Transcript Illinois Head Start State Collaboration What is it? Why should we do it? How do we do it? Together we can do what none of.

Illinois Head Start State
Collaboration
What is it?
Why should we do it?
How do we do it?
Together we can do what none of us could do alone …
Collaboration: What is it?
We must all hang together or assuredly, we shall all hang
separately.
--Benjamin Franklin
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Collaboration is the most intense level of working together. It
is a structure & a process for creating CHANGE. A
collaborative effort is driven by partners who agree to
share information, activities, resources, influence, power
& decision-making authority to achieve common goals – goals
that no single partner or program could achieve by acting
alone.
From Community Partnerships Working Together, US DHHS
Collaboration: What?
Working together toward a common vision
 Keeping the focus on the children & families and
quality services
 Asking & answering “What’s in it for me?”
 Trying new ways
 Negotiating conflict and differences
 Communicating, committing, evaluating
 Giving up turf & some control, but maintaining
uniqueness & strength
 Achieving greater results
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Collaboration: What?
It is because modern education is so seldom inspired
by great hope that it so seldom achieves great
results. The wish to preserve the past rather
than the hope of creating the future dominates
the minds of those who control the teaching of
the young.
--Bertrand Russell
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Hard work, pooling resources ($ & human) –
WORTH IT!
Collaboration: Why should
we do it?
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Because fragmentation in the early care &
education community is a serious issue … it causes
turf-ism, unresolved conflict, lack of
communication & leadership, etc., etc. = diminished
services
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Because the
children & families
deserve the best system
we can offer them!
Collaboration: Why?
Current early care & education system…
PreK
Child Care
Head Start
Families???
Collaboration: Why?
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Additional services, e.g., full day/year, health,
family support
Continuity of care
Cost effective
Improved quality
More flexibility
Strengthened community
Collaboration: Why?
What’s in it for me? Head Start
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Strategy for becoming fully enrolled; reducing
waiting list
Meets ACF goal of collaboration/coordination
Expanded services for families who need it, e.g.,
full day/year
Greater community understanding of Head Start
Stronger community
Good business sense
Focus on the child & family!!
Collaboration: Why?
What’s in it for me? Child Care
Additional curricular resources, materials,
equipment
 Increased training & staff development resources
 Greater customer service, e.g., health, dental,
parent involvement
 Stronger community
 Good business sense
 Focus on the child & family!!
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Collaboration: Why?
What’s in it for me? PreK
Expanded services for families, e.g., full day/year,
health, dental, greater parent involvement
 Engage earlier as partner with community in
preparing children for school
 More children enter school ready
 Stronger community
 Good business sense
 Focus on the child & family!!
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Collaboration: Why?
The Vision
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Community coordinates to determine what program is best
suited each family’s needs & desires
Child/family needs & eligibility and parent choice drive
collaboration
What needs to happen in the community?
1. Community-wide child screenings
2. Good community assessment coordinated among programs
– where are children & what is unserved population?
3. Children enrolled based on eligibility tiers
Collaboration: Why?
The Vision
Level 3: PreK (at risk)
Least Restrictive
Level 2: Child Care
(income/service)
Level 1: Head Start (income/age)
Most Restrictive
Collaboration: How do
we do it?
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Get Together: Decide to act, select key
players/partners, meet and set ground rules
Build Trust/Ownership: Common knowledge base
about each other, shared vision, revise ground
rules, ID planning resources
Develop Plan: Mission, environmental & capacity
assessment, goals & strategies
Take Action: Written agreement, implement plan,
monitor & evaluate, revise
At each stage, evaluate & celebrate!!
Collaboration: How?
Key Partners
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Head Start
Child Care Centers & Homes
ECBG providers
Child Care Resource & Referral and
Community Action Agencies
Parents
Others, by community
Collaboration: How?
Key Plan Components
Staffing
 Parent Participation
 Community Participation
 Program Components
 Regulations & How bridged/implemented
 Funding Allocations/Budget
 Documentation
 Evaluation
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Collaboration: How?
Models
A single program or agency blends/braids funds
and program requirements from multiple sources
at a single site.
 Two or more agencies, which are separate legal
entities, partner to serve children at a single site.
These collaborations generally include two types:
those that co-locate, or share only space, and
those that actually share programming & funding.
 A program or agency partners with family child
care home providers.
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Adapted from QUILT materials.
Collaboration: How?
Working Together
For information on specific models and contacts,
visit the Illinois collaboration web site at
www.ilearlychildhoodcollab.org
Collaboration: How?
Operational Checklist
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Is a Written Agreement in place?
Has the case management system & record
keeping been revised?
Is there a system for access to needed records &
information?
Are confidentiality protocols in place &
understood?
Does the database include the collaboration?
Collaboration: How?
Operational Checklist
Does the collaboration team meet
regularly?
 Are communication systems used effectively?
 Is conflict appropriately addressed?
 Have job descriptions been revised?
 Is there a collaboration manager with appropriate
support/authority?
 Are we doing cross training?
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Collaboration: How?
Operational Checklist
Have the goals been communicated effectively?
 Is the team regularly assessing progress on the
plan?
 Is data being collected & analyzed?
 Are team members following through?
 Is the community aware of the collaboration?
 Are you evaluating for outcomes?
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Collaboration: How?
Possible Resources
Partners’ training and other funds
 Child Care Quality Funding
 Head Start State Collaboration Office
 Training/Technical Assistance Providers
(BAH, StartNet, CCR&R, etc.)
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Remember!!!
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Focus on children & families!
Every partner is valuable – respect & value each
other!
It is good business for us to work together!
Hold to the vision!
Honor agreements!
Persist!!!
Coach Dean Smith to Michael Jordan in his freshman year at UNC:
“Michael, if you can’t pass, you can’t play.”