Head Start-State Collaboration Projects

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-95-30	2. Issuance Date: 08/30/95
	3. Originating Office: Head Start Bureau
	4. Key Word: Head Start-State Collaboration Projects

INFORMATION MEMORANDUM [See Attachments at the bottom]

TO: Head Start Grantees and Delegate Agencies

SUBJECT: Head Start-State Collaboration Projects

LEGAL AND RELATED REFERENCES: The Head Start Act, as amended.

PURPOSE: This Information Memorandum provides information on the status and importance of Head Start-State Collaboration Projects, in order that local Head Start programs can work with and support the Collaboration Projects in their respective States.

SUMMARY: The Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF), has announced the availability of funds to support Head Start-State Collaboration Projects in all of the States (plus the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico which are treated as States for the purposes of this project). The States in which the existing 22 Collaboration Projects are operating may apply for funding to continue their efforts. The remaining States, which presently do not have Collaboration grants, may apply for funds to establish new projects. (Attachment 1 indicates which States currently have projects.)

The purpose of these projects is to create a visible presence at the State level which can assist in the development of
significant, multi-agency and public-private partnerships between Head Start and the States. These partnerships are intended to:

help build early childhood systems and access to comprehensive services for all low-income children;
encourage widespread collaboration between Head Start and other appropriate programs, services and initiatives and augment Head Start's capacity to be a partner in State initiatives on behalf of children and their families; and
facilitate the involvement of Head Start in the development of State policies, plans, processes and decisions affecting the Head Start target population and other low-income families.

INFORMATION:

Head Start-State Collaboration Projects can play an important role in helping the Administration and the Governors make progress toward goals which improve the lives of young children. Many Governors have already initiated a variety of important programs within their States which are designed to improve the way services and support for young children are designed, delivered, coordinated and organized. Collaboration Projects can assist with these and other relevant State initiatives and bring the support and perspective of Head Start to the development of early childhood systems.

The Head Start Act (Section 640 (a)(5)(C)(iv)) identifies seven priority areas for the Head Start-State Collaboration Projects. The areas requiring coordination are: health care; welfare; child care; education; national service activities; family literacy services; and activities relating to children with disabilities. Although collaboration activities will need to be developed for all of the seven areas at some point during the five-year project, we are asking Collaboration grantees to consider initially focusing on building linkages between Head Start, child care and health care systems in order to build an effective early childhood system. (Attachment 2 contains suggestions on collaboration activities that can be undertaken in the seven priority areas.)

Head, Start-State Collaboration grantees are encouraged to consult broadly with the early childhood community, and in particular with the State Head Start Association, as they carry out these five-year projects. The Head Start Act (Section 640(a)(5)(C)(ii) ) requires the involvement of the State Head Start Association in the selection of the Collaboration Project Director and in determinations relating to the ongoing direction of the Collaboration Project.

In 1990, ACYF funded the first "wave" of Head Start-State Collaboration grants to Kentucky, Maine, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Virginia. In 1992, ACYF funded a second "wave of Collaboration grants to Alaska, California, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Vermont. The 22 States with Collaboration grants have become integrated into a network f or mutual assistance and support. Through this network, States are able to informally share ideas, develop new strategies, and work together on common problems and goals. In these States, Head Start is now represented on a variety of State planning and policy boards and is increasingly involved in State plans for new and pending legislation affecting low-income children and families. New coalitions are being built and existing networks strengthened.

Experiences of the existing Collaboration Projects . are being used to shape this next phase of the initiative. Among the important lessons learned is the importance of careful and intensive planning in the early phases of the project. The most successful projects engaged in planning with the State Head Start Association and the broader Head Start and early childhood communities within the State. They spent considerable time and effort in locating and interacting with the numerous agencies, organizations, foundations, and businesses which are involved in or supportive of the designated priority areas for the Collaboration projects. To assist States in the early planning phases of the Collaboration Projects, we recently sent a "Dear Colleague" letter to State contacts in a variety of agencies and organizations which are responsible for implementing programs related to the legislated priority areas. (See Attachment 3.)

All States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico are eligible to receive funds. The Governor has the authority to designate the entity in the State government which will house the Collaboration Project. Head Start grantees and associations are not eligible applicants for State Collaboration grants. However, States may chose to allocate by subgrant or contract a portion of the Collaboration funding to State Head Start Associations to support collaboration activities directly related to the legislated priority areas.

States may apply for $100,000, $150,000 or $200,000, depending on the number of children in poverty under five years of age within the State. (See Attachment 1 for funding levels for individual States.) Total project periods will be five years. Awards are contingent upon the availability of funds and a 25 percent non-Federal match of total funds will be required.

States were invited to submit funding requests by August 15, 1995 to be considered for funding in fiscal year 1995, or by November 3, 1995, if they wished to be funded in fiscal year 1996. We expect that most of the States that wish to begin new projects will apply for funds to do so in FY 1996.

INQUIRIES:

Questions regarding this Information Memorandum should be referred to Karen Mitchell at (202) 205-8551 or Tom Schultz at (202) 205-8572.

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

BMW START-STATE COLLABORATION PROJECTS
ANNUAL FUNDING AMOUNTS

(* =States that currently have projects)

Alabama $150,000
Alaska $100,000
Arizona $150,000
Arkansas $100,000
California $200,000
Colorado $100,000
Connecticut $100,000
Delaware $100,000
District of Columbia $100,000
Florida $200,000
Georgia $150,000
Hawaii $100,000
Idaho $100,000
Illinois $200,000
Indiana $150,000
Iowa $100,000
Kansas $100,000
Kentucky $150,000
Louisiana $150,000
Maine $100,000
Maryland $100,000
Massachusetts $150,000
Michigan $200,000
Minnesota $100,000
Mississippi $150,000
Missouri $150,000
Montana $100,000
Nebraska $100,000
Nevada $100,000
New Hampshire $100,000
New Jersey $100,000
New Mexico $100,000
New York $200,000
North Carolina $150,000
North Dakota $100,000
Ohio $200,000
Oklahoma $150,000
Oregon $100,000
Pennsylvania $200,000
Puerto Rico $150,000
Rhode Island $100,000
South Carolina $150,000
South Dakota $100,000
Tennessee $150,000
Texas $200,000
Utah $100,000
Vermont $100,000
Virginia $150,000
Washington $150,000
West Virginia $100,000
Wisconsin $150,000
Wyoming $100,000

COLLABORATION SUGGESTIONS FOR THE SEVEN PRIORITY AREAS

A. IMPROVING ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE SERVICES

An important Head Start goal is to ensure that all children enrolled in the program receive comprehensive medical, dental, mental health, and nutrition services. The importance of receiving preventive services and early intervention is also recognized, as is the need to link the family with an ongoing source of health care, often referred to as a "medical home," so that the needs of the child will continue to be met after the child leaves Head Start. Examples of Federal level collaboration include:

The Child Care Bureau in collaboration with the Maternal and Child Health Bureau has been working to establish links between the child care and the health communities to promote safe, healthy environments for children in child care; to assure up-to-date immunizations for young children; to offer access to health screening at child care centers; to educate children and parents about nutrition; and to provide access to mental health services when needed. More information about this campaign called "Healthy Child Care America" is available through the Child Care Bureau at 202-690-5641.
The Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), Medicaid Bureau, has similar program goals - to ensure that low-income children have a "medical home," and to increase the number of children enrolled and participating in the Medicaid program. The HCFA and Head Start Bureau have a long history of working together which was formalized in 1979 with the signing of an Intra-agency Agreement to facilitate collaboration between the two programs. In 1995, this agreement was updated and expanded to include the Child Care Bureau.
The Early and Periodic screening, Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT) program under Medicaid is a preventive and comprehensive health program for individuals under the age of 21. The 1989 expansion of Medicaid eligibility requirements ensured that most, if not all, children enrolled in Head Start are Medicaid eligible. During the 1993-94 program year, 69 percent of Head Start children were enrolled in Medicaid. While the overall Medicaid enrollment rate for Head Start children has increased since 1989, it remains low in some States, as well as for children enrolled in Migrant Head Start and American Indian Head Start programs nationwide.

