Head Start

1. Head Start What is it and how can I help my clients apply? Melissa Marrs, Impact Northwest

2. Head Start Readiness Enhancement Project • 3 year project, funded by Northwest Health Foundation • Worked to ensure that our eligible PCDS families got enrolled (or on the waitlist) for Head Start and had the support they needed to stay enrolled. • Before the project—37% of our eligible children were enrolled or on the waitlist for Head Start • After the project—97% of eligible children were enrolled or on the waitlist

3. Free preschool program for children 3-4 years old by September 1st of current school year Nutritious meals are provided Regular health/dental/vision/hearing screenings Mental Health Services for children Home visits from teachers and family advocates Access to resources Free adult education classes offered (ESL, Basic Ed, Driver’s ed) Parent’s encouraged to participate in policy council and volunteering in the classroom What is Head Start?

4. Area Head Start Providers • Mt. Hood Community College • Portland Public Schools • Albina Head Start • Siletz Head Start--(classroom at Whitman Elementary) • Neighborhood House • Clackamas Head Start

5. Obstacles to Enrollment • Lack of Information: Many families did not know about the services Head Start provides or did not know they were eligible for Head Start. • Form completion: Low literacy, language barriers, difficulty obtaining necessary documentation, not knowing when the best time of the year to apply is or which program to apply to, or how to apply (mail, in person etc.) • Transportation: Lack of transportation to get documents, get to appointments, get their child to school, work\daycare in different service boundary than their home address, households with multiple children taking long bus rides to school and back twice a day. • Head Start Capacity: With so many children on the waitlist, Head Start did not have to ability to walk these vulnerable families through the enrollment process.

6. Obstacles to Retention in Head Start • Difficulty establishing household routines • Children having a hard time with the transition (crying, acting out, regressing, etc.) • Vulnerable families often experience crisis situations • Highly mobile families • Mental health challenges • Substance abuse issues • Multiple foster care placements

7. Solutions to obstacles—Enrollment • Provide information to families about Head Start, the services it provides, its value to children & families • Establish relationships with area Head Start providers • Invite advocates from Head Start programs to speak to parent/child groups • Inform families of application timelines, documentation necessary • Assist families with form completion • Make referrals for immunizations, health services • Provide Transportation or bus passes

8. Solutions to obstacles--Retention • Coordinate with Head Start mental health specialists to establish supportive classroom environments for children with mental health/ behavioral challenges • Connect with Head Start advocates regarding children and families with special/high needs • Create a specialized home visit plan to help children and parents prepare for head start transition over the summer. • Emphasize the importance of routines—help families create schedules/routines/plans/strategies • Emphasize importance of regular attendance and being on time • Emphasize that routines, attendance, etc are an important life skill for the entire family that will benefit entire school career • Give family clear picture of what to expect from the program and from themselves

9. How does a child qualify for Head Start? These eligibility requirements vary by provider; this is a general snapshop. Contact specific providers for their own requirements. • Age: must turn 3 or 4 by September 1st for that school year • Income guidelines: must be at or below 100-130% of Poverty Level (most are 100% or less of FPL) or qualify for TANF, SSI or ERDC OR Child has/is one of the following (sometimes with income qualification): • A suspected or diagnoseddisability (IFSP individualized family service plan or MECP Multnomah Early Childhood Program) • Homeless (including living doubled up with other family, living in RV, campground, shelter, car, park, public spaces or substandard housing) • Foster Child • To qualify for Extended Day\Full Day Care vs. Part-day program all parents must meet the provider’s criteria for working certain amount of hours per week or being enrolled in school for certain amount of credits; contact provider for specifics. Not all children who qualify will get into Head Start, most programs have long waitlists. Waitlists are not first-come, first served.

