Transcript ERSEA Training 2009-10

ERSEA Training 2009-10
Eligibility
Recruitment
Selection
Enrollment
Attendance
Eligibility
The only two requirements that must be met
for a child to be eligible for Head Start is
age and income.
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Age
• To be automatically age eligible for Head
Start, a child must be 3 or 4 years of age
on October 1.
• If a child will turn 3 after school begins
but on or before October 1, he is also
automatically age eligible and may be
enrolled and begin in August even though
he will only be 2 years old at that time.
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Age
If a child turns 3 after the October 1
deadline, he can still be age eligible for
Head Start in the following two ways:
• If the child has a disability, he can be
enrolled after his 3rd birthday.
• If the program does not have other
children available to enroll, a child
without a disability can be enrolled
after his 3rd birthday. (Permission from
Grantee Office must be granted)
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Verifying Age
What can be used to verify
the age of a child?
• Birth Certificate
• Hospital Certificate
• Letter from:
• Community Based Services
• Health Department
• Immunization Certificate
Possibly Others
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Income
90% of the children that are enrolled in a
program must have a total family income
that is below the national poverty
guideline.
Only 10% of the children enrolled can have
family incomes above the poverty
guideline.
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Family Income
Income means the total cash receipts before
taxes from all sources for each member of
the child’s family.
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Family Income
Does that include:
Unemployment checks?
Alimony payments?
Child Support?
Military pay?
Income from rental property?
Social Security payments?
Yes to all.
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Family Income
Does that include:
Food Stamps?
Tax refunds?
Compensation for injury?
Sale of property?
Gifts?
No to all.
What is the definition of a “gift”?
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Family Income
What documentation can be used to determine the income
of a family member?
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Individual tax forms such as a 1040
W-2 forms
Pay stubs
Documentation from the court system (alimony, child
support, etc.)
Proof of public assistance (TANF, SSI)
Letter from employer
The last resort for income documentation is
a signed statement from the parent.
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Correctly using the
“0” income form
When a parent is determined to have “0”
income for the previous month and the 0
income form is used, any amount listed on
the form should not count as income on
COPA.
Link to “0” income form
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Family Income
But which family members’ income should
be counted ?
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Determining Income
Eligibility
One of the most important things that the
interviewer (staff) must know is the Head Start
definition of family:
Family means all persons living in the same
household who are supported by the income
of the parent(s) or guardian(s) of the child
enrolling or participating in the program, and
related to the parent(s) or guardian(s) by
blood, marriage or adoption.
Eligibility Scenarios
The following are some examples of
possible scenarios an interviewer may be
faced with when trying to determine
family income:
Eligibility Scenarios
John & Cathy come to fill out an application for
their son Ricky. They tell the interviewer that they
have an older son that is married and does not live
with them. How many would be in the family?
3 - The older son would not count because he is not living
in the household.
Eligibility Scenarios
A parent comes to fill out an application for her
daughter Jennifer. She says that she has another
child, Lucy, that lives in the home. Lucy works at
McDonalds on nights and weekends. Should
Lucy’s wages count in the family income?
No
Only the income of the parents would count for family
income.
Eligibility Scenarios
A mother comes to fill out an application for her
son Donnie. She says that her and her husband
recently divorced and they decided to split up their
twin boys, Donnie and Ronnie. Ronnie now lives
with her husband in an apartment just across the
road from her house. How many should count in
Donnie’s family?
2 – The mother and Donnie
Eligibility Scenarios
A married couple comes to fill out an application
for their son. The father states that he worked as
a coal miner until 2 months ago when he was fired
for stealing. He says that he is currently drawing
unemployment wages. The mother states that she
works at the airport. Obviously, the mother’s
income should be counted. But what should the
interviewer use to verify the father’s income and
how should it be calculated?
Only the unemployment proof for 1 month. It should be multiplied by
the number of pay periods for one year. (i.e. Pay stub for 2 week
period would be multiplied by 26)
Eligibility Scenarios
Betty comes to fill out an application for her daughter Linda. She
says that she is divorced from Linda’s father and got married again
last month to a doctor in Hazard. She also has another child that
she adopted two years ago. How many are in the family?
4 – Betty, Linda, the other child and the new husband
Should the interviewer calculate only a month of the husband’s
income or the previous 12 months?
