CHSA Update
June 2010
In This Issue

  • Policy Update
  • Upcoming Events
  • Presentations Archive
  • CHSA Cluster Meetings
  • Congratulations
  • CHSSCO Update
  • State T/TA Update
  • Announcements
  • $2 Per Child Campaign 
Announcements
Call for Proposals

 

12th Annual

National Fatherhood 
& Families Conference

 

Celebrating Diversity

Celebrating Fatherhood

 

March 1-4, 2011

San Francisco, CA

Click HereTo download the 2011 Call for Proposals

Head Start Body Start
 Play Space Grant
Deadline Extended to
July 1, 2010

Additional to the extended deadline - new guidelines are in effect. If your organization received a Play Space Grant for one of its Head Start centers last year, you are now eligible to apply for an additional Play Space Grant for a different Head Start center.Learn more about the application process
Sun Safety Education

The CA Skin Cancer Prevention Program is offering Sun-Safety Educational Kits that are designed for use with children, three to five years of age.

Visit: http://avoidskincancer.org/
to read more, order kits and view printable materials
Visit our
 Corporate Partners 
 
Andreini & Company
 

Armstrong & Associates Insurance Services
 

ChildCareCareer

 ChildPlus Software

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Discount School Supply
 
E Rate Solutions Group

InnoVisions
 

Kaplan Early Learning Company
 

Lakeshore Learning Materials

 
TeachingStrategies

Funding Advocacy


This summer is a pivotal time for child development funding on both the federal and state levels: 

Federal -  While the President has requested funding for Fiscal Year 2011 to continue funding for expansion, Congress has not yet acted on his proposal.  When Congress is not able to agree on a proposed budget in time, they often adopt "Continuing Resolutions."  The danger to Head Start is that unless expansion funds are specifically included in a Continuing Resolution,  expansion slots will be lost.  Please communicate with your Representatives so that they understand the importance of this issue to Head Start. For more details, go to: Federal Update.

State -  California advocates came to Sacramento last week for Early Learning Advocacy Day, at the nadir of the State's budget crisis.   Attempting to balance an enormous deficit without raising taxes, the Governor has proposed cutting the State's Child Development budget by a stunning 57%, which would eliminate services to 160,000-250,000 children.  While the Legislature has rejected the Governor's proposal, child development is still vulnerable and it is critical for program leaders to engage.   To learn more about the Campaign to Save Child Care in California, visit: Save Child Care.

Upcoming Events: 

Policy Summit, Manager & Director Institute

On July 27-28, CHSA will be hosting two major events in San Jose.  The West Coast Policy Summit will feature Yvette Sanchez Fuentes, Director of the Office of Head Start, and Yasmina Vinci, Executive Director of NHSA, among others.  The Manager & Director Institute this year features six in-depth training strands:  Monitoring & Compliance, Strategic Leadership, Infant/Toddler Programs, Tools for Quality Classrooms, Fiscal Management and HS/EHS 101.  In addition, we'll have two General Sessions, quality exhibitors and great networking opportunities.  For more details, check out the agenda and program details at: Policy Summit & MDI.

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Yvette Sanchez Fuentes
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Yasmina Vinci

Health Institute Presentations Available Online

CHSA enjoyed record attendance at its recent Health Institute in Burbank, with over 300 attendees.   From opening speaker Linda Carson to America Bracho's closing keynote, the energy was high and issues ranged from childhood obesity to disaster preparedness.   Many speakers have shared copies of their presentations, which are available on our website at: HI Presentations.

CHSA Cluster Meetings

CHSA has been conducting a series of presentations around California, in collaboration with regional managers from the Community Care Licensing (CCL) division of the State Department of Social Services.  CCL staff have outlined a proposed plan to increase the frequency of monitoring visits by streamlining and identifying key indicators.  Mike Zito from the California Head Start State Collaboration Office and Rick Mocker, Executive Director of CHSA have been providing program and policy updates and meeting in roundtable sessions with managers and directors in San Diego, Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento and Chico.  The last meeting in this series will be in Fresno.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Sarah Younglove, Head Start Director for LACOE and Nancy Remley, California Head Start Collaboration Office Director, who were both recently appointed to California's State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care.  Congratulations to Colleen Versteeg who was appointed as Director of Head Start for Orange County.
CHSSCO
Report from the California Head Start-State
Collaboration Office
By Michael Zito and Nancy Remley

The CHSSCO has been working on the following activities in support of California's Head Start programs:

 

California Early Learning Council

 

Governor Schwarzenegger has determined that the Early Learning Quality Improvement System Committee will also serve as the State Early Learning Council called for in the reauthorization of Head Start. Nancy Remley, Director of the CHSSCO and Sarah Young love, Director of LACOE Head Start, have been appointed to the new council. The council is developing a Strategic Plan to guide it over the next three years.  For more information, go to www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/re/sb1629committee.asp

 

Statewide Cluster Meetings - Focus on Community Care Licensing

 

The CHSSCO and CHSA conducted six cluster meetings with Head Start grantees and delegates across California in May and June. A focus of the meetings was a dialogue with managers from each areas Community Care Licensing regional office, and dissemination of a "Questions and Answers" document that has been developed over the last year in cooperation with CCL. http://caheadstart.org/CCLDHeadStartQ.A.pdf

 

Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning

 

The California CSEFEL "Train-the-Trainer" events were held in Sacramento March 11-12 and April 15-16. Train-the-Trainer event information for Southern California will also be out soon, scheduled for late summer or early fall of 2010. For more information, go to: http://www.cainclusivechildcare.org/camap/csefel.html

 

Guidance to County Welfare Departments

 

The CHSSCO is working with the CDE Child Development Division and the California Department of Social Services on an All County Letter, a DSS memorandum to County Welfare Directors that describes how Head Start is working to with local welfare offices in Los Angeles and Merced to refer families with young children for Head Start services. The All County Letter encourages welfare departments to contact their local Head Start programs to discuss how to make similar referrals in their counties.

