JOBS/Head Start Coordination Efforts

ACYF Administration on Children, Youth and Families	U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Administration for Children and Families
	1. Log No. ACYF-IM-HS-95-21	2. Issuance Date: 04/21/95
	3. Originating Office: Head Start Bureau
	4. Key Word: JOBS and Head Start

INFORMATION MEMORANDUM [See Attachments at the bottom]

TO: All Head Start Grantees and Delegate Agencies

SUBJECT: JOBS/Head Start Coordination Efforts

FORMATION:

The attached article, "JOBS AND HEAD START: PARTNERSHIPS OFFER NEW OPPORTUNITIES," describes some State and local examples of successful coordination efforts between the two programs.

The Office of Family Assistance and the Head Start Bureau encourage local initiatives that result in more effective services to low income families and are interested in hearing about what is happening in your community.

/S/
Helen H. Taylor
Associate Commissioner
Head Start Bureau

ATTACHMENT: "JOBS AND HEAD START: PARTNERSHIPS OFFER NEW
OPPORTUNITIES" letter and article

cc: Regional Administrators, ACF, Regions I-X
American Indian and Migrant Programs Branches

Dear Colleague:

We would like to encourage new levels of collaboration between the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program (JOBS) and the Head Start program to maximize services to the families both programs serve.

The enclosed article entitled "JOBS AND HEAD START: PARTNERSHIPS OFFER NEW OPPORTUNITIES," describes some State/local examples of successful coordination efforts. Many opportunities exist for agencies and organizations to share the goal of helping low-income families move toward self-sufficiency. Head Start agencies and JOBS can work together to expand child care services for the children of JOBS participants to permit the parents to get the work experience/training or other services they need. On the other hand, JOBS participants can fulfill the increased service demands of Head Start agencies through their work experience assignments.

We encourage welfare agencies and Head Start administrators to consider how they might work together so that their program activities can provide more families with the work experience, training and educational opportunities to move toward self-sufficiency.

If you are aware of other State/local examples of successful coordination efforts between JOBS and Head Start programs, we would be interested in hearing about them. Please provide them to your respective ACF Regional office.

Sincerely,

/S/
Lavinia Limon
Director
Office of Family Assistance

/S/
Helen Taylor
Associate Commissioner
Head Start Bureau

Enclosure

cc: Regional Administrators

JOBS AND HEAD START: PARTNERSHIPS OFFER NEW OPPORTUNITIES

Why should Welfare /Head Start agencies collaborate? Head Start grantees throughout the country have been using a variety of services and resources to meet the increased needs of low-income parents, many of whom are welfare recipients. In the past several years, we have seen considerable overlap between the goals, populations, and services of Head Start and those of other programs. In fact, nearly one-half of the families whose children are enrolled in Head Start also receive welfare benefits and are, therefore, potential participants in the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS) program. With the Family Support Act of 1988, which established the JOBS program, the focus of the welfare agency began to shift, helping welfare recipients become employed and move toward self-sufficiency while providing needed cash assistance on a temporary basis.

With increasing JOBS participation requirements and anticipated Welfare Reform, more Head Start parents will be required to participate in JOBS. Thus, the development of strong JOBS and Head Start partnerships will benefit both systems--especially the families they serve. The sharing of staff, facilities and other costs supported by multiple sources of funding provide continuity and offer new opportunities for coordination.

National Initiatives

The May 1994 signing of the Head Start reauthorization legislation reflects theAdministration's commitment to strengthening the quality of all Head Start programs. This new legislation has helped to further meet the needs of JOBS participants by giving Head Start grantees flexibility to expand the scope of services, as well as the number of children served. For instance, based on the community needs assessment, local Head Start programs have the option to Provide full-day/full-year services or part day/full-year services to meet the needs of families who work or are in training. The bill also includes new provisions to help meet the needs of families with infants and toddlers.

The new statute also calls for an expansion of State Collaboration Grants. The purpose of this program is to encourage greater coordination of Head Start services with State efforts in such areas as health, welfare, child care, education, family literacy, services to children with disabilities and national service activities.

With the enhanced funding, Head Start programs can expand services to the community and work more collaboratively with other program providers.

How can JOBS and Head Start coordinate to maximize and enhance services for participants?

Encouraging coordination between the JOBS and Head Start programs is a priority of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). ACF developed a generic JOBS/Head Start Interagency Agreement and distributed to JOBS and Head Start Administrators IInformation Memoranda which identified the following ways:

JOBS child care funds can supplement Head Start funds to use a wraparound approach to provide full-time child care following the half-day Head Start program.
JOBS can provide education, training, work experience and supportive services for JOBS-eligible Head Start parents.
Head Start can provide a site for training, community work experience programs (CWEP), on-the-job-training (OJT), etc. for JOBS participants interested in careers in child care, health care, transportation, nutrition, social services, etc.
Head Start can provide transportation for JOBS participants going to education, training, employment etc.
Some training provided to JOBS/Head Start parents can count toward the 20 hour/week JOBS participation provision.

The ACF generic JOBS/Head Start interagency agreement is designed as a prototype for agreements between JOBS and Head Start at various levels; however, agreements at the local level will produce the most tangible results.

