with one program may not work with another because of the connections that exist. Use the Background Information to help participants identify strategies they could use to strengthen their current connections.

Crossroads

Ask staff to choose one connection that they want to strengthen or build with each program. Have them write their goals on their Personal Planning Log. Suggest that staff keep the handouts in their Planning Folder and use them to record new practices and stronger connections as they are developed.

Activity 3-2: Beyond Jargon

Purpose: In this activity, participants will work with key partners to Beyond Jargon develop strategies for effectively communicating with each other.

Materials:
Handouts 17 and 18
Planning Folder, Personal Planning Log (Introduction)
Newsprint, markers

Read Script One

1. Have three volunteers read Script One from Handout 17: Clarifying Jargon. Ask participants to identify the volunteers' roles and the type of information each could share. List these answers on newsprint.

Read Script Two

2. Ask the volunteers to read Script Two of Handout 17: Clarifying Jargon. Then ask for new ideas about the roles of each volunteer and the information each could share. List these answers on newsprint.

Compare Scripts

3. Discuss how participants' perceptions changed when the same information from Script One was communicated differently in Script Two. Distribute the handout and make these points:

• The role of each volunteer in Script One was only defined by a title; in Script Two, it was defined by a task.

• The type of information each participant offers to share in Script One is referred to by a name; in Script Two, more information is offered to define the name.

Define Jargon

4. Explain that the words in bold are jargon or terms that are specific to the program or family in the script. Make the following points:

• Staff and family members within a program or family understand each other when they use jargon.

• When staff and families meet with people from other programs jargon interferes with communication.

Develop Clear Definitions

5. Have participants form small jargon-busting teams. Distribute Handout 18: Pocket Dictionary and have each team identify five words or acronyms from each of their programs and work together to develop a jargon-free definition for each term.

Share Definitions

6. Reconvene the entire group and ask the teams to share their definitions. Explain that as each definition is read, participants will make a BZZZZ sound when they hear an unfamiliar word. Challenge the teams to continually revise their definitions until the buzzing stops and everyone understands the meaning of the program terms.

List Communication Strategies

7. Refer participants to Handout 17: Clarifying Jargon. Have each participant review Script Two and identify additional strategies that are used to improve communication. Have them share their own strategies and brainstorm new ones. List all strategies on newsprint.

Summarize

8. Review the strategy list and add the following items if they have not been included:

• Set ground rules such as no acronyms will be used in meetings.

• Request a clarification or rephrase what you hear when unfamiliar terms are used.

• Ask parents in your program and staff from other programs to review your materials and point out any terms that are unclear.

• Hold a staff meeting to evaluate your own language and work together to redefine terms so that they can be easily understood.

Crossroads

Suggest that participants put Handout 18: Pocket Dictionary in their Planning Folder and record in their Personal Planning Log how they will use it for transition planning.

Activity 3-3: Coordinating Efforts

Purpose: In this activity, participants will exchange information about their program practices, policies, and procedures and informally assess joint practices.

Materials: Handouts 2 (Module 1) and 19,
Overhead of Handout 19 or newsprint and markers,
Overhead projector (optional)
Planning Folder, Personal Planning Log (Introduction)
Notepaper

Welcome Participants

1. Welcome all participants and ask them to introduce themselves, sharing their names, titles, and programs. Point out that the workshop will help participants get to know staff from other programs, learn about each other's programs, and begin working together on transition issues.

Complete Questionnaire

2. Ask a representative from one program to distribute her materials and give an overview of her program. Using an overhead of Handout 19: Learning about Other Programs, ask all those present from the program to help answer the questions. Repeat the process for each program represented in the workshop. Then make these points:

• Many issues impact the transitions of children and families among community programs.

• Program staff who are familiar with each other's programs, policies, and transition practices can begin working together to identify and address transition issues.

Discuss Current Practices

3. Have participants form four small teams and be sure to include representatives from different programs on each team. Assign one of the following categories to each team: coordination of health and social services, transfer of records, continuity of curriculum, and staff development. Ask the members to discuss the following questions and record their thoughts on notepaper:

• How does this issue affect the transitions among programs in your community?

• What efforts have been made to address this issue in your programs and in your community?

• How have these program and community efforts impacted families and children in transition?

Review the Planning Framework

4. Ask the teams to share the information they gathered with the whole group. Then distribute Handout 2: Transition Planning Framework from Module 1. Point out that the questions each group answered for Step 3 are used to assess transition practices. Ask:

• What other strategies from the framework might have helped your group assess current practices?

• What additional kinds of information did you learn about other programs by participating in this discussion?

Summarize

5. Use the Background Information to explain the benefits of strong connections among programs. Explain how exchanging information about program policies, practices, and procedures provides a beginning connection among programs. Point out that developing established connections requires ongoing efforts such as maintaining regular communication and planning joint transition practices.

Crossroads

Suggest that participants review the information about other programs. Have them write down any new questions they have about the program or record additional information they can share with others in that program. Ask them to put the program materials in their Planning Folder and use their Personal Planning Log to record how they can exchange this information with parents and others in their program.

Activity 3-4: Agreeing on Goals and Action

Purpose: In this activity, participants will learn to work with others to define transition goals and develop steps for achieving these goals.