Examples of collaborative activities which may be appropriate for these collaboration projects to consider at the State level include:

Identifying and helping to reduce or eliminate specific barriers within the State that may prevent children from receiving EPSDT services including working with the State Medicaid office, State Health Departments (including nutrition, dental and immunization services) , Head Start grantees, the State Head Start Association, Migrant and Community Health Centers, Healthy Mothers/Healthy Babies Coalitions, the child care resource and referral and other professional organizations and early childhood providers whose goal is to improve access to health care services for low-income children;
Developing methods to assist Head Start grantees within the State in coordinating outreach and case-finding activities, informing families about EPSDT services, providing resource and referral services, providing transportation, and sharing information, such as participation on State-level health committees and councils;
Creating a single point of entry into the health care system to provide consumer information concerning eligibility and the range of services;
Enhancing community awareness regarding the health care needs of children, community problems affecting the health of children, and the resources needed to address health care needs; and
Launching Statewide "Healthy Child Care America Campaigns" linking child care programs serving low income families with health services.

B. IMPROVING THE AVAILABILITY, ACCESSIBILITY AND QUALITY OF CHILD CARE SERVICES

Labor force participation of mothers with young children often requires that child care be available while parents work outside the home. In addition, as a result of the Family Support Act of 1988, many low-income mothers with preschool children are now required to participate in JOBS training and employment. For the children's sake, it is important that the care they receive be as comprehensive and as high quality as possible and that the availability of an array of services also meet the parent's needs. Federal collaboration initiatives have focused on the following issues:

A key provision of JOBS is the requirement for child care to support training and employment. A high priority for ACF is the creation of arrangements to provide child care services for Head Start parents who participate in JOBS and other State training programs. Head Start is increasing coordination with States to ensure that quality child care is available to JOBS participants and to families receiving transitional child care benefits, many of whom are also eligible for Head Start services. Many Head Start grantees and delegate agencies are already engaged in agreements with state and local child care programs to provide full-day care for the children of Head Start parents who are in training or work outside the home.
The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 established two new child care programs which are administered by the Administration for Children and Families: The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and the At-Risk Child Care Program. These programs offer many opportunities for coordination to improve the quantity, quality, and accessibility of child care services for low-income families. A number of States already include Head Start in State-level planning for implementation of this new legislation.

Head Start-State Collaboration grantees are expected to involve Head Start in State child care planning and to develop partnerships to provide full-day care for the children of Head Start parents who work outside the home. Suggested initiatives include:

Developing partnerships to provide full day care for the children of working Head Start parents;
Collecting and providing information to individual Head Start and other early childhood programs on negotiating mutually beneficial contracts for quality child care services;
Working with Head Start to streamline and coordinate long-range planning for child care needs and resources throughout the State;
Ensuring an appropriate network of resource and referral services to assist parents in locating and maintaining child care services which meet their family's needs;
Increasing the number of trained child care workers in center-based programs, as family day care providers, and as infant care providers;
Working to insure developmentally appropriate practices in child care programs; and
Developing partnerships between Head Start, child care programs, and the public schools to include before- and after-school extended learning programs as part of a comprehensive approach to the transition of preschool children into kindergarten and the early grades.

C. IMPROVEMENT IN COLLABORATION WITH WELFARE SYSTEMS

As states and local communities work to assist low-income parents in achieving greater economic well-being, Head Start can work with States, communities and local employers to promote training, education and employment opportunities for Head Start parents and other low-income families. Head Start works with the States both to ensure that Head Start parents gain access to appropriate training and employment opportunities and to assist in making training and employment available for other low-income individuals through Head Start.

Head Start can provide training for child care providers, nutrition workers, and other occupations of interest to participants in JOBS, JTPA or other programs. Easing the transition of low-income families from part-time training or employment to full-time employment supported by full-day care for children is another area where Head Start and State programs can work together to achieve mutual goals.

A Head Start-State Collaboration project could facilitate and enhance the coordination of Head Start with State employment and training programs through a variety of activities including, but not limited to:

Development of partnerships to increase the efficient coordination of Head Start and JOBS resources through co-location of caseworkers in Head Start centers, shared case management responsibilities, or coordinated recruitment, orientation, literacy and adult educational services;
Development of partnerships with agencies, businesses, corporations, voluntary organizations, and foundations to provide appropriate training and employment opportunities for Head Start parents and welfare mothers as they move along the continuum of education, training, and part-time employment to full-time employment;
Development of partnerships to broaden the availability of CDA training, Associate of Arts (AA) degrees, and Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees for State early childhood staff and entry-level training for welfare recipients who wish to enter the early childhood field;
Development of initiatives to increase the availability of Associate of Arts and higher degrees for nutrition, health, social services, and other relevant occupations; and
Collaboration with major corporations and other employers to improve access to the labor market, strengthen and support parents' attainment of job skills after they begin employment, and provide other needed support.

