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3. Partnering with Family Child Care: Champaign County Head Start

Early Care & Education Program Collaboration Model Description

Agency/Home Name: Champaign County Head Start
Contact Person: Kathleen Liffick
Address: PO Box 17760
Urbana, IL 61803-7760
Phone: 217-328-3313
Email Address: kliffick@ccrpc.org

1. Model (Please check only one. Complete separate forms for different collaboration models.)

One Agency, Multiple Funders
A single program or agency blends/braids funds and program requirements from multiple sources at a single site.
Multiple Agencies Partner
Two or more agencies, which are separate legal entities, partner to serve children at a single site.
Partnering with Family Child Care
A program or agency partners with family child care home providers.

2. Collaboration Type (Check all that apply to this collaboration model.)

Child Care/Early Head Start
Child Care/Head Start
Child Care/PreK
Child Care/Head Start/PreK
Head Start/PreK

3. Partnership Initiated By

Child Care
Head Start/Early Head Start
PreK
Other (specify): _________________________________________
  ______________________________________________________

4. Demographics

Urban
Rural
Suburban

5. Schedule

Hours per day: 9
From: 8:00 AM
To: 5:00 PM
Days/Weeks per year: 5 Days, 50 weeks per year
Holidays or other time “off” or closed: Holidays and providers’ vacations
If this is an Early/Head Start collaboration, please indicate the program option & number of Early/Head start hours: Family Child Care Early/Head Start; hours as above

6. Number of Children Served Full-Day/Year by Location, Setting & Age
Setting includes: Head Start/Early Head Start site; Child care center; Family child care homes; Public/private school system; Other (explain/describe)

Location
Setting
# Infants
# Toddlers
# Preschool
Kellem Kare (capacity 8)
Family Child Care
2
3
2
Little Amigos (capacity 12)
Family Child Care
1
5
2
Helping Hands (capacity 11)
Family Child Care
2
2
2
Care Bears (capacity 12)
Family Child Care
3
2
3
Kids –N- Play (capacity 8)
Family Child Care
2
2
2
Step Ahead Child Care (capacity 7)
Family Child Care
0
3
2
Location
Setting
# Infants
# Toddlers
# Preschool
         
         
         
         
         
         

7. Total number of children served by organization

0-150
151-500
501-2000
2001-6000
6001+

8. Total number of children served by partner’s organization (if applicable). Note: this means an early care & education partner with whom you are collaborating. Agencies that checked “One Agency, Multiple Funders” in question 1, page 1 of this survey will NOT complete this question.

0-50
51-150
151-300
301+

9. Funding used to support full-day/year services (Check all that apply.)

Federal Early/Head Start
State Early Childhood Block Grant from IL State Board of Education
State Early Childhood Block Grant from School District (including Chicago Public Schools)
State Child Care Assistance Program through contract with IL Dept. of Human Services
State Child Care Assistance Program through local Child Care Resource & Referral Agency certificate program
Parent Fees
Other (Specify): ____________

10. Administration/Management (Check either yes, no or not applicable – NA – for each item.)

a. Does the collaboration have a legal written agreement/contract? No Yes NA
b. Other than a contract, does the collaboration have a written partnership plan? No Yes NA
c. Are there written monitoring/oversight procedures? No Yes NA
d. Are there written procedures for communication among partners? No Yes NA
e. Is there a written cost allocation plan/budget for the collaboration? No Yes NA
f. Is there a written training/professional development plan? No Yes NA
g. Do job descriptions reflect staff' collaboration responsibilities? No Yes NA
h. Is there a shared computerized MIS system? No Yes NA
i. Do the partners share business operations & equipment costs? No Yes NA
j. Do the partners purchase transportation jointly? No Yes NA
k. Is there a competitive written RFP process for partner selection? No Yes NA
l. Is there an ongoing advisory group for the collaboration? No Yes NA
m. Did the partnership develop out of a broad based community planning process? No Yes NA
n. Are parents involved in the collaboration planning & evaluation processes? No Yes NA
o. Does the collaboration have a written evaluation process? No Yes NA
p. Has the agency had any audit findings in the past 3 years? No Yes NA
q. When was the agency's last federal monitoring review? 2005
Were there any problems identified? No Yes NA
r. When was the agency's last licensing visit? 2005
Were any problems identified? No Yes NA
s. When was the agency's last DHS monitoring visit?_____________
Were any problems identified? No Yes NA