Materials:
Handout 2 (Module 1)
Program Profiles (Informational Resources)
Hands-on Tools: Joint Transition Practices (Informational Resources)
Hands-on Tools: Action Plan Outline (Informational Resources)
Planning Folder, Personal Planning Log (Introduction)

Discuss Transition Goals

1. Point out that when developing joint transition plans, people must appreciate the perspectives of others and identify common goals. Have participants separate into small teams. Provide teams with Program Profiles from the Informational Resources section to review the goals of these programs. Then have team members discuss their personal and program transition goals.

Agree on a Long-Term Goal

2. Have teams draft a long-term transition goal that incorporates the perspective of each team member. Once the teams have decided on a goal, explain and demonstrate the fist-to-five system. Ask the teams to use the system to determine how strongly members agree with the goal and to refine their statements to increase the level of agreement among members. Help any teams that are having difficulty.

Discuss Ongoing Team Process

3. Point out to all the participants that for teams to develop truly comprehensive goals, they need to assess all the issues that are concerning members. Then they need to identify the overriding issues and concerns and use these concerns as the basis for goal setting. Suggest that teams who are interested can continue working on their goals outside the training session.

Develop Action Plan

4. Provide teams with Handout 2: Transition Planning Framework and point out that once teams identify goals, the next step is to define action steps. Distribute Hands-on Tools: Joint Transition Practices and the Action Plan Outline from the Informational Resources section. Ask the teams to use the resources to help them brainstorm strategies, develop a timeline for meeting their stated goal, and assign tasks to team members.

Review Planning Process

5. Ask each team to share their goals. Then have each team member with an assigned task explain his or her responsibility to the entire group. Once all groups have shared their plans, review the important concepts of joint planning:

• Joint planning works best when systems exist to ensure that everyone participates in the decision making process and shares responsibility for implementing the plan.

• Planning tools help people organize the planning process.

• As action steps and timelines are being developed, planners must decide how they will keep track of their progress and review the results of their efforts.

Crossroads

Have participants review the resources provided. Suggest that they put the materials in their Planning Folder and use their Personal Planning Log to record the action steps they will be responsible for implementing.

Activity 3-5: Benchmarking

Purpose: In this activity, staff will use successful strategies from other Benchmarking programs to improve coordination with key partners.

Materials:
Program Profiles (Informational Resources)
Hands-on Tools: Joint Transition Practices: Benchmarking (Informational Resources)
Hands-on Tools: Action Plan Outline (Informational Resources)
Planning Folder, Personal Planning Log (Introduction)

Discuss Personal Goals

1. During the first coaching session discuss any difficulties that staff have encountered in planning transitions with key partners. Refer to the Program Profiles from the Informational Resources section and explain that many programs have developed promising practices they might adapt.

Research Promising Practices

2. To prepare for the second coaching session, ask staff to research community programs. Explain that the purpose of this exercise is to identify community programs that have promising practices that staff would like to adapt. Suggest that participants:

• Call the president of the state Head Start Association or other community leaders who have contact with various programs.

• Review literature from other programs.

• Ask the program director and other staff about possible contacts.

Identify Programs to Visit or Call

3. At the second coaching session, find out what programs interest staff. Explain that benchmarking is one way for them to learn from their peers in the community. Review the guidelines in Hands-on Tools: Joint Transition Practices: Benchmarking from the Informational Resources section. Help staff prepare questions such as:

• How did you initiate the transition practices you now use and what first steps would you recommend for our program?

• What specific planning tools were useful?

• How have you overcome obstacles?

Use Resources for Benchmarking

4. Have staff follow the guidelines in Hands-on Tools: Joint Transition Practices: Benchmarking to plan and conduct a visit to another program.

Adapt Promising Practices

5. In the final coaching session, discuss the information that staff collected through benchmarking and find out what practices they would like to implement in their own program. Provide them with Hands-on Tools: Action Plan Outline from the Informational Resources section and help them brainstorm action steps to initiate.

Crossroads

Help staff identify those who can help implement these practices. Have them use their Personal Planning Log to record steps for involving these partners. Suggest that they keep their handouts in their Planning Folder.

Next Steps: Ideas to Extend Practice

Next Steps: The following activities can help participants review key information, Ideas to Extend practice skills, and assess their understanding of the concepts in this Practice module:

• Invite several staff members from another program to meet your staff and observe your program. Explain to staff that the goals of the visit are to become better acquainted with their counterparts in other programs and to help key partners learn about your program. Provide each person with Handout 19: Learning about Other Programs and explain that visiting staff may ask many of these questions. Explain that they can use the handout to record what they learn during the visits, too. After the visits, meet with staff to discuss what they have learned and what else they can do to strengthen relationships. Discuss the possibility of sending a team to visit the other program.

• Ask participants to coordinate with staff from other programs and use Hands-on Tools: Joint Transition Practices: School Readiness Fair from the Informational Resources section as a guide to plan a school readiness fair. Ask them to research any fairs that have been held and to contact those who planned the fair. For more guidance, order a copy of Building Bridges with Your Community: How to Conduct a School Readiness Fair for Families and Children under Five, by calling the Ready At Five Partnership at 1-410-726-6290.

• Record a staff meeting on audio or videotape. Then distribute Handout 18: Pocket Dictionary to those who attended the meeting. Explain that jargon is understood by program staff but it is unclear to others outside the program. Play the recording of the staff meeting and have staff use the handout to write down any jargon they hear. Work together to develop clear definitions of these terms. For the next few weeks, have each staff member record additional jargon used in the daily program. Meet again to consolidate the list of terms and definitions that can be shared with parents and staff from other programs.