HEAD START STATE COLLABORATION OFFICES

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HEAD START STATE COLLABORATION OFFICES

• Roles and Responsibilities

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Head Start Bureau Directive

• HSSCO grant awards are for the following
  purposes
• To assist in building early childhood systems and
  access to comprehensive services and support for
  all low-income children
• To encourage widespread collaboration between
  Head Start and other appropriate programs,
  services and initiatives and to augment Head
  Starts capacity to be a partner in State
  initiatives on behalf of children and their
  families
• To facilitate the involvement of Head Start in
  state policies, plans, processes and decisions
  affecting the Head start target population and
  other low-income families.

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LEGISLATED RESPONSIBILITIES OF HEAD START STATE
COLLLABORATION OFFICES

• Facilitate collaboration in activities designed
  to benefit low income children and families.
• Encourage Head Start agencies to collaborate with
  entities involved in state and local planning
• State Child Care and Development Block Grant Lead
  Agency
• Entities providing resource and referral services
  in the State
• Serve as State Liaison between the appropriate
  Regional Office and Head Start Grantees in the
  State

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Legislated Responsibilities, Contd

• Serve as State Liaison to lead Education Agency
  and entities serving low income children and
  families
• Coordinate Head Start services with
• Health care
• Welfare
• Childcare
• Education
• Community service activities
• Family literacy services
• Activities relating to children with disabilities

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Legislated Responsibilities, Contd

• Include State Head Start Association
  representatives and local Head Start agencies in
  unified planning regarding early care and
  education services
• State and local levels
• Full working day full calendar year services
• When collaboration funds are awarded, include
  Head Start agencies and state Head Start
  Association in
• unified planning for early childhood education
  and child care
• collaborative training and professional
  development initiatives for child care, early
  childhood education and Head start service
  managers, providers and staff.
• Encourage local Head Start agencies to appoint a
  state-level representative to represent them in
  the conduct of collaborative efforts indicated
  above.

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Lead Agency Responsibilities-Legislated

• Appoint an individual to serve as the liaison
  (State Collaboration Director)
• Involve the State Head Start Association in the
  selection of the State Collaboration Director
• Ensure that the State Collaboration Director has
  sufficient authority and access to fulfill the
  legislated requirements

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Head Start Bureau Directives

• Responsibilities of HSSCO Grantees
• Foster working coalitions
• Facilitate improvement and expansion of services
  for low-income children and families
• Build linkages
• Facilitate a more coordinated approach to
  planning and service delivery

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Management of Head Start State Collaboration
Offices

• Head Start State Collaboration Meeting
• February 15, 2005

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Head Start Bureau Responsibilities

• Grants Management Procurement
• Prepare grants announcement for applications to
  renew 5-year grant awards.
• Prepare announcements for funding supplemental
  awards for special initiatives.
• Review proposals for renewal of five-year awards
  and provide comments and recommendations to
  Regional Offices, including assessment of desired
  results.
• Manage peer review of applications for
  supplemental funding for special initiatives.

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Head Start Bureau Responsibilities, Contd

• Program Support Leadership
• Communicate Head Start Bureaus desired results
  to Regional Offices and State Collaboration
  Offices.
• Plan conduct two annual National Conferences.
  Include leadership training activities and
  address barriers to effective collaboration.
• Design descriptive studies of project strategies
  and accomplishments.

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Head Start Bureau Responsibilities, Contd

• Provide information to HSSCOs on new policy
  developments and partnership opportunities
  between Head Start and other federal agencies
  and programs, as well as related collaborative
  initiatives and resources from other national
  organizations,
• Work with and through Regional Offices to support
  networking of Project Directors and sharing
  lessons and strategies across regions.
• Create materials and reports on overall project
  outcomes, products, and successful strategies.

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Head Start Bureau Responsibilities, Contd

• Review and provide feedback on annual reports of
  project accomplishments and self-assessment.
• Assist Regional Office staff in problem-solving
  and provide guidance on consistent interpretation
  of policies on Collaboration Office functions and
  decision-making.
• Support Regional Offices in the provision of
  technical assistance to State Collaboration
  Offices to address barriers to effective
  collaboration.

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Regional Office Responsibilities

• Grants Management Procurement
• Review applications, negotiate, and make grant
  awards for renewal of five-year grants and annual
  refunding. Ensure that the desired results
  reflect ACF, Head Start Bureau and pertinent
  State priorities.
• Negotiate grant awards for supplemental funding
  for special initiatives.
• Review and approve requests to utilize carry-over
  funding.
• Review and comment on grants announcements for
  renewal of five-year awards and for supplemental
  funding.

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Regional Office Responsibilities, Contd

• Program Support Leadership
• Review and provide feedback on quarterly reports,
  self-assessment reports and other products.
• Conduct site visits to observe, monitor progress
  on desired results and provide technical
  assistance.
• Convene Project Directors for a minimum of two
  annual regional meetings to review
  accomplishments of desired results and address
  barriers to effective collaboration.
• Provide guidance/mediation on Project
  Directors/St. Head Start Ass. /state agency
  relationships.

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Regional Office Responsibilities, Contd

• Foster exchange of information and support across
  states. Ensure that new Directors receive an
  orientation to the responsibilities of the State
  Collaboration Office and continued support as
  needed.
• Utilize HSSCOs as a resource in regional and
  state partnership initiatives and to complement
  the services of the Training and Technical
  Assistance Network.
• Keep HSSCOs informed of Head Start policies and
  regional initiatives.

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Linkage Mechanisms

• Each Regional Office will designate a Liaison for
  Head Start /State Collaboration Offices, as focal
  point for communication and planning with the
  Head Start Bureau.
• Regional Office Liaisons will attend and help to
  plan, conduct and evaluate national conferences.
• The Head Start Bureau will conduct quarterly
  conference calls with Regional Liaisons to review
  developments in state projects and issues in
  Regional Office oversight and management.
• Technical assistance support to Collaboration
  Offices will be jointly planned and managed by
  Head Start Bureau and Regional Office staff.