Head Start Self-Assessment: Your Foundation for Building Program Excellence

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Program Self-Assessment Booklet 15

Family and Community Partnerships: Community and Child Care Partnerships

Core Question to be answered by Self-Assessment team:

How does the grantee take an active role in community planning and advocacy to improve the delivery of services to children and families? Is this program engaged in effective child care partnerships?

Purpose:

The objective is to ensure that programs collaborate with partners in their communities in order to provide the highest level of services to children and families, to foster a continuum of family centered services and to advocate for a community that shares responsibility for the healthy development of children and families of all cultures (Introduction to 1304.41, p. 147).

This booklet will help the team assess if the program meets Federal Performance Standards relating to developing and maintaining community and child care partnerships. Related Performance Standards include: 1304.23(b)(4); 1304.24(a)(3)(iv); 1304.40(e)(4); 1304.41; 1308.4(l)(1)-1308.41(l)(7); 1310.23.

As you conduct your assessment of this program’s approach to community partnerships and child care partnerships, pay close attention to:

• How the program goes about developing a plan to guide their partnership activity
• How partnership responsibilities are shared among the managers and staff
• The program’s progress in formulating interagency agreements

Helpful tools to support data collection in this area follow.

Review:

Ask the Head Start director and/or responsible manager to provide you with access to the following documents:

• Interagency agreements
• Child care partnership agreements
• The program’s plan for community involvement
• Documentation of the program’s partnership efforts
• Copies of the program’s transition plan
• Ongoing monitoring reports
• Advisory committee rosters and minutes
• Important data sources relevant to this area such as the PRISM report, PIR data, Community Assessment, strategic plan or short and long term program goals

Use the questions below to assist your document review:

Does the program document their community partnership efforts?     Yes    No
Is there an interagency agreement with local education agencies?      Yes    No
If no interagency agreement exists, is there documentation of efforts to establish such an agreement?  Yes    No

Is there evidence that the program has on-going collaborative relationships with the following community agencies:	Yes	No
Health care providers?
Mental health providers?
Nutritional service providers?
Providers of services to children with disabilities?
Family preservation and support services?
Child protective services?
Local elementary schools?
Other educational and cultural institutions (libraries, museums, etc.)?
Providers of child care services?
Organizations and businesses that provide transportation services?
Other organizations and businesses that provide support and resources to mothers, fathers and families?

Are there procedures in place to facilitate transitions to/from other child care programs and Early Head Start or Head Start, and from Head Start to elementary school?
 Yes  No   Comment____________________________________________________________

Interview:

Ask your team leader to assist you to connect with:

• Members of the management team who have primary responsibility for overseeing community partnerships
• Community partners
• Child care partners

When interviewing Head Start managers, ask:

How does the program establish and maintain advisory committees to address program issues and to help the program respond to family and community needs?
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

How does the program coordinate services to children with disabilities and their families with community agencies?
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

Does the program have relationships with the following community agencies:

Health care providers                      Yes  No
Describe the benefits to children and families:
_______________________________________________________________________

Mental health providers                      Yes   No
Describe the benefits to children and families:
______________________________________________________________________________

Nutritional service providers                       Yes   No
Describe the benefits to children and families:
______________________________________________________________________________

Providers of services to children with disabilities                        Yes   No
Describe the benefits to children and families:
______________________________________________________________________________

Family preservation and support services                      Yes  No
Describe the benefits to children and families:
______________________________________________________________________________

Child protective services                       Yes   No
Describe the benefits to children and families:
______________________________________________________________________________

Local elementary schools                      Yes   No
Describe the benefits to children and families:
______________________________________________________________________________

Other educational and cultural institutions (libraries, museums, etc.)                      Yes  No
Describe the benefits to children and families:
______________________________________________________________________________

Providers of child care services                     Yes   No
Describe the benefits to children and families:
______________________________________________________________________________

Organizations and businesses that provide transportation services                       Yes   No
Describe the benefits to children and families:
______________________________________________________________________________

Organizations that provide job readiness and employment services                      Yes   No
Describe the benefits to children and families:
______________________________________________________________________________

Other organizations and businesses that provide support and resources to families                     
 Yes  No
Describe the benefits to children and families:
______________________________________________________________________________

How does the program encourage volunteers to participate in Head Start? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

Can you provide examples of how Head Start parents work with staff to improve the quality of services available to children and families?
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

Do you have practices in place to coordinate services between this program and other programs that children attend before, after and during their Head Start experience? Please describe.
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

Do you coordinate joint training with early childhood programs in this community?
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

Is there a group in your community working to coordinate transportation and do you participate in it? If not, have you explored the possibility of creating one?
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

For Early Head Start:

How does the program promote the access of children, families and expectant parents to community services that are responsive to their needs?
_________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

Questions for Community Partners:

If possible, see if you can meet and speak with several of the program's community partners (all programs must engage in community partnerships). Four sample interview questions follow:

Could you briefly describe your agency and the service it provides to the community?
_________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

How and why did your agency’s partnership with Head Start develop?
_________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

What activities and initiatives are underway as a result of this partnership?
_________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

What do you see as the major effects of this partnership?
_________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

Questions for others:

For members of the Health Services Advisory Committee or other Head Start Advisory Committees: How long have you been a member of the Advisory Committee? What sort of issues has the committee addressed during that time?
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

For Local Education Agencies (LEAs) or early intervention programs funded by Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Part C agencies): How do you work with Head Start to support children with disabilities? What arrangements do you have to assist children and families in their transition from Head Start?
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

Questions for child care partners:

Tell me about your partnership with Head Start. How did it begin and how is it working?
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

How does your partnership with Head Start assist in meeting the needs of children and families in this community?
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

What do you bring to the partnership? What does Head Start bring?
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

How was the division of responsibilities decided? Is there a written agreement?
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

How is information shared between agencies? What records are shared? How do you handle confidentiality?
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

How do you ensure that you are meeting all of the Head Start Performance Standards? What kinds of oversight and training does Head Start provide?
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

Other Community Partnership Considerations

Do you work with faith-based organizations in your community? Describe the nature of any partnership you may have developed.
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

Incorporating Relevant Data Sources:

Additional observations, document reviews, or interview questions that this team may choose to add:
___________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

Include any key insights you may have learned from reviewing important data sources such as the PRISM report, PIR data, Community Assessment, strategic plan or short and long term program goals:
___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

Team Member Summary Worksheet

Summary of Results for Community and Child Care Partnerships

Areas where the program is working well. Provide examples of program strengths or areas where the program exceeds Performance Standards:
_____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________

Areas where the program needs improvement:
_____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________

Additional areas of concern:
_____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________

TEAM LEADER BOOKLET ANALYSIS

Booklet # ____________
Booklet Name: ______________________________________________________________________________

Program Strengths	Data Source
Specific Program Weaknesses and Areas to Strengthen	Data Source