POLICY:

NOCAC Child Development offers opportunities for parents to participate in a research-based parenting curriculum that builds on parents’ knowledge and offers parents the opportunity to practice parenting skills to promote children’s learning and development.

PROCEDURES:

1. NOCAC Child Development uses Conscious Disciple for families which is a research-based parenting curriculum to help support parents in strengthening their parenting skills.
2. Both in-person and virtual training is available.
3. This curriculum has three different ways in which it delivers the training. NOCAC Child Development utilizes all three depending on the needs and wants of the parents interested in learning more about Conscious Discipline
   1. Parent Nights
   2. Home Visits
   3. Mini-Sessions
4. Pre and post-tests are conducted to collect data important to show positive gains made by parents.
5. Handouts and make-it-take-it activities are provided for all participants

Forms and Additional Guidance:

POLICY:

NOCAC Child Development will collaborate with families to identify educational needs that are responsive to all adult family members’ interests and goals.

PROCEDURES:

1. The Family Interest Survey will be introduced to each family at the time of their participants enrollment.  This form can be found in the Enrollment Packet in both English and Spanish.
   1. The Family & Community Engagement Team will then collect, aggregate and share the data collected from this Family Interest Survey with each classroom or option along with the Center Managers and Family Advocates.
      1. The data collected will be sued to plan trainings and family events.
2. Additional family surveys will be conducted each program year and the content of these surveys will be determined by the needs of the families and the program.  Survey options can be but are not limited to:
   1. Mid Year Family Survey
   2. End of the Year Family Survey
   3. Specific topic surveys such as COVID survey and Infant & Toddler Survey.
3. Survey deliver style has varied in the past.  Paper copy surveys sent directly to each family in the program and a Survey Monkey link has been sent to each family via email, remind.com or ClassDojo messenger have been used previously
   1. Paper copy surveys include survey questions, an envelope for teh family to seal their completed survey in – label on front of envelope with the deadline to return completed surveys to their teacher/home visitor, an instruction sheet for the family on how to complete and return their survey, and an instruction and tracking sheet for each teacher and/or home visitor to use when getting the completed surveys.

Forms and Additional Guidance:

POLICY:

NOCAC Child Development integrates parent and family engagement strategies into all systems and program service areas to support the well-being of the family and promote the participant’s learning and development.

PROCEDURES:

1. Family engagement approach.  NOCAC Child Development:
   1. Recognize parents as their child’s primary teachers and nurturers.
   2. Implement intentional strategies to engage parents in their child’s learning and development.
   3. Supports parent-child relationships, including specific strategies for father engagement.
   4. Develops relationships with parents and structure services to encourage trust and respectful, ongoing two-way communication between staff and parents to create a welcoming program environment that incorporate the unique cultural, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds of families in the program and community. Including but not limited to:
      1. Ensuring both parents are aware of the participant’s progress, concerns, and upcoming events through:
         1. Class Dojo.com app
         2. Remind.com app
         3. Phone call
         4. Text
         5. Email
         6. Facebook messenger
         7. Family Central
         8. Home Visits
         9. Parent teacher conferences
         10. Mail
   5. Collaborate with the family in a family partnership, through a Family Partnership Agreement (FPA) process that identifies:
      1. strengths
      2. needs
      3. interests
      4. goals
      5. services
      6. resources that support family well-being such as:
         1. family safety
         2. health
         3. economic stability.  This is done with a FPA.
      7. NOCAC HS/EHS Family Advocates complete an FPA with the family twice a year.
   6. Provides parents with opportunities to participate in the program as:
      1. Employees
      2. Volunteers
      3. Policy Council
         1. Policy Council members are nominated and then voted in by other parents during family picnics and family fun nights.
   7. Conduct family engagement services in the family’s preferred language, or through an interpreter, current list are given to each center manager, to the extent possible ensuring that the family has the opportunity to share personal information in an environment in which they feel safe.
   8. Family Progress Notes are completed with teachers, home visitors, and family support staff to share information with each other, as appropriate and consistent with the requirements in part 1303 subpart C, of this chapter; FERPA; or IDEA, to ensure coordinated family engagement strategies with the participant and family in the classroom, home, and community.

Forms and Additional Guidance:

• Family Partnership Agreement (FPA)

POLICY:

NOCAC Child Development will respect and follow any legal documents where child custody is involved.

PROCEDURES:

