CHSSCO Work Plan

1. Continue to participate on statewide Department of Health Services (DHS) hotline for Head Start information.

2. Facilitate Head Start involvement in California Department of Education (CDE) Childhood Obesity workgroup and activities being developed by CDE Nutrition Services Division.

3. Utilize Head Start Oral Health Workgroup (CHSA, CHSSCO, DHS Office of Oral Health, First 5,  Medi-Cal and Region IX Technical Assistance (TA) and Dental Consultant), to:

• Finalize Roundtable agenda for Childhood Health & Disabilities Program – Region IX interagency agreement and oversee event(s). Completed August 2007.

• Act as planning body (e.g. resource for Assembly Bill (AB) 834, varnish services), AB 1433 follow-up.

• Act as planning body for participation in American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry – Head Start project.

• Guide CHSSCO participation on national Office of Head Start oral health planning group.

4. Continue collaboration with DHS Early Childhood Comprehensive Services (ECCS) grant and other divisions to:

• Work with various State departments and First 5 to identify best practices in early childhood screening and develop strategies to reduce duplication and enhance collaboration.

• Disseminate information on best practices in screening and intervention, post traumatic stress, maternal depression, etc. through Bridges Journal.

• Explore EPSDT Mental Health Services: determine which grantees are developing model services, disseminate information through Bridges and/or regional Roundtables.

Intermediate-long term
(2-5 years)

• Explore Head Start connections with community partners (mental health, health providers, physicians, etc) on replicating “I am Moving, I am learning”, in cooperation with Region IX Technical Assistance Network.

• Explore future collaboration with Women; Infants and Toddler (WIC), particularly to update sample local Memorandum of Understanding between Head Start and WIC programs.

5. Improve collaboration between Head Start and State/County Mental Health Services.

• Meet with State Department of Mental Health to explore avenues for local Head Start programs to access Proposition 63 services at the county level and share information on new PRISM mental health protocol. Met with State DMH manager in 2007. Linked to CDE liaison.

1. Continue Head Start-State program and First 5 funding model coordination, collaboration, and integration. Activities to include development of recommendations regarding defensible fiscal models and dissemination of findings. Also explore and publicize initiatives in other states intended to reduce barriers to programs accessing state and federal funds to provide full-day, full-year services, including use of third-party funding.

CHSSCO
and CHSA

Short-intermediate term

2. Convene Community Care Licensing, Head Start, and Title 5 program workgroup. Focus on Department of Social Services (DSS), CDE, Head Start, and Early Head Start center-based issues. Possible activities:

• Develop “Head Start 101” training for licensing analysts/regional offices. Training to include systems differences, matrices of differences, similarities, etc., for licensing “Academies”. Completed March 2008.

• Explore consolidation of licensing categories for EHS (currently three).

CHSSCO
and CHSA

Short-intermediate term

3. Explore coordination and common understanding of PRISM and Child Development Division (CDD) program reviews and processes with Region IX and CDE/CDD.

CHSSCO

Short-intermediate term

4. Examine, mitigate, and eliminate barriers to Head Start use of Centralized Eligibility Lists in local communities (particularly in relation to full-day partnerships) via facilitation of CDE Head Start Centralized Eligibility List (CEL) workgroup. Completed January 2008. State preschool regulations package developed and general child care waivers established in response to workgroup recommendations.

CHSSCO
and CHSA

Ongoing

5. Continue to facilitate Head Start State Desired Results Workgroup as necessary to ensure the integration of Head Start requirements into the Desired Results Developmental Profile-Revised (DRDP-R).

CHSSCO
and CHSA

Short-intermediate term

6. Facilitate alignment of Head Start requirements into State Early Learning Foundations and subsequent revision of Desired Results Developmental Profile.

CHSSCO

Short-intermediate term

7. Bring together ad hoc workgroup to examine new inter-agency agreement requirements with local education agencies and state preschool programs and develop strategies (e.g. state-level Interagency Agreements (IAs), advisories, etc.) to assist in their development. This might include the California School Board Association and the Calfornia County Superintendent's Educational Services Association.

CHSSCO
and CHSA

Short-intermediate term

8. Explore various ways to assist grantees with special populations, including English language learners, homeless children, and children in foster care.

CHSSCO
and CHSA

Intermediate-long term

1. Work with the DSS to increase understanding, awareness and use of Head Start services by county welfare offices (including programs for children in out-of-home care) and their client families, via All County Bulletin, regional roundtables and/or other means.

2. Work with the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) and DSS to ensure Head Start engagement in local planning to meet screening and services requirements of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act.

1. Continue coordination with, and use of, the California Preschool Instructional Network (CPIN) by Head Start programs and Head Start TA providers. Ensure Head Start input as Preschool Learning Foundations and Curricular Frameworks are rolled out via invitations to CPIN input sessions and/or add training to CHSA cluster/conference events.

CHSSCO
and CHSA

Ongoing

2. Publish Summer 2007 issue of Bridges in concert with Child Development Training Consortium (CDTC), on educational resources for early educators.

CHSSCO

Short term

3. Collaborate on CHSA "Head Start Jobs" web site. Explore potential for marketing higher education resources for teachers, administrators, family service workers, and their connection with Child Development Training Consortium.