 

MCAH Home Visitor Project

 

The Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health Program at the California Department of Public Health is preparing to apply for federal funding for a new California Home Visitor program. Currently they are conducting a required statewide needs assessment, which is due to the HRSA in early July. The federal MCAH has yet to release the specific criteria required for home visiting models to qualify for funding. The proposed model criteria will be posted for public comment currently scheduled for mid-August.

 

The MCAH has been in contact with the CHSSCO and CHSA and is determining now how best to involve key stakeholders in the planning process as they move forward. In the interim they will be scheduling an external stakeholder home visiting conference call in the near future to provide an update and request specific guidance. This external group includes MCAH management plus management rep from DSS, ADP, CDE, First 5 Association, CA First 5 and representative local MCAH Directors.

 

We will keep you posted on this project, which is moving very quickly. For more information, please go to: http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/mcah/Pages/HVP-HomePage.aspx


Update from the Head Start 09ConfLogo

Head Start State-Based TTA

Office for CA 


Collaborations-Partnerships:

The CA Screening Committee sub-committee is looking at processes and communications between CHDP providers and EHS/HS programs related to collecting and reporting on the EPSDT Schedule. Committee members include CA SBO, CHDP, AAP, Berkeley HS and Child Welfare. The committee plans to contribute articles to the monthly CHDP Newsletter which will discuss EHS/HS regulations and responsibilities to the EPSDT schedule.  The intent of the discussion is to inform and educate physicians about EHS/HS regulations as a mechanism for increasing local awareness and communications between EHS/HS and EPSDT providers.

 

CA SBO facilitated an EHS/Regional Center/DDS Strategic Planning Meeting, hosted by Wu Yee EHS. The meeting was held to discuss challenges being faced due to recent DDS's policy change resulting in the CA Prevention Program. The change impacts previous evaluation criteria for qualification for IFSPs, making it more challenging to secure an IFSP. The meeting included the development of program specific plans intended of to: support EHS programs in achieving the required 10% enrollment of children with disabilities, and assisting Regional Centers in securing quality childcare placements for children in the Prevention Program.

 

The SBO has worked with the ELQIS Family Engagement Subcommittee on the development of a White Paper to support the inclusion of family engagement in the Quality Rating Scale.

 

CA SBO participates in the ELQIS Workforce Subcommittee and has recently provided input on Policies being develop at the state level that will impact the AA/ BA pathways at the Community Colleges, State Universities, and articulation among the institutions.

 

To address professional development needs of Head Start staff, the CA SBO and Head Start State Collaboration Office (HSSCO) met with representatives of ECE professionals, grantees, Migrant Head Start Collaboration Office, community colleges, and state universities.  The purpose of the meeting was to develop a common understanding of Head Start professional development requirements and needs, in the context of current professional development projects/ activities in the state.  State participants gained a greater understanding of Head Start professional development requirements.  Discussions on how state entities can support Head Start staff will continue.

 

 Other projects the SBO staff remain involved in include:

  • Efforts by CDE, WestEd and SETA for aligning DRDP with the Head Start Performance Standards.
  • California Breastfeeding Roundtable and CA Breastfeeding Coalition
  • Dental Home Initiative Leadership Advisory Committee -  Central California State Launch
  • Lead Testing State Collaborative, along with HS State Collaboration Office, CHDP, and Lead Poison Prevention Program
  • Statewide Disaster Preparedness  consisting of a State-Wide Coalition

 

Resources for Head Start/ Early Head Start programs:

 

Training Events

  • NewEHS Rollout Modules (Offered 3 times in Bay Area, Los Angeles and San Bernardino)
    • Module One: Start Up and Critical Tasks
    • Module Two: Implementation of EHS Services
    • Module Three:  Monitoring for Program Quality
  • Expectant Families (EHS Audio Conference)
  • Home Base Option
  • Reflective Supervision
  • Disabilities Services - Working as a Multi Disciplinary Team
  • EHS/DDS Meetings to dialogue about new DDS evaluation policy for IFSP
  • Male Involvement in Head Start
  • Nutrition Services in EHS and HS
  • Maternal Mental Health
  • CHSA Managers and Directors: Head Start 101
  • CHSA Managers and Directors: Tools for Quality Classrooms

 

Thank you to the grantees who graciously hosted these events:

 

City of Oakland Head Start / Early Head Start, Rancho Santiago Community College District Early Head Start,      San Bernardino Head Start/ Early Head Start

USC Head Start / Early Head Start, Human Services Association, Community Child Care Council of Santa Clara, Family Services Agency of San Mateo, IHSD, Options, Wu Yee

 

Other Resources:

The SBO continues to post resources on the Region IX STG Listservs.  SBO staff also works with grantees to provide phone and email support upon request from and in partnership with the GPSSs. 

 

The SBO staff, upon request, provides training for local clusters of grantees and/ or grantee/delegate and/or partners on all aspects of service delivery and system development.  Requests for Cluster Trainings to meet Head Start and Early Head Start training needs can be directed to:

            Jennifer Senechal, CA SBO Manager:     jennifer.senechal@stginternational.com