Mentoring

The Child Care Partnership Specialist (CCP Specialist) facilitated the successful implementation of The Early Childhood Partnership Initiative (TECPI) model, acting as a change agent to bring together the services of both the Head Start program and local early care and education centers to provide full-day/full-year services to eligible children and families. The CCP Specialist’s role was to develop and nurture on-going relationships with the partners and the Head Start staff to provide support based on mutual respect and a shared desire to continuously enhance services for children and families. To do that she visited each site weekly and:

• Worked with community partners to:
  • create collaborative services that reflect currently known “best practices”
  • maintain full enrollment of assigned slots
  • collect and maintain all required documentation
  • create annual site enhancement and professional development plans
• Served as the liaison between community partners and the Head Start program
• Worked with the Head Start program to foster an understanding of and appreciation for community-based early care and education services
• Monitored the implementation of contractual requirements and ensures compliance with provisions
• Worked with the TECPI Steering Committee to create policies to support the implementation of the child care partnership model
• Facilitated the work of the TECPI Implementation Team to create operational procedures, reporting systems and tools to successfully deliver high quality services in partnership sites
• Represented TECPI at the Downriver Early Care and Education Provider’s Network and other local events to increase community awareness of partnerships
• Assisted the Project Director in the overall work of The Early Childhood Partnership Initiative

As soon as the partners were chosen the four directors began to meet bi-weekly with the Project Director, the Child Care Partnership Specialist, the Let’s Talk Training and Mentoring Coordinator, The Guidance Center Assistant Head Start Director and other Head Start personnel as needed to help the group work through issues and continue to add to the director’s knowledge of those parts of the Head Start program policies and procedures they would need to incorporate into their programs. It was also a place to continue to educate the Head Start staff as to the intricacies of the child care field. They received a notebook of forms and pieces that would assist in the integration of the two programs.

Documents for you to use:

• Index of the Child Care Partnership Handbook--Word Document
• Mentor’s Observation--Word Document
• Annual Planning Goals--Word Document
• Quality Enhancement Funds--Word Document

• Home
• Getting Started
• Staffing the Effort
• Governance of the Effort
• Creating a Shared Vision
• Developing the Model
• Creating Incentives to Partner
• Recruiting Potential Partners
• Steps to Partnership
• Choosing Partners
• The Partnership Agreement
• Recruitment of Families
• Staff Development
• Mentoring
• Orienting Head Start Staff
  to Child Care Partnerships
• Final Thoughts
• Appendix A