Developing the Model
After much research and work by both teams some decisions were made regarding the model that would frame the partnerships.
Services
Services
- Head Start services for eligible children would take place in licensed child care centers. Centers must be able to dually enroll a minimum of 5 children.
- Contracts would exist between the delegate agency of Wayne Co. Health and Family Services Head Start and the child care center. The contract would establish the maximum number of children who could be dually enrolled at one time.
- Students would be blended into existing classrooms with children who were not Head Start eligible.
- Priority would be given to partnering with centers serving infants, toddlers and school age children to assist parents in establishing one child care home for the family.
- Center partnership classrooms providing early education and care services for three and four year olds could include children who were:
- Head Start eligible but in need of full-day care due to the parent’s employment, training or schooling.
- Already enrolled in the center, but who were Head Start eligible and would otherwise miss the comprehensive services of Head Start otherwise.
- The teacher and assistant teacher assigned to partnership classrooms were staff members of the child care centers.
- The teacher would be able to access schooling benefits through WCH&FS Head Start to complete the minimum of a Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential within 2 years of becoming the teacher in a partnership classroom. S/he would be eligible for continued financial support toward the attainment of an Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Education as long as s/he remained a partnership teacher.
- A Child Care Partnership (CCP) Mentor would be provided who would:
- Work with centers interested in establishing partnerships to assess the center’s ability to meet Head Start Performance Standards using the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS)
- Collaborate with the center director to establish a center enhancement plan based on both the results of the ECERS and the priorities of the director
- Assist the center staff in understanding the added value partnership brings to their site and the Performance Standards
- Mentor staff involved in the partnership on a weekly basis
- Arrange training for center staff. Some training would be for partnership staff, additional training could be arranged based on the request of the director that includes other center staff.
- Recruit families eligible for the partnership slots
- Serve as a liaison between the center and the Head Start program to:
- advocate for center needs
- assist the billing/payment process
- monitor to assure that Performance Standards are met
- Arrange for the provision of comprehensive services. The CCP Mentor will assist the center in accessing as many services for all center families as possible (Ex. Mobile Dentist).
- Parents, the Michigan Department of Human Services or a combination thereof, would pay child care fees.
- Stipends would be paid to the child care center by Head Start to enhance the quality of services available at the center to meet Head Start Performance Standards. Stipends are not fees for child care.
- Stipends for the extra work involved in meeting the Head Start Performance Standards would be paid on a $30 per-child/per-week basis for up to 50 weeks per year. ($1500)
- Stipends may be used at the discretion of the center director within the parameters set forth in the contract.
- Additional funds would be available based on the number of children enrolled and the real costs of field trips, parent activities and classroom supplies.
