Head Start Reauthorization and Homelessness

1. Head Start Reauthorization and Homelessness February 27, 2008 State Coordinators� Meeting Washington DC

2. NAEHCY � www.naehcy.org Issues Facing Young Homeless Children Mobility - loss of structure, routine, stability Trauma and loss Deep poverty (mean income of homeless families is 46% of poverty; many homeless families also work and are still homeless) Higher rates of developmental delays Higher rates of chronic and acute health problems Mental health issues: stress, anxiety, and depression Disrupted or stressed attachments to caregivers Invisibility

3. NAEHCY � www.naehcy.org Head Start Findings Compared to non-homeless children served by Head Start (1999 HS demonstration programs), homeless children have: Greater developmental delays (language) More learning disabilities More mental health problems Higher frequency of withdrawal, shyness, separation anxiety, short attention disorder, flat affect, aggression, hoarding, anxiety in response to changes in environment or staff absences, concern over getting enough food, and sharing toys

4. NAEHCY � www.naehcy.org Barriers to Head Start:ACF-IM-92-12 Lack of available slots and programs due to insufficient Head Start funding High mobility - prevents homeless and foster children from reaching the top of waiting lists; also interferes with continued participation Program enrollment requirements (residency, birth certificates, immunizations, documentation of income) Lack of transportation to participate, both during and after loss of housing or foster care placement Lack of awareness of homelessness/foster care (invisibility) Barbara starts hereBarbara starts here

5. NAEHCY � www.naehcy.org Head Start Reauthorization: Public Law 110-134 �Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007� signed in December Public Law 110-134 Information Memoranda and FAQs can be found on the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center - http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc

6. NAEHCY � www.naehcy.org Head Start Reauthorization: Definition of Homelessness The Head Start reauthorization includes a definition of homelessness that matches the definition of homelessness in the education subtitle of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act [42 U.S.C. 9832(19)] Identical definition is in the Child Nutrition Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the Violence Against Women Act Housing and Urban Development (HUD) homeless programs use a more restrictive definition (but changes are pending)

7. NAEHCY � www.naehcy.org Head Start Reauthorization: Eligibility for Homeless Children Homeless children are categorically eligible for Head Start [42 U.S.C. 9840(a)(1)(B)] Children in foster care are eligible even if family income exceeds guidelines (current regulations)

8. NAEHCY � www.naehcy.org Head Start Reauthorization: Eligibility for Homeless Children Head Start programs can continue to serve 10% of their enrollment with children over the poverty line. Head Start programs may serve an additional 35% with children from families with incomes up to 130% of poverty. However, in order to exercise this option, Head Start programs must demonstrate that they are doing outreach to, prioritizing, and meeting the needs of children who are homeless and children from families with incomes below poverty. [42 U.S.C. 9840(a)(1)(B)] This provision is in effect immediately [ACF-IM-HS-08-03]

9. NAEHCY � www.naehcy.org Head Start Reauthorization: Enrollment of Homeless Children Requires Secretary to issue regulations to remove barriers to the enrollment and participation of homeless children, including requiring Head Start agencies: 1) to implement policies and procedures to ensure that homeless children are identified and prioritized for enrollment;

10. NAEHCY � www.naehcy.org Head Start Reauthorization: Enrollment of Homeless Children 2) to allow families of homeless children to apply to, enroll in, and attend Head Start programs while required documents, such as proof of residency, immunization and other medical records, birth certificates, and other documents, are obtained within a reasonable time frame; and 3) to coordinate individual Head Start programs with efforts to implement subtitle B of title VIII of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.S. 11431 et seq.)

11. NAEHCY � www.naehcy.org Head Start Reauthorization: Enrollment Report Language �It is the intent of the Conferees that Head Start agencies, in carrying out the requirements of paragraph (1), employ a variety of strategies to help remove barriers to the enrollment and participation of homeless children in Head Start, including conducting targeted recruitment of homeless children, including homelessness as a priority criterion in selection policies, reserving slots for homeless children, filling vacancies with homeless children, and other activities as determined necessary by the community-wide needs assessment�..