D. EXPANDING AND IMPROVING EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES IN EARLYCHILDHOOD PROGRAMS

In recent years, many States have enacted new early childhood legislation and implemented preschool programs for low-income families and children at risk of delayed development. Some of these programs supplement Head Start grants in order to serve additional Head Start-eligible children or to enhance the Head Start program in various ways; some take a Head Start-like approach but do not fund Head Start grantees; and others extend Head Start services to low-income families whose income is above the limit for Head Start. Thirty-three States and the District of Columbia now provide State funds for their own preschool programs, for Head Start, or for both.

Head Start-State Collaboration Projects are expected to work with Head Start grantees, officials in the State education agency, the State Head Start Association, and relevant professional organizations to promote early childhood programs which meet the diverse needs of families in local communities throughout the State. Suggested activities include, but are not limited to, initiatives which:

Ease the transition of children under three years of age from their homes or infant/toddler programs to Head Start and State preschool programs which serve primarily three- or four-year-old children;
Enrich Head Start's comprehensive service strategy through services to the older and younger siblings of Head Start children, as well as to other members of the family;
Increase training opportunities for early childhood professionals through CDA or State credentials; and
Promote the development and dissemination of developmentally appropriate practices and materials.

In support of national educational goals to insure that all children enter school ready to learn, Head Start will continue to focus on the transition of children from Head Start through elementary school. A major thrust of this effort is the support of educational reform in the States in order to identify ways of enhancing the success of children once they enter the school system.

Head Start-State Collaboration projects are expected to work closely with Head Start to improve transition for low-income children and their families throughout the State. The Head Start-State Collaboration Projects can support linkages with elementary schools through facilitating the ability of Head Start programs to:

Work with Head Start grantees and school systems to implement approaches to transition which emphasize parent involvement, continuity of curriculum and other practices, developmentally appropriate practices, comprehensive services, and other elements of Head Start's early childhood philosophy;
Develop partnerships with other early childhood programs, elementary schools, parents, and professional groups to improve the transition between preschool and elementary school, particularly for children, who are at risk of school failure;
Assist in the dissemination of Head Start's written policies, suggested approaches, and products to improve transition practices and linkages between preschool, programs and elementary schools; and
Work with Head Start grantees and school systems to increase before- and after-school care which promote extended learning for young children when the lack of supervision during non-school hours may increase their risk for failure in elementary school.

E. INITIATING INTERACTION WITH AMERICORPS - THE NATIONAL SERVICE PROGRAM

One of the two new priority areas designated for the Collaboration projects through the 1994 amendments to the Head Start Act is the national service program. This national service program, named Americorps, was enacted into law in October 1994. Americorps was designed to enlist Americans of different age groups with diverse racial, religious, and cultural backgrounds, to serve their country by addressing community needs in the areas of 1) education, 2) public safety, 3) human needs, and 4) the environment.

During its first year of operation, over 20,000 Americorps workers joined together to work in some of the nation's poorest communities to immunize infants, tutor teenagers, keep schools safe, raise literacy levels, restore natural resources, build houses for the homeless, and secure more independent lives for the elderly.

In exchange for their service, full-time AmeriCorps members receive a living allowance, health benefits, child care, and a post-service education award. These education awards may be used either to pay for college or other post-secondary education tuition, or to pay back educational loans.

Every State (with the exception of North Dakota) and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico has State Commissions on National and community Service.

Examples of how Head Start-State Collaboration projects may choose to work with AmeriCorps include:

in cooperation with the State Head Start Association and the early childhood providers serving low-income children, contact the State Commission on National and Community Service to meet and develop plans for joint ventures with non-profit corporations in the State.
inform Head Start programs and other early childhood providers of local AmeriCorps projects where they can receive informational materials to distribute to parents, or where they can locate Americorps representatives to speak at a parent meeting. After such exposure to AmeriCorps projects, some Head Start parents may be interested in participating in this national service program.
provide information and support to assist Head Start programs and other early childhood providers in becoming operating sites for AmeriCorps members which would enable AmeriCorps members to provide services to Head Start families in areas such as literacy, early childhood education, parenting education, and social services.