CHSSCO
and CHSA

Short-intermediate term

4. Continue coordination with and ensure Head Start awareness of First 5 CARES initiative.

CHSSCO

Ongoing

5. Create ad hoc professional development workgroup: First 5, CDD, CDTC, Alignment Project, Lucy Berger with the Community College Chancellor's Office, and grantees, to discuss issues and map out system.

CHSSCO
and CHSA

Intermediate-long term

1. Work with California Department of Community Services, California/Nevada Community Action Association to share resource information on Community Action Agency services to all Head Start programs.

CHSSCO
and CHSA

Intermediate term

2. Explore the ability of the CHSA programs to access the Governor’s “Go Serve” project.

CHSSCO
and CHSA

Long term

1. Continue dissemination of family literacy products and activities through multiple means including:

• Roundtables for Head Start clusters and regional events with CHSA.

• Bridges articles.

• Collaboration with Migrant Even Start and CDE Even Start.

• Connections with Head Start family literacy grantee at Sonoma State University.

• Connections with AB 172 programs.

CHSSCO
and CHSA

Short-intermediate term

1. Continue to collaborate with DDS, Region IX TAs and other training and technical assistance providers from entire children's services field, concerning service issues related to children with disabilities. Link to Region IX Technical Assistance Network. In particular, share First 5 Special Needs project TA information with Head Start TAS.

CHSSCO

Ongoing

2. Serve as a link to the State Interagency Coordinating Council on Early Intervention, Early Start family resource centers, and regional centers and provide updates to the CHSSCO Advisory Committee, CHSA, and other groups as appropriate.

CHSSCO

Ongoing

3. Review and revise, as necessary, with the assistance of Region IX TA specialist, existing Memorandum of Understanding on Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities between DDS – Region IX and Part B Interagency Agreement between Region IX CDE Special Education Division.

CHSSCO

Ongoing

4. Work with DSS Community Care Licensing, CDE Special Education Division and DDS to improve collaboration and remove barriers to children with disabilities participating in Head Start programs by:

• Roundtables on topics such as joint needs assessment, State and local MOUs, enrollment, assessment timelines, and selection criteria.

• Adding Head Start information to DDS/WestEd Advanced Practice Institutes.

• Updating DSS on MOUs, and Head Start disabilities requirements.

CHSSCO

Short-intermediate term

5. Continue to distribute current disabilities, literacy, health and other relevant information via the Head Start technical assistance network listserves.

CHSSCO

Ongoing

6. Research funding streams/resources that grantees can access as they serve children with social/emotional issues who are not eligible for special education. Resources may include non-public schools, regional centers, therapeutic preschools, the Mental Health Services Act, First 5, and Early Periodic Screening Diagnosis Treatment (EPSDT) foundations. Ad hoc workgroup should include First 5, grantees, and the Special Education Division.

CHSSCO
and CHSA

Intermediate term

1. Work with CDE’s State Homeless Coordinator to disseminate list of LEA homeless liaisons and LEAs with the special McKinney-Vento Act funding to Head Start directors. Share resources via Collaboration Update, participate in training of the McKinney-Vento Act coordinators in new Head Start requirements to serve homeless children and explore webinars.

CHSSCO

Intermediate term

2. Explore licensing issues with DSS, Region IX, and grantees with homeless programs:

• Possible one license for children ages 0-5 to serve homeless children.

• Possible federal/state waivers (i.e. allow programs to serve over 20 children IF one or more are homeless).

• Work with CHSA on articles of model homeless programs in State and disseminate widely.

CHSSCO
and CHSA

Short-long term

1. Fulfill grant requirements as established by Administration on Children and Families (ACF).

• Prepare renewal application (narrative and budget) for review and approval in CDD/CDE and submission to ACF.

• Prepare and submit quarterly reports to ACF.

• Review and reconcile monthly expenditure reports.

• Review semiannual expenditure reports developed by the accounting office for submission to ACF and meet with accounting office to discuss any discrepancies.

• Prepare narrative and budget revisions for submission to ACF.

• Attend two national ACF meetings for collaboration projects.

• Ensure evaluation process is maintained. Repeat partner and Bridges surveys per evaluation protocol. Complete required five year evaluation via short-term consultant contract and ad hoc workgroup.

2. Maintain and monitor the contract with the CHSA that supports a portion of a professional staff person to assist with implementation of the Collaboration Project work plan.

• Review monthly progress reports and invoices, and process invoices for payment; discuss any issues/discrepancies with CHSA.

• Meet regularly with CHSA Executive Officer to review issues, jointly plan and coordinate implementation of the CHSSCO work plan, and to share information about Head Start and State agency activities.

• Assist CHSA in developing any necessary contract amendments and process amendments for approval in CDD/CDE.

3. Conduct at least two CHSSCO Advisory Committee meetings to obtain input about current issues, barriers, and events impacting Head Start programs in California and to obtain feedback on CHSSCO activities and work plan.

4. Publish and disseminate at least one edition of the CHSSCO newsletter, Bridges, annually .

• Develop a plan for content of the newsletter.

• Solicit and develop articles.

• Submit articles to CDE Press for editing, review edits and finalize copy, plan layout with artist, review and approve final version to be sent to print, and prepare and obtain approval of printing request.

• Prepare dissemination list and obtain necessary sets of mailing labels from identified sources, arrange for mailing, and mail newsletter.