The previous 12 months
Eligibility Scenarios
Kellie arrives at the center and wants to fill out an
application for her two nephews. She provides
documentation showing that she receives Kinship
Care money for both of them. She says she works
part time but does not have any check stubs with
her. How many would be in the family? Should
the interviewer ask Kellie to bring her check stubs
back at another time or should she just write down
the amount Kellie tells her?
Both children would be families of “1”. Since the children are
in Kinship Care, no other income verification is needed.
Eligibility Scenarios
Tina and Rocky live together but are not married.
They have one child together, Pete. But Rocky also
has two other children that live with them that are
from his first marriage. Tina comes to fill out an
application for their son Pete. How many are in
the family?
5 – Even though Tina and Rocky are not married, he is
still a parent to Pete. This means that his other kids would
count in the family.
Eligibility Scenarios
A foster parent named Wanda and her 17 year old
foster child, Annie, arrive at the center. The foster
parent says that they have come to fill out an
application for Annie’s child. Wanda states that
Annie and her child live with her (Wanda) and
Annie does not work. Whose income should be
counted and how many are in the family?
2 – Annie and the child. Since Annie does not work, her
income would be “0”.
Eligibility Scenarios
A father comes to fill out an application for his
son. When asked about his income, he tells the
interviewer that he has been working at Wal-Mart
for the past 3 months. He also says that he
worked at Arby’s for the previous 5 years before
taking the job at Wal-Mart. How should his income
be calculated?
It can either be last year’s tax forms or the interviewer can
take his Wal-Mart income for 1 month and multiply by 12.
Eligibility Scenarios
Jill comes to fill out an application for her
daughter. She tells the interviewer that she
doesn’t work and that her mother pays all of her
bills including the rent for her apartment which
totals $1,200 per month. Should Jill be asked to
fill out a “0” income form? Should the family
income be $1,200 or should it be $0.00?
Yes, the parent would need to fill out the “0” income form.
According to the scenario, she does not have any income
because the money she receives is a “gift”.
Child Income
For our purposes, a child only has income in
one particular situation. What is it?
The only time a child will have income is
when he is in Foster or Kinship Care. In
this situation, the interviewer does not
need to see any other income from the
family other than the amount received for
this child.
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Child Income
For our purposes, a child only has income in
one particular situation. What is it?
If the parent or guardian tells the
interviewer that the child is a Kinship
Care child but she doesn’t receive
money for him, then he cannot be
considered a Foster Child and is not
automatically eligible.
Link to Application
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McKinney – Vento Definition of Homeless
The clarified definition of who is considered homeless is addressed. Section 725
(2) and (6) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act state:
The term “homeless children and youths’Means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime
residence…: and
(B) Includeschildren and youths who are sharing the housing of other persons
due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are
living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the
lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency
or transitional shelters; are abandoned in hospitals; or are awaiting
foster care placement;
children and youths who have a primary night-time residence that is
a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a
regular sleeping accommodation for human beings…
children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces,
abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or
similar settings; and
migratory children who qualify as homeless for the purposes of this
subtitle because the children are living in circumstances described in
clauses (i) through (iii).
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Indentifying Homeless Families
Scenarios
A mother and her daughter are living in a hotel while their house is
being built. The mother tells the interviewer that they sold their trailer
and decided to stay in the hotel for the next 6 months until the house is
finished. The manager of the hotel is a friend of the family and is
giving them a discount on the room. Is the family homeless?
No. The family is staying in the hotel by choice and has
not been forced there due to economic hardship.
Scenarios
A father and mother come in July to fill out an application for their
son. During the interview, the father mentions that he hopes the
weather cools down soon because their air conditioner stopped
working and their trailer gets very hot. Does this make the family
homeless?
No. Though the air conditioner would definitely make life
easier for the family, the fact that they do not have one
would not make them homeless.
Scenarios
A mother and her child are living with her parents. She tells the
interviewer that she and her son lived in an apartment until three
months ago when the rent became too expensive. So at that time, they
moved back in with her parents and plan on moving into a low income
apartment when one becomes available. Is this family homeless?
Maybe. It could be looked at as a “homeless” family
because economic hardship forced the family to move in
with relatives. But the family has been there for three
months and if the interviewer feels that it is a stable
situation, this may not be a homeless family.