F. IMPROVING ACCESS TO FAMILY LITERACY SERVICES

The second of the two new priority areas designated for the Collaboration projects in the 1994 amendments to the Head Start Act is family literacy services. The Head Start Act defines the term "family literacy" as "services and activities that include interactive literacy activities between parents and their children, training for parents on techniques for being the primary teacher of their children and full partners in the education of their children, parent literacy training (including training in English as a second language)."

The Head Start Act also requires in Section 641 (d)(3) and (4)(C)(i), that an organization seeking to be designated as a Head Start agency must provide a plan to coordinate Head Start with other preschool programs, and include in the plan a method to offer family literacy services.

Activities to improve family literacy services such as the following could be undertaken:

work with the State Department of Education to ensure that interested Head Start and other early childhood programs have access to family literacy training and technical assistance through, for example, biannual meetings of the projects, or workshops as part of State or regional Head Start Association meetings. At these meetings Head Start grantees can receive training and share information on program designs, successes, and challenges.
facilitate, with assistance from the ACF regional offices, on-site technical assistance in family literacy;
facilitate the inclusion of Head Start participation on Even Start planning and advisory boards; and
promote partnerships between libraries, Head Start and other early childhood programs serving low-income families programs by identifying and sharing promising models and developing newsletter articles to encourage partnership projects.

G. IMPROVING OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

There is increasing recognition of the importance of early intervention for children with disabilities. Since 1992, every State in the nation has provided a "free appropriate education" (FAPE) and related services to three- to five-year-old children with disabilities, under the Preschool Grants Program of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Services provided under the Preschool Grants Program are in addition to the already existing mandate under IDEA, to provide FAPE to all eligible children from the ages of six to twenty-one. This section of IDEA encourages States to develop statewide comprehensive services for children with disabilities. This, in turn, encourages local education agencies to coordinate with both public and private agencies, including Head Start grantees, to develop increased opportunities for children with disabilities to be educated with children who are not disabled.

IDEA also challenged States to develop and implement statewide comprehensive, coordinated, multi-disciplinary, interagency systems of early intervention services through the Early Intervention Programs for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities - Part H of IDEA. As of September 30, 1993, all States were implementing Part H. One of the key pieces of this law is that infants and toddlers with disabilities should receive appropriate early intervention services in settings that are natural for their same age peers without disabilities.

There is, however, a shortage of early childhood intervention programs which are able to integrate these children into the regular program. There is also a shortage of child care programs with the trained staff and facilities to include these children. Read Start is mandated to make available a minimum of ten percent of enrollment opportunities (for each grantee and delegate agency) to children with disabilities, and is the largest program in which children with disabilities are mainstreamed with other children. Children with disabilities who are included in the regular programs now account for 13.1 percent of all children enrolled in Head Start. As part of Head Start's commitment to high quality services for children with disabilities, training and technical assistance to meet special needs is offered to all grantees through the twelve Resource Access Projects (RAPS), one located in each ACT region and one each for American Indian and Migrant Head Start Programs.

Because of its long experience and comprehensive approaches to serving children with disabilities and their families in regular settings, Head Start coordinates extensively with other programs which serve children. There are currently 40 Interagency Agreements between Head Start and State education agencies (SEAs), designed to increase the identification of children with disabilities from birth through age five and to improve the provision of comprehensive services. A variety of organizations, including the ACF Regional Offices, the RAPs, and the State Head Start Associations, are represented in Head Start-SEA Interagency Agreements in various States. Local Head Start programs are also engaged in the development of agreements with local education Agencies (LEAs) to improve s services to children with disabilities in their communities.

