Head Start Self-Assessment: Booklet 8 - Child Development and Health Services: Prevention and Early Intervention

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

Program Self-Assessment Booklet 8

Child Development and Health Services: Prevention & Early Intervention

Core Question to be answered by Self-Assessment team:

How does the grantee implement a comprehensive system of services for preventing health problems and intervening promptly when they exist?

Purpose:

The objective is to support healthy physical development by encouraging practices that prevent illness or injury, and by promoting positive, culturally relevant health behaviors that enhance life-long well-being (Introduction to 1304.22, p. 83).

This booklet will help you assess if the program meets Federal Performance Standards relating to Prevention & Early Intervention. Related Performance Standards include: 1304.20; 1304.21(c)(1)(iii); 1304.22-1304.24; 1304.40(c)(2)(3); 1304.40(f); 1304.41(a)(2); 1304.41(b); 1304.53(a)(6); 1304.53(a)(8); 1304.53(a)(10)(i)-1304.53(a)(10)(iii); 1304.53(a)(10)(v)- 1304.53(a)(10)(xvii); 1306.30(c); 1306.33(c)(3); 1308.6; 1308.20; 1304.40(c)(1)(i)- 1304.40(c)(1)(iii); 1310.21.

As you conduct your assessment of the program’s prevention and early intervention activities, pay close attention to how the program ensures that:

Parents are involved as full partners in prevention and early intervention
Children and families are linked to an ongoing source of continuous, accessible health care and children are kept up-to-date on a schedule of well-child care
Preventive health practices are taught to children and parents
Nutrition and mental health services are provided to children and families that are responsive to their needs

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:

Community Assessment
The results of the child/family record audit conducted by the team assessing record keeping and reporting and/or a sample of children’s records
Written plans describing health, nutrition, and mental health services
Health and safety policies and procedures
Sample menus
Health and Safety Checklists completed by program staff
Transportation Services Checklist completed by program staff
PIR information
Evidence of pedestrian safety training
Ongoing monitoring reports
Other important data sources relevant to this area such as the PRISM report, strategic plan or short and long term program goals

In addition, obtain the results of the Health and Safety Checklist and the Transportation Services Checklist administered by the team responsible for the Facilities, Materials, Equipment and Transportation booklet.

Note: The team reviewing record-keeping and reporting systems is responsible for completing an audit of children/family records as a part of their assessment. Review the results of their audit and ask team members if they discovered answers to the following questions. You may want to supplement this information by reviewing a number of sample files on your own.

Do children’s files indicate that the program assessed whether the child has an ongoing, continuous source of health care within 90 days of entry into the program?
Yes No Comment___________________________________________________________

Do files contain the information necessary to assess if children are up-to-date with well-child care visits and have received recommended immunizations and screenings?
Yes No Comment___________________________________________________________

Do files for infants and toddlers indicate that screenings for developmental, sensory, and behavioral concerns are completed within 45 days of entry into the program?
Yes No Comment___________________________________________________________

Do files for 3-5 year olds indicate that screenings for developmental, sensory, and behavioral concerns are completed within 45 days of entry into the program?
Yes No Comment___________________________________________________________

Are the 45 day screenings done in collaboration with each child’s parent and are they linguistically and age appropriate for the following areas: developmental, sensory (auditory and visual), behavioral, motor, language, social, cognitive, perceptual and emotional skills?
Yes No Comment___________________________________________________________

Is there evidence in the file that parents are informed and made aware of the various screenings as they occur (permission forms, contact notes, home visit reports, notification of results)?
Yes No Comment___________________________________________________________

Review written plans describing health, nutrition, and mental health services to answer the following:

Is there evidence that these plans have been updated so that services respond to Community Assessment data and meet the current needs of children and families?
Yes No Comment___________________________________________________________

Do plans describe the use of early intervention and education strategies so that services are preventive in nature?
Yes No Comment___________________________________________________________

Is there evidence that parents and children have received training on pedestrian safety and bus safety practices?
Yes No Comment___________________________________________________________

Review sample menus to answer the following:

Are there a variety of foods made available to children, taking into account cultural and ethnic preferences?
Yes No Comment______________________________________________________

Do the menus contain nutritious well-balanced meals that are age-appropriate?
Yes No Comment______________________________________________________

Interview:

Make arrangements to meet and interview health, nutrition, mental health, and transportation services staff. Sample questions for the manager of health and nutrition services and/or the nutrition consultant:

Describe your approach to providing preventive health services to children and families at Head Start.
_________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

How do you go about accessing medical services for families who are not connected to a regular system of health care? (i.e., Does the program assist families in accessing their State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)?)
_________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

What do you do when families do not have dental services?
_________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

Describe how nutrition services are provided to children and families in this program.
_________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

How do you ensure that the meals served to children meet all USDA regulations?
_________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

How do you accommodate special dietary needs for individual children?
_________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

Describe how health and nutrition education is provided to children. Are these services integrated into child development experiences?
_________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

How do you share information with families that promotes nutrition, health, and safety at home?
_________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

Sample questions for the manager of mental health services and/or the mental health consultant:

Is there a regular schedule of visits by a mental health professional?
_________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

Describe how the mental health consultant works with staff.
_________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

Describe how the mental health consultant works with children and families.
_________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

Sample Questions for Early Head Start Managers:

How does this team make sure there is a comprehensive system for preventing health problems and for intervening when problems exist, especially with regard to pregnant women and children from birth to three years of age?
_________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

If your Early Head Start program serves pregnant women, describe how you assist women to access comprehensive prenatal and postpartum health care.
_________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

If your Early Head Start program serves expectant families, how do you provide prenatal education about fetal development, including the risks from smoking and alcohol, labor and delivery, postpartum recovery, including information on maternal depression and the benefits of breastfeeding?
_________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

Sample Question for Person Responsible for Transportation Services:

How does the program ensure that all parents and children are trained on pedestrian safety and bus safety practices? _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

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 Prevention & Early Intervention

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


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