Family & Community Partnerships

1. Family & Community Partnerships Parent Involvement, Recruitment and enrollment

2. QUESTION: • How do staff encourage parents to participate in staff-parent conferences? • § 1304.21 Education and early childhood development.  • (a) Child development and education approach for all children. • (2) Parents must be: • (iii) Encouraged to participate in staff-parent conferences and home visits to discuss their child's development and education

3. QUESTIONS: Are teachers required to make no fewer than two home visits per program year? How do you explain the advantages of home visits to parents?

4. § 1304.40 Family partnerships.  • (i) Parent involvement in home visits. • (1) Grantee and delegate agencies must not require that parents permit home visits as a condition of the child's participation in Early Head Start or Head Start center-based program options. Every effort must be made to explain the advantages of home visits to the parents. • (2) The child's teacher in center-based programs must make no less than two home visits per program year to the home of each enrolled child, unless the parents expressly forbid such visits, in accordance with the requirements of 45 CFR 1306.32(b)(8). Other staff working with the family must make or join home visits, as appropriate.

5. QUESTIONS: How are parents involved in the selection and or development of the program’s curriculum? When are parents allowed to visit the program and observe their children? How are parents provided with opportunities to increase their child observation skills and to share their assessments with staff?

6. § 1304.40 Family partnerships.  • (a) Child development and education approach for all children • (2) Parents must be: • (i) Invited to become integrally involved in the development of the program's curriculum and approach to child development and education; • (ii) Provided opportunities to increase their child observation skills and to share assessments with staff that will help plan the learning experiences; and

7. PARENT INVOLVEMENT QUESTION: Are developmental assessments shared with parents throughout the program year? POSSIBLE ANSWERS: Assessments are being shared with parents during parent conferences of home visits. Assessments can also be shared when parents visit the program.

8. Parent Involvement QUESTION: Are parents included in educational decisions related to their children? Can you describe the decision-making process? POSSIBLE ANSWERS: Parents are allowed multiple opportunities to assist in educational decisions for their child through parent committee meetings, policy council and/or education/health advisory boards. Parents are encouraged to assist in lesson plans, field trips and Individual Education Plans if necessary.

9. Recruitment QUESTION: (FCPM Answers) Describe the steps you take to ensure the program is meeting the needs of children below the poverty line, children between 100 percent and 130 percent of poverty, children eligible for public assistance, foster children, or homeless children before enrolling other children. Do you know how we recruit?

10. Eligibility • A child is categorically eligible to participate in the Head Start program if the: • Child's family income is below the poverty line, • Child's family is receiving public assistance, • Child's family is homeless, or • Child is a foster child. • Additional income eligibility requirements include the following: • An additional 35 percent of children who are not categorically eligible may be from families whose income is between 100 percent and 130 percent of poverty. (Won’t Select until Sept.) • Ten percent of children enrolled in the program may be over income. (Won’t Select until Sept.)

11. Selection Children who are income eligible will be selected first Children who are 100-130% will be selected next ONLY to meet fully enrolled requirements will over income children be selected. No more than 10% of our total enrollment will be over income