11. Has the collaboration had an impact on the partner’s internal practices with regard to (check yes or no for each item):

a. Parent Decision Making No Yes
b. Parent Education No Yes
c. Parent Involvement No Yes
d. Family Support Services No Yes
e. Staff Salaries No Yes
f. Employee Benefits No Yes
g. Management Practices/Structure No Yes
h. Staff Training/Professional Development No Yes

12. Program Services (Make 2 checks for each item – 1 to indicate which partner is primarily responsible for direct service delivery and the other to indicate which children receive that service – all or just the collaboration children.)

Services Provided
Partner Responsible for Direct Service Delivery
Children Receiving Services
a. Child education services

E/HS

CC

PreK

Other

All

Collab
b. Family support services

E/HS

CC

PreK

Other

All

Collab
c. Health services

E/HS

CC

PreK

Other

All

Collab
d. Mental health services

E/HS

CC

PreK

Other

All

Collab
e. Parent education/involvement

E/HS

CC

PreK

Other

All

Collab
f. Transportation services NA

E/HS

CC

PreK

Other

All

Collab
g. Nutrition services

E/HS

CC

PreK

Other

All

Collab
h. Transition services

E/HS

CC

PreK

Other

All

Collab
i. Disabilities services

E/HS

CC

PreK

Other

All

Collab
j. Parent home visits

E/HS

CC

PreK

Other

All

Collab
k. Sick child care NA

E/HS

CC

PreK

Other

All

Collab
l. Parent conferences

E/HS

CC

PreK

Other

All

Collab
m. Non-traditional hours service

E/HS

CC

PreK

Other

All

Collab

13. Primary objectives for beginning this collaboration (check all that apply)

Enhance family health services

Enhance the quality of children’s education services
Expand services into new communities
Extend service hours
Improve & maximize staff training/professional development
Link early care & education systems in the community
Maximize funding and cost effectiveness
Maximize use of facilities
Offer increased service options
Offer parents home visits
Respond to parents’ changing needs
Serve a wider age range of children
Extend days of service
Serve siblings in one program
Provide more economically & culturally diverse programming
Increase the number of children served
Provide continuity of care
Improve staff compensation packages

14. Collaboration Development & Management

a. When did the collaboration begin? 1999
b. Are regular written management reports required to support the collaboration? If yes, explain below. No Yes
c. Are there regular required meetings between collaboration partners? If yes, explain below. No Yes
d. Is there written documentation to support the content of meetings? No Yes
e. Does the program/collaboration have a written planning process that includes all partners? No Yes
f. Does the collaboration have a written decision making process? No NA
g. Why did the collaboration begin? See question 13.
h. How were partners selected? Based on their location, number of children and families served and their desire to enhance their own program.
i. When there is a disagreement or conflict, how is it resolved with partners? Meet with all parties involved to clarify problem/conflict.  Look at contract and Head Start Program Performance Standards to determine solution
j. When a decision has to be made about the collaboration, how is this done with partners? The question is brought to the Provider meetings for discussion and input.
k. Explain how often reports & meetings are done/held: Enrollment/Family Service reports are done weekly, PIR is done monthly and there are monthly meetings with all the providers and weekly meetings with individual providers.

15. Program Components: Please answer the following questions about your collaboration program. Show in column 2 which partner is responsible for each program component. Check which children receive the program component in the last 2 columns - either all children in the classroom(s) or just the collaboration children.

   
Responsible Partner
Children Receiving Services

a. Does the program use a standardized curriculum?

If yes, which curriculum? Creative Curriculum

No
Yes
 
All
Collab

b. Does the program do child screening?

If yes, what instrument is used? Ages and Stages

How often are screenings done? Within 45 days of enrollment

No
Yes
 
All
Collab

c. Does the program do ongoing child assessment? If yes, what instrument is used? Creative Curriculum Developmental Continuum

How often is assessment done? Three times a year

No
Yes
 
All
Collab
d. Does the program take field trips? If yes, how often? Monthly No
Yes
 
All
Collab

e. Does the program have family support staff/case managers?

If yes, what is their caseload? 25

How often do they make home visits? ? Twice a year and/or as needed

 

How frequent are family contacts? Daily since parents pick-up and drop-off their children

No
Yes
 
All
Collab
f. BRIEFLY describe your collaboration program’s social service delivery, if you have one, for example explain your crisis intervention and/or referral process(es): Upon contact by the family or recognition by the provider or HS Family Child Care Mentor regarding a crisis, the Mentor helps parent assess the family's situation, identify needs or goals and the action steps to resolve the situation or support the parent, identify the person responsible for an action step and a time line.  The Mentor follows up with the parent to assess the outcome of action steps, including the services from any referrals.

Answer the following questions IN AS FEW WORDS as possible, still giving a picture of how your collaboration works. Use bullet point lists whenever possible.

16. List/describe any other program components included in the collaboration that are not described in items 12 and 15 (pages 3-4).

Head Start provides all child health services to the children enrolled in the collaboration (see 12.c.)

17. Please describe how budgeting and cost sharing among funding sources is done. How do you decide how costs will be shared? What are the financial arrangements between partners?

Head Start pays a stipend to its partners for their providing the child development & education services.

18. Please explain how your collaboration is staffed. Include classroom and support staff and tell how this is changed/different from your regular program. Who funds the staff’s salaries? Who supervises the staff and who employs them? What salaries and benefits are offered collaboration staff and is this different from other staff?

The Family Child Care Providers are self-employed and are monitored by the Family Child Care Mentors and the Child Development Specialist, for collaboration.  They receive a stipend based on their educational level, number of children being served and the children’s average attendance.

19. Please tell about your written agreement, if you have one. Include: what the agreement covers (section titles); term (what the time period is); if finances are part of the agreement and how these were figured; etc.

The annual contract covers:  Parties to Agreement; Scope of Services; Term; Compensation for Services; Equipment & Resource Materials; Evaluation, Reporting and Information Requirements; Bonding, Indemnity and Insurance; Independent Contractor Status; Data Privacy; Obligations Regarding Funders & Regulations; Default; Cancellation of Agreement; Amendment of Agreement; entire Agreement; Description of Services; Payment for Services.

20. Please describe the training system for your collaboration. Include what kind of training is done, how costs are shared among funding sources and/or partners, and how it has changed since the collaboration began.

The Family Child Care Mentors and Head Start manager responsible for the Family Child Care, conduct training of the Providers to ensure knowledge of the Head Start Performance Standards and regulations, including those for activities such as the annual self-assessment process, National Reporting System and shared governance..

21. Please give any other details about your collaboration that you believe are important, but not covered elsewhere.

Some of our providers conduct developmental screenings for all children in their care, but this is not a requirement.

22. If you could start your collaboration over again, knowing what you know now, what would you do differently?

We feel this is a very successful collaboration that serves working families whose needs are not always met in typical child care settings.  The collaboration with providers continues to evolve to meet the needs of particular providers and families while at the same time maintaining Head Start Performance Standards and all regulations.

23. What advice do you have for agencies/homes starting new collaborations?

Talk with some number of programs with successful collaborations

Follow the generally accepted process of:

Choosing a partner based on similar or matching philosophies

Establishing mutual goals and bottom lines (Hopefully, bottom line items are based on regulations or other external factors that cannot be changed, rather than partner preferences or perceived needs.)

Establishing systems for delivery of all services, policies, procedures, practices, etc

Establishing the structures for shared governance, communication, planning, recordkeeping, reporting, monitoring, staff development, conflict resolution etc.

Developing a written agreement or contract

Etc.

 

Copyright 2005 Collaboration Model Description. Template.
HS State Collab Office.10.05

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