Scenarios
A husband, wife, and their two children are staying in a camper at a
local camp ground. They have a home in South Carolina but they stay
in Kentucky during the week so the husband can work at a nearby
construction job. The couple tells the interviewer that they cannot
stand to be apart all week so the whole family travels with the father
when he works construction jobs away from home. Is this family
currently homeless?
No. Again, the family has a home and is making a choice
to stay in the camper as a convenience.
Scenarios
A mother comes to fill out an application for her son. When asked her
address, the woman tells the interviewer that she and her 3 children
are currently staying at a Domestic Violence Shelter and are hiding
from her husband. She says that he is staying at their home but that
she hopes to be given the house if she divorces him. Is this family
homeless?
Yes. On the day that she is filling out this application, it
appears that the mother does not plan on going home
until things are resolved and is currently living in a
shelter. This would be a clear cut situation that should be
identified as “homeless”.
Scenarios
A mother tells the interviewer that she and her daughter were living
alone in a house. But last month, her brother lost his job and so his
family of 4 (2 adults, 2 kids) were forced to leave their apartment and
the mother allowed them to move in with her and her daughter. Does
this make the mother and daughter a homeless family?
No. The mother has legal rights to the house she is living
in and economic hardship has not forced her to seek
other living arrangements. Though the living arrangement
has changed and possibly became uncomfortable, it
happened by the mother’s choice and she could evict her
brother’s family at any time.
Scenarios
During the recent ice storm, a tree fell on a family’s home and
damaged the roof. The father tells the interviewer that the damage is
significant and the family is staying with relatives until the roof can be
fixed. When asked by the interviewer about whether the roof is
leaking, he said it is not leaking but his wife was so scared after what
happened that she refuses to let the family return to the house until
several other nearby trees are cut down to make sure this never
happens again. Is this family homeless?
No. The house is still there and in livable condition. The
reason they are staying with relatives is by choice.
Link to Family Residency Questionnaire
Recruitment
Recruitment continues all year long. How do
you find your kids?
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Selection
How do we select children for the program?
Link to Waiting List
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Enrollment
Full enrollment must be maintained at all
times. However, full classrooms do not.
Head Start does not enroll children on a first
come, first serve basis.
Once you’re in, you’re in.
Once you're out, you’re out.
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Updating Family Income
A common mistake that is found on COPA is
when family income has been updated for
the wrong reasons.
Link to Family Data Sheet
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Review of the
New Eligibility
Verification Form
Link to Eligibility Verification Form
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Review of the
New Application
The enrollment application was
updated with only a few minimal
changes.
Link to New Application
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Additional Questions
Q. How long can a child remain on the waiting list without
needing reverification?
A. 12 months
note: When considering a child for enrollment or
reenrollment, if it has been more than 12 months since
income was verified, a new application and eligibility
verification form must be completed.
Additional Questions
Q. Where should the original child enrollment applications be
kept?
A. In the office Enrollment Folder
note: The classroom folder should contain either a copy of
the enrollment application or a printed COPA application.
Additional Questions
Q. When a child is eligible for their 3rd year of Head Start,
should a new application be completed?
A. Yes. A 3rd year child must have a new application and
Eligibility Verification form completed. Income must be
reverified.
Additional Questions
Q. Should you print the COPA “points page” and put it in the
child’s folder for a returning child?
A. No. The points page should only be printed and put in
the child’s folder when the child is enrolled.
note: A new points page should be placed in the folder
each time the child enrolls. For instance, if he withdraws
and reenrolls, a new points page would be added to his
folder.
Additional Questions
Q. If a mother tells the interviewer that her husband moved out
last week, should his income be counted?
A. No. We accept the current situation and if the mother
says the father is not in the home, the interviewer will
accept that as the truth.
note: In the past, the parent was asked to write a
statement saying that she and her husband were separated
if no court documents were available. This is no longer
necessary. If the parent verbally tells the interviewer that
there is a separation and the father is out of the home, that
is all the proof that is needed.
Additional Questions
Q. If a family receives certain public assistance, their age
eligible child is automatically income eligible for Head
Start. Name the public assistance programs.
A. TANF or SSI
Additional Questions
Q. If during the application process, a child is determined to be
“homeless”, does the parent still need to produce income
verification?
A. No.