10. Homelessness Parent\Child disability English Second Language Teen Parent Referral from an agency (Send referral letter with application) Substance abuse Foster Child or DHS child welfare involvement Domestic Violence Single parent Domestic Violence High risk pregnancy Disaster or tragedy (severe trauma) Chronic illness EHS or previous HS experience Older sibling in program Returning Student Child on waitlist previous year without enrolling Waitlist is not first come first serve!Enrollment is based on a points system that assesses a child’s need for the Head Start services; children with highest need tend to be served. Each provider’s criteria for points varies; contact the provider to get their specific criteria. Here is a sample of the types of factors used to assess need. When completing an application make sure that your family shares all factors that could demonstrate the child’s need and help their child get selected.

11. What will Families need to apply?Different programs may need the following at different times in the application process, but all forms will be required. • Program Application, and in some cases Proof of Address (Additional paperwork required if family is homeless) • Income verification for past 12 months (ex: TANF, SSI,ERDC Tax return, W-2, pay stubs for past 12 months, foster document, or written statement on company letterhead confirming income.) • Birth Verification (birth certificate, hospital record, baptism certificate, other document that has the child’s DOB on it may be accepted) • Immunization records • Document of Disability (if applicable)

16. Head Start Provider Websites Head Start Provider Websites • Albina Head Start Website & Applications: http://albinajobs.org/familiesenrollment.html • Portland Public Schools Head Start & Applications: http://www.pps.k12.or.us/departments/head-start/ • Siletz Tribal Head Start Website & Applications http://www.ctsi.nsn.us/Siletz-Tribal-Services-Umpqua-Clackamas-County-warm-springs-Multnomah-Falls-Tillamook/education/headstart • Neighborhood House Oregon PreKindergarten Website: http://www.nhweb.org/programs/pre-kindergarten.shtml • Mt Hood Community College Head Start Website: • http://www.mhcc.edu/CommunityConnections.aspx?id=1025 • Clackamas County Head Start Website: http://cccchs.org/

17. Other Helpful Website Links Other resources for Head Start or other pre-K enrollment purposes: • Poverty Income Guidelines: http://www.ocpp.org/cgi-bin/display.cgi?page=poverty • PPS School Boundary Map: http://www.pps.k12.or.us/schools/maps.htm • PPS Find Neighborhood School: http://www.pps.k12.or.us/schools-c/find_your_school.php • School District Boundary Map for all districts in Multnomah County: http://www.mesd.k12.or.us/pa/Boundarymap08.pdf

18. What is Early Head Start and how does it relate to Head Start? • Early Head Start is a lot like Head Start but is for children prenatal – 3 yrs. • All eligibility and application requirements for Head Start pertain to Early Head Start; see previous slides for requirements per provider. • There are 3 providers of Early Head Start services locally: Albina Early Head Start, Mt Hood Community College Early Head Start and Neighborhood House Early Oregon PreKindergarten. See previous slides for contact information. • Early Head Start offers two service options: • Center-based, full-day model (for children of parents who are working or in school, just like with Head Start); or • Home-based model (weekly 1.5hr home visits throughout the school-year focused on child development and parent-child relationship, bi-monthly parent-child groups, extensive child development & health screenings, connection to family resources). • Center-based Early Head Start has long waitlists because there are not many slots available locally; home-based services tend to have more openings. • Enrolling a family in home-based services can put them at an advantage to getting into center-based Early Head Start and into Head Start.

19. Resources/Programs for families who do not qualify or who do not get into Head Start

20. Resources/Programs for families who do not qualify or who do not get into Head Start

21. Resources/Programs for families who do not qualify or who do not get into Head Start

22. Resources/Programs for families who do not qualify or who do not get into Head Start

23. Resources/Programs for families who do not qualify or who do not get into Head Start

24. Internal Organization/Program Systems to Improve Access to Head Start • Designate a primary contact with Head Start providers for your program or agency • Create centralized and shared (electronic) folder to keep updated Head Start applications, timelines, information, resources, procedures (i.e., Head Start decision tree, template for letter to Head Start) • Create centralized reporting/tracking system to trigger notification of when child will be eligible for Head Start and when to start application process. • Prepare and keep in stock a “transition kit” with activities, books, handouts discussing transition to school to prepare children/parents (for example, Parents as Teacher curriculum offers lesson plans for pre-k and kindergarten transitions)