Head Start-State Collaboration grantees are expected to work closely with Head Start and the various State agencies responsible for serving young children with disabilities and their families. Relevant activities include, but are not limited to:

Facilitating the inclusion of children with disabilities into programs which also serve children who are not disabled;
Working with the State Interagency Coordinating Councils established under IDEA to develop State standards for qualified personnel and program standards for serving children with disabilities;
Collaborating with the Head Start Resource Access Projects (RAPS) and other organizations in Head Start's training and technical assistance network to coordinate activities and resources for children with disabilities and their families;
Facilitating the inclusion of RAPS and Head Start personnel, including American Indian and Migrant grantees, on Interagency Coordinating Councils to ensure that the needs of low-income children with disabilities are addressed;
Encouraging the coordination and participation of local Head Start personnel in the public schools' child identification efforts ("Child Find") and other early identification activities; and
Helping facilitate coordination between Head Start, RAPS, and public school personnel in the development or implementation of comprehensive procedures to ensure the timely referral, evaluation, and transition of children from Head Start into elementary school in accordance with Federal and State regulations.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
ATTACHMENT 3

Dear Colleague:

I would like to bring to your personal attention an exciting opportunity to improve the lives of low-income children and their families in your State. Specifically, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is making grant funds available to all interested States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to establish Head Start-State Collaboration Projects.

As you know, Head Start has been known to have a positive impact on the lives of low-income children and their families. Head Start services are provided by community level private non-profit or public agencies funded directly by DHHS. Nationally, Head Start serves over 740,000 low-income children and their families through 1,400 local, community level organizations. States have been very supportive of Head Start, including a number of States which actually provide funds so that more children can be served. Although the States do not manage Head Start directly, the importance of better linkages for Head Start at the State level is well recognized and acknowledged.

That is why DHHS currently supports Head Start-State Collaboration Projects in 22 States. Through this letter, I am advising you of the opportunity for your State to submit a proposal to us for funding consideration as we expand these projects to all interested States. We are very excited about the prospect of encouraging collaboration among early childhood programs in all 50 States.

Through the Head Start-State Collaboration Projects, we are seeking to form collaborative partnerships which would:

help build early childhood systems and access to comprehensive services and support for all low-income children;
encourage widespread collaboration between Head Start and other appropriate programs, services and initiatives and augment Head Start's capacity to be a partner in State initiatives on behalf of children and their families; and
facilitate the involvement of Head Start in State policies, plans, processes and decisions affecting the Head Start target population and other low-income families.

The grant award will range from $100,000-$200,000 per year for five years depending upon the number of low-income children in your State under age five. At a minimum, the grant will pay for an individual to be a liaison between the Head Start programs in the State and key agencies carrying out programs serving low-income children and their families. The authorizing legislation is the Head Start Act which specifically requires the involvement of the State Head Start Association in the selection of the individual and in the determinations of the ongoing collaboration. The Governor will decide where the project will be placed in order to best ensure effective collaboration, maximized resources and access to key policymakers.

These projects provide an opportunity to coordinate Head Start services with other services in your State while also leveraging broader system change for children and their families. While the legislation requires that a number of services be coordinated with Head Start as part of this grant (i.e., health care, welfare, child care, education, national service activities, family literacy activities and activities related to children with disabilities), we are asking that initially the State consider giving priority to building linkages between Head Start and child care and health care systems in order to build an effective early childhood system.

Based on the accomplishments of the existing 22 grants, I am enthusiastic about the potential of the expanded Head Start-State Collaboration effort. In a number of instances, States have organized special initiatives for low-income children and families, and State agencies in Education, Health, Human Resources, and Social Services have undertaken joint planning, programming, training and resource-sharing with Head Start through these projects to ensure needed services are available and more responsive systems are created.

I would like to encourage you to find out more about how your State will be responding to this opportunity for a Head Start-State Collaboration Project. If you are interested, you should contact the Governor's office to find out how you might get involved in the planning for the grant. States are being encouraged to consult broadly within the early childhood community.

As this nation prepares for the 21st Century, it is critical that our Department and the States plan cooperatively to create strong and significant partnerships to meet the needs of low-income children and families. These projects have the potential to help us further that agenda. I encourage you to become part of this exciting opportunity.

Sincerely

Olivia A. Golden, Commissioner
Administration on Children, Youth and Families

Enclosure

CONTACTS to RECEIVE the "Dear Colleague" LETTER

State Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG)
State Tribal Child Care and Development Block Grant Contacts
State National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral (CCRR) Agency Contacts
State Child Welfare Directors
State Medicaid and EPSDT Contacts
State Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Contacts
State Part H Coordinators
State 619 Coordinators
State Association for the Education of Young Children contacts
State Chapter I (ESEA) Coordinators
State Even Start Family Literacy Program Coordinators