Many opportunities exist for agencies and organizations to share the goal of helping low-income families move toward self-sufficiency. Head Start agencies and JOBS can work together to expand child care services for JOBS participants so they can get the necessary child care which will then free them to get the workexperience or other services they need. On the other hand, JOBS participants can fulfill the increased service demands of Head Start agencies through their work experience assignments.

Expanding Child Care Services

Some Head Start grantees are using various approaches to provide extended care for children of parents enrolled in the JOBS program. Extended care may be offered at the Head Start facility or at another site depending on local needs and the facilities available. While extended care may be provided by Head Start staff, in some instances it is provided by separate part-time staff.

For example, in Chattanooga, Tennessee at the Avondale Head Start Center, eligible parents of children in Head Start are referred to the JOBS program. The Head Start Center provides extended day child care and parent education classes for the Head Start parents participating in the JOBS program. Many of these parents were previously reluctant to enroll in JOBS because they would have had to remove their children from Head Start. As extended Head Start day has allowed parents to keep their children enrolled in Head Start instead of placing them in another child care program because of the need for full day care. Contact: Eileen Locke, Head Start Director at (615) 439-9750.

A Head Start program in Quincy, Illinois provides wraparound child care services for Head Start children whose parents are involved in Project Chance, Illinois' JOBS program. The Quincy Public Schools serve as the wraparound day care sites. The children attend Head Start classes in the morning, then are transported to the wraparound site for additional activities. The design of this program utilizes sharing of staff for continuity and emphasis is placed on the individual needs of the families and children served. These collaborative efforts provide an excellent support system, for Head Start parents who are enrolled in the JOBS program. Contact: Michele Piel, Dept. of Public Education at (312) 793-3610.

Head Start As CWEP Sites

Currently, the most frequently used component between Head Start and the JOBS program is the Community Work Experience Program or CWEP.

Under JOBS, CWEP is an optional component used to improve the employability of individuals not otherwise able to obtain employment by providing unpaid work experience and training to assist them to move promptly into regular public or private employment.

Study results show that CWEP is well received by supervisors and communities, and that it can be implemented on a large scale. In some cases, CWEP has proven to increase employment and reduce welfare dependency.

In many States the promotion and development of CWEP assignments are a priority for JOBS participants at Head Start sites. For instance, Head Start offers various opportunities for JOBS/CWEP participants such as teacher aides, child care providers, clerical staff and bus drivers. Through such opportunities JOBS participants gain the experience and skills needed for future employment.

There are a number of programs involving JOBS CWEP or other work experience assignments at Head Start sites. The following are a few examples of collaboration efforts that have helped people gain the work experience and training needed to move toward self-sufficiency. Contacts have been provided for each program to provide more specifics.

Montgomery County , Alabama, JOBS participants are placed in Head Start facilities where they obtain work experience as teacher aides and general day care operators. Through an agreement signed between Montgomery County Department of Human Resources and Montgomery Community Action Agency, JOBS participants can be placed in 14 Head Start facilities as teacher aides. The participants are involved in all activities in the classroom and gain valuable work experience that may enable them to qualify as aides in Head Start facilities. The program is 13 weeks long at 35 hours per week and participants are normally placed in a Head Start facility with their children. Some of the participants enrolled in the program have been hired at the Head Start facilities. Local staff is very enthusiastic about the program and the potential for assisting participants in becoming more self-sufficient. Contact: Kathy Tedwell, Department of Human Resources at (205) 242-3227.

In Pueblo, Colorado, the Head Start program grantee is a community basedorganization which serves the city and outlying areas. As a CWEP site, Pueblo County Head Start Parents, Incorporated has placed JOBS participants in Head Start facilities where they obtain work experience as teacher aides and general day care providers. The program is 6-9 months long at approximately 20 hours per week. The program also offers extended-day child care to JOBS participants. The day care services include infant/toddler care. Wraparound funds were obtained from the JOBS program to extend services past the normal hours and days of the Head Start program.

Many CWEP participants as well as Head Start parents have been hired at the Head Start facility. This program serves as a resource for child care for JOBS, Head Start, and other persons in the community. Contact: Carl Dazzo Jr., Head Start Director at (719) 546-3010. Las Vegas , Nevada Head Start grantee, which is the Economic Opportunity Board (EOB) of Clark County and the Nevada Welfare Division have a Cooperative Agreement to provide JOBS participants with CWEP activities. The program is for four months at 20 hours per week. JOBS participants have been placed in Head Start facilities where they obtain work experience as kitchen workers, teacher aides and clerk typists/receptionists. A few CWEP participants have been subsequently hired by Head Start. Contact: Gail Mathews, JOBS Program District Manager at (702) 486-5375 or Jean Childs, EOB Head Start Director at (702) 647-2602.

Expanded Opportunities

As mentioned, the Head Start reauthorization provides even more opportunities for JOBS/Head Start partnerships by ensuring that new Head Start funds are allocated to communities with the greatest need and that local programs are afforded the flexibility to meet local needs. While Head Start expansion increases the availability of child care, it also increases the need for child care and other types of workers. With the increasing number of welfare recipients expected to be served through the JOBS program, an expanded pool of workers will be ready for placement in community work experience positions, at Head Start sites, for example, there they can gain experience and skills to improve their prospects for gainful employment.

Welfare agencies and Head Start administrators are urged to consider how they might work together so that their program activities can provide more families, with the work experience, training and educational opportunities to move toward self-sufficiency. Opportunities exist for many mutually gratifying partnerships.