12. NAEHCY � www.naehcy.org Head Start Reauthorization: Enrollment Report Language �In addition to these strategies, Head Start agencies may find it appropriate, in some instances, to place a homeless child ahead of other eligible children on waiting lists in order to address their mobility and special needs. In general, when a grantee works on its community-wide needs assessment, it should ensure that it accounts for homeless families. Grantees are encouraged to engage school district homeless liaisons, private and public shelter providers, HUD Continuums of Care, and other homeless service agencies in the community-wide needs assessment.�

13. NAEHCY � www.naehcy.org Head Start Reauthorization: Increasing Access Issues for Regulations/Implementation: Identification Prioritization �Reasonable time frame� Licensing requirements Placement stability Transportation Coordination Confidentiality/information-sharing

14. NAEHCY � www.naehcy.org Head Start Reauthorization: Enrollment Expected to maintain 97% of funded enrollment Must maintain wait list and conduct outreach If under 97% funded enrollment, Secretary must collaboratively develop plans and timetables for reducing under-enrollment, taking into consideration changing demographics, mobility of populations, and the identification of new underserved low-income populations

15. NAEHCY � www.naehcy.org Head Start Reauthorization: Enrollment, Cont�d. If, after receiving technical assistance and developing and implementing a plan for reducing under-enrollment, a Head Start agency still operates with less than 97 percent enrollment, the Secretary may recapture or withhold funds. However, Secretary can waive or reduce funding reductions if causes of enrollment shortfalls include serving significant numbers of highly mobile childre; the shortfall is not significant; or the shortfall can reasonably be expected to be temporary.

16. NAEHCY � www.naehcy.org Head Start Reauthorization: New Programs Requires as a criteria for applicants for new Head Start programs a plan to meet the needs of homeless children and children in foster care, including transportation needs

17. NAEHCY � www.naehcy.org Criteria in Allocating Funds to Expand Existing Programs The extent to which applicants have undertaken community-wide strategic planning and needs assessments involving the LEA homeless liaison, and organizations providing services to children in foster care, homeless children, child abuse prevention services, protective services The extent to which applicants coordinate with LEA homeless liaisons

18. NAEHCY � www.naehcy.org Collaboration and Coordination Requires Head Start agencies to coordinate and collaborate with the agencies responsible for administering section 106 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106a), parts B and E of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 620 et seq. and 670 et seq.), and programs under Subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act Requires each Head Start program to establish channels of communication between Head Start staff and McKinney-Vento liaisons to facilitate coordination of programs

19. NAEHCY � www.naehcy.org Collaboration and Coordination Requires Head Start programs to develop and implement a family outreach and support program in coordination with outreach efforts under the McKinney-Vento Act Requires Head Start State Collaboration Directors to develop a strategic plan that will enhance collaboration and coordination with and services provided for homeless children, children in foster care, and children referred to Head Start programs by child welfare agencies, including agencies and State officials responsible for such services

20. NAEHCY � www.naehcy.org Early Head Start Requires Early Head Start programs to coordinate services with programs in the community for homeless infants and toddlers

21. NAEHCY � www.naehcy.org Quality Standards Requires the Secretary to establish standards for Head Start agencies, through regulation, taking into consideration best practices with respect to homeless children and children in foster care, and changes in the population of children who are eligible to participate in Head Start programs, including the family structure of such children (including children in foster care and the number of homeless children)

22. NAEHCY � www.naehcy.org Training and Technical Assistance Requires the Secretary to provide technical assistance to improve outreach to, increase program participation of, and improve quality of services available to meet the unique needs of homeless children Requires the Secretary to provide, either directly or through grants or other arrangements, to support training for personnel providing services to children determined to be abused or neglected or children referred by or receiving child welfare services, and to address the needs of homeless families

23. NAEHCY � www.naehcy.org Data Collection and Reporting Requires Head Start programs to collect data on the number of homeless children and children in foster care participating in the program Requires the Secretary to prepare a report on the status of children in Head Start programs, including homeless children, children in foster care, and children referred by child welfare agencies

24. NAEHCY � www.naehcy.org Save the Date(s) 3rd National Young Children Without Homes Conference April 15-17 Boston, MA www.horizonsforhomelesschildren.org NAEHCY 20th Annual Conference Oct 31-Nov. 3, 2008 Crystal City, VA www.naehcy.org

25. NAEHCY � www.naehcy.org Contact Information Barbara Duffield, Policy Director, NAEHCY 4701 Connecticut Avenue, NW, #402 Washington DC 20008 Phone: 202.364.7392 Fax: 202.318.7523 bduffield@naehcy.org

26. Partners to Support the School Readiness of Young Children Experiencing Homelessness Louis Tallarita CT McKinney-Vento State Liaison Grace Whitney CT Head Start Collaboration Office

27. Early Education & Care Landscape in Your World � A Grid Take a few minutes to work with two or three people sitting near you to complete the Early Education and Care Infrastructure Grid for either the state or local level.