1. Determining legal custody of a NOCAC Child Development participant:
   1. In the case where the biological parents are not married or live in the same home:
      1. The parent who has legal custody of the child must provide legal court documents.  Documents must include:
         1. Participants name
         2. Date
         3. Court File Stamp
         4. Who has legal custody
         5. Schedule of visitation
            1. For example: Mom has full custody, Dad has visitation every other weekend starting on Friday at 3:00pm through Sunday at 5:00pm.
   2. In the case where the legal guardian is not eh biological parent, such as Kinship or Foster, the Family Advocate will work with the legal guardian to obtain proper documentation of custody that could include:
      1. Court documents stating temporary or permanent custody
      2. A state agency approved guardian or caregiver document
         1. All documents must include:
            1. Dates
            2. Names of child and person who has legal custody
      3. Lack of documentation will not be a barrier to enrollment.
2. NOCAC Child Development Staff cannot and will not prevent a noncustodial parent from visiting their child at the center.
3. NOCAC Child Development Staff will not allow for a child to leave with a noncustodial parent without prior custodial parent permission.
4. Refer to NOCAC Child Development’s Open Door Policy.
5. NOCAC Child Development will respect and honor any active court ordered no contact order.
   1. Custodial parent/legal guardian must provide the court ordered no contact order.
   2. NOCAC Child Development Staff will ask for a picture of the parent who the order is against.  The Staff will attach the picture to the order and share the information with all Staff at the Head Start Center.
   3. NOCAC Child Development Staff and the custodial parent will discuss a plan if the noncustodial would show up at the center.
   4. If a noncustodial parent comes to the center and there is an active no contact order NOCAC Child Development Staff will:
      1. Call the police
      2. Remove the child from the center as long as that will keep the child safe
      3. Call the custodial parent
6. NOCAC Child Development Staff will:
   1. Introduce themselves to the noncustodial parents.
   2. Ensure that noncustodial parents are included in program events such as:
      1. Parent/teacher conferences
      2. Child development planning
      3. Family fun nights
      4. Picnics
      5. Home visits
   3. When a noncustodial parent cannot be present NOCAC Child Development Staff will make sure they are provided information through:
      1. Mail
      2. Class Dojo
      3. Facebook
      4. Remind
      5. Phone calls
   4. NOCAC Child Development Staff will make sure the noncustodial parent is provided family services along with any resources and referrals.
7. NOCAC Child Development will keep all custody issues confidential.

Forms and Additional Guidance:

POLICY:

NOCAC Child Development will address and attempt to resolve any concerns, complaints or problems a family has concerning the participants involvement in the program.

PROCEDURES:

1. In the event that a family has a concern, complaint or problems regarding their child’s involvement in the program NOCAC Child Development encourages the family to follow the following steps in trying to resolve the issue:
   1. Discuss the issue with the teacher if not satisfied.
   2. Discuss the issue with the Center Manager if still not satisfied.
   3. Contact the Social Services Manager at 419-784-5136 if still not satisfied.
   4. The parent is encouraged to complete a Grievance Form which can be found in the NOCAC Family Handbook and Calendar or by contact the Social Services Manager at the NOCAC Central Office located at 1933 E. 2nd Street, Defiance, OH 43512.
   5. Once a grievance is filled out and turned in the NOCAC Child Development Director will coordinate the grievance procedure.  The NOCAC Child Development Director will respond to the person who filed the grievance within 7 days with an explanation of operations and a plan of action to correct the situation.
   6. Following the response from the NOCAC Child Development Director, the person filing the grievance may provide and/or request additional information.
   7. All grievances are kept confidential.
   8. Grievances may be discussed amongst appropriate staff with the approval of the person filing the grievance.

Forms and Additional Guidance:

• Grievance Form
• NOCAC Family Handbook and Calendar

POLICY:

NOCAC Head Start is required by the Grant that 20 percent of the total grantee budget be submitted as non-federal share. This means that 20% of the total HS Budget must come from donations made by the families and communities that NOCAC Head Start serves.

PROCEDURES:

1. NOCAC values contributed services and property that are to be used to meet a cost sharing or matching requirement at their fair market values at the time of contribution, unless award documents or federal agency regulations identify specific values to be used.
2. NOCAC Staff will follow the Non-Federal Share (in-Kind) Procedure in the Fiscal Handbook.
3. Guidance for families about In-Kind is found in the NOCAC Family Handbook and Calendar and Staff Calendar. NOCAC staff will review this with each family during the 1st Home Visit.
4. Checklist for Quality Improvement in In-Kind Report
   1. Your signature makes you accountable for the In-Kind.
   2. Make sure families know that they do not produce In-Kind simply to meet a program requirement, but that it is a way for them to learn how to observe and assess their child’s progress.
   3. Give examples of acceptable/unacceptable activity. Is the family in control of activity?
   4. Stress the need for consistent high volume In-Kind (average of an hour a day is desired)
   5. Stress that In-Kind should be completed weekly. One week per sheet.
   6. Get proper signatures from all adults who worked with the child. (Anyone listed as working with the child must also sign the form, cannot be signed “Grandpa” or “Dad”, etc, must be legal first and last name signatures)
5. NOCAC Staff will hand in completed In-Kinds to the Data System Specialists at the Central Office no later than the 10th of each month.
   1. Previous year’s In-Kind can be sent in until January 10th.
   2. When a child withdraws, send in In-Kinds with the rest of the month on the 10th.

6. Only 1 In-Kind per family/household. If there are siblings enrolled, it counts as one.
7. Before sending In-Kinds to the Central Office, NOCAC Staff will:
   1. Print the parent/guardian’s name on the In-Kind.
   2. Make sure the parent/guardian’s signature is on the In-Kind.
   3. Add the hours from the activity side and write the total on the side with the signatures.
   4. Add all of the In-Kind for one parent; write that total in the upper right corner of the signed side. Staple In-Kind for each parent together on the upper left corner of this side.
   5. NOCAC staff must sign each In-Kind.
   6. Alphabetize them according to parent last name.
8. Why we encourage Family Engagement
   1. It is important to remember to have the best interest of the child always in view. It is NOCAC’s belief, and has been substantiated by research, that Family Engagement is essential and directly correlates to how well a child does in their educational growth.
   2. The Parent is the child’s first and most important teacher. They can help their child develop more fully by paying close attention to signs of development and responding in a way that will support and challenge their child.
   3. Completing In-Kind and working on the bag tags should give the parents a feeling of competence as a teacher for their child. It should also help increase the parents’ knowledge of child development. It should provide opportunities to observe their child and apply knowledge.

Forms and Additional Guidance: