Community Partnerships and Coordination with other Early Childhood and Education Programs

POLICY:

NOCAC Head Start will establish ongoing collaborative relationships and partnerships with community organizations such as establishing joint agreements, procedures, or contracts and arranging for onsite delivery of services as appropriate to facilitate access to community services that are responsive to children and family needs and family partnership goals, and community needs and resources, as determined by the community assessment.

PROCEDURES:

1. NOCAC Head Start community partnerships include:
   1. Health care providers
   2. Child and adult mental health professionals
   3. Medicaid managed care networks
   4. Dentists and other health professionals
   5. Nutritional service providers
   6. Substance abuse treatment providers
   7. Individuals and agencies that provide services to children with disabilities and their families, elementary schools, state preschool providers, and providers of child care services
   8. Family preservation and support services and child protective services and any other agency to which child abuse must be reported under state or tribal law;
   9. Educational and cultural institutions
   10. Public Assistance programs
   11. Housing assistance agencies and providers of support for children and families experiencing homelessness, including the local educational agency liaison designated under section 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11431 et seq.)
   12. Domestic violence prevention and support providers
   13. Providers who serve pregnant women, infants and toddlers.

2. NOCAC Head Start takes an active role in promoting coordinated systems of comprehensive early childhood services to low-income children and families in their community through communication, cooperation, and the sharing of information among agencies and their community partners, while protecting the privacy of child records in accordance with subpart C in the HSPPS

Forms and Additional Guidance: