Head Start, Title I and McKinney-Vento Collaboration: Bridging the Gaps

1. Head Start, Title I and McKinney-Vento Collaboration: Bridging the Gaps Presenters: Maria Green, Assistant Director of State and Federal Programs Round Rock ISD Gaby Cantu, PK Bilingual Teacher Round Rock ISD

2. Program Design • Comprehensive child development program • Ensures educational, physical, mental and social needs of pre-school children are met and are ready to enter kindergarten • Serves low-income children and those with disabilities • Priority system is used to serve those most in need

3. History • Opened 1989 • Downtown Round Rock, close to Library and Fire Station • Volunteers from Dell, Stony Point High School, Volunteer Center • All staff possess minimum of Associates in Early Childhood • Enrollment of 40 children

4. Head Start Staff Administration: • Executive Director • Director Coordinators: • Education (5) • Social Service/Parent Involvement • Mental Health/Disabilities • Health/Safety • Nutritionist Centers: • Directors (11) • Family Advocates (13) • Cooks (7) • Teachers • Substitutes

5. Benefits of Head Start and RRISD Collaboration • Developmentally appropriate practices • Social services case management • Home visits (parent involvement) • Mental Health services • Education Coordinators • Elevates both programs • Provides enhanced services for students and families • Improves Early Intervention Program

6. Round Rock ISD Dual Enrollment • Forty dually enrolled Prekindergarten students in Head Start and RRISD • One certified Bilingual Teacher and two Head Start teachers per class • Progress monitoring each nine weeks • Four parent conferences per year

7. Serving Children with Disabilities • Head Start accommodates children with disabilities identified through Round Rock ISD • Collaborative ARD meetings • IEP goals are incorporated into lesson plans • Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Physical Therapy provided at the Head Start Center and by RRISD • Preschool Expressive and Receptive (PEAR) Language Program • Articulation/Phonology Preschool Language Experience (APPLE) • Children with special needs receive the earliest intervention through collaborations

8. RRISD Collaboration with WBCO Head Start Spring 2009 Collaboration Meetings February 17th and 26th March 25th June 16th August 31st 2009-2010 RRISD hired Gabriela Cantu as the Prekindergarten teacher housed at Round Rock Head Start Collaboration between Head Start Site Director and RRISD Prekindergarten Assistant Director is ongoing to ensure success

9. RRISD Collaboration withWBCO Head Start 2010-2011 Head Start expansion implemented a the two and three year old program. Round Rock ISD PPCD program staff collaborated to serve identified students 2011-2012 Implement Dual Language Program on site for PK students Head Start staff participated in the RRISD Dual Language Institute in June and will assist with the implementation of the Dual Language model for all four year old students

10. Student Selection and Parent Conference • Economically disadvantaged students • Families in Transition (Texas Baptist Children’s Home) • Students with disabilities • Discuss student goals and objectives • Scheduled prior to 1st day of school (August)

11. Collaboration between Head Start and RRISD • Initial conference with Head Start parents • Dual Enrollment benefit • Special program participation • Student Residency Questionnaires (SRQs) • Limited English Proficient students • Dual Language Classrooms • Collaborative teacher meetings • Support and resources

12. Student Residency Questionnaires • Component of RRISD enrollment packet for new and returning students • Faxed to Homeless Education office for processing • Intake completed with parent • Notification sent to campus and Head Start regarding qualification • Services provided to students • Ongoing monitoring for the duration of the school year

14. Identifying Limited English Proficient Students • Home Language Survey • Woodcock-Muñoz Language Survey • Language Proficiency Assessment Committee (LPAC) • Parent Permission • Bilingual / ESL / Dual-Language Programs

16. Dual Language Classrooms • Gomez & Gomez Dual Language Model • Bilingual, bicultural and biliterate students • Language of the day • Literacy instruction is in the native language

17. Dual Language Classrooms • Math instruction is in English • Science/Social Studies instruction is in Spanish • Bilingual Pairs • Balanced classrooms (10 English and 10 Spanish students)

18. Daily Schedule • Rotate daily activities and routines • Three hours of instruction in each of the two classrooms • Literacy instruction for all students is taught thematically in Science/Social studies • Math instruction through Circle Time

20. Teacher Collaborative Meetings • Weekly themes agreed upon by both RRISD and Head Start • RRISD and Head Start teachers collaborate weekly to create lesson plans • Head Start teachers plan lessons as extension of the RRISD curriculum

21. Teacher Collaborative Meetings • Head Start Instructional Domains are aligned with the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines • RRISD and Head Start professional development opportunities are available to all collaborative teachers • Teachers rotate weekly lesson plan and lead large group activities

22. Collaborative Professional Development Opportunities