28. Early Education & Care Landscape in Your World � A Grid Which cells were you able to fill? Which cells are empty? Were you able to help one another? Were there consistencies in your grids? Were there aspects of the �system� that were particularly invisible to your group?

29. Early Education & Care Landscape � Partnering to Support Children Partnering Strategies Sitting and supporting one another at the table, e.g., State Policy Academy Cross-training Reading one another�s proposals Assembling and sharing data

30. Early Education & Care Landscape � Partnering to Support Children Pooling Funds Conference registrations to assemble state teams Expanding consultant time Special projects, e.g., statewide survey

31. Early Education & Care Landscape � Accomplishments New Developments State/local Coalitions recognize and address children�s needs Funds from legislature for child-oriented projects Changes in recruitment/enrollment practices of programs

32. Early Education and Care Landscape Early education and care (EEC) system includes child care and education for children birth to age 5 EEC is a fragmented �system� of parallel systems Various settings, locations Different originating legislation and regulations, governing structures, systems for monitoring and quality control Separate and combined public and private funding that varies state to state, city to city, year to year

33. Early Education and Care Landscape Head Start & Early Head Start Child Care IDEA State Pre-Kindergarten Programs Other Early Education and Care Partners

34. Early Education and Care Landscape � Head Start Federal funds directly to local communities - over 2,500 grantees/delegate agencies Some states provide supplemental funding Head Start began in 1964 as a program of the War on Poverty & Early Head Start began in 1994 Comprehensive child development program: Head Start serves ages 3 to 5 �Head Start is in nearly every community nationwide Early Head Start serves pregnant women and children birth to age 3 � Several grantees per state

35. Early Education and Care Landscape: Head Start Comprehensive and two-generational services Health and learning, disabilities, family development and support, community partnerships Income eligibility based on federal poverty guidelines At least 10% with identified disability Federal and Regional Office oversight and State Collaboration Offices Federal Program Performance Standards and monitoring system

36. Early Education and Care Landscape: Child Care Federal CCDF block grant that states can supplement State and local child care funding supplements States can use federal TANF block grant funds Designated �state child care administrator� State administrative rules, e.g., eligibility, priorities State and some local regulations CCDF requires coordination of ALL child care through Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (CCR&R) CCDF designates set asides for quality initiatives and services for infants and toddlers

37. Early Education and Care Landscape: Child Care Subsidized Child Care Providers State-funded child care centers, networks of family child care homes through contracts and grants to local agencies for a certain number of �slots� Child Care Subsidies, or Vouchers Used by families to purchase care from licensed and unregulated care providers, including relatives and friends, for the care that best meets their needs Serve children from infants through school-age

38. Early Education and Care Landscape: IDEA Parts B & C Federal funds to states under Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B � Preschool Special Education for ages 3-5 Part C � Infants and Toddlers Uses McKinney-Vento definition of homeless Provides for identification, location, evaluation and education of children with disabilities who are experiencing homelessness Individualized Plan Home-based, classroom & consultation models Goal of mainstreaming

39. Early Education and Care Landscape � State Pre-K Programs State funding of preschool services for 4-year-olds or for 3- and 4-year-olds State Departments of Education provide leadership and provide funding to local school districts Both school based and community providers Both targeted and universal designs State Cabinets and integrated state agencies and departments Local councils and community partnerships Most states now have some type of state pre-k system

40. Other Potential EEC Partners Non-profit and philanthropic initiatives e.g., United Way Success-by-Six Local Government County and city programs, children�s libraries, recreation programs Religious and family service organizations

41. Barriers to Early Education and Care Program enrollment requirements (residency, birth certificates, immunizations, documentation of income) Lack of available slots and/or programs due to insufficient funding Waiting lists�High mobility prevents children from reaching the top Lack of transportation Lack of awareness, understanding of homelessness Lack of full day programming Confusion regarding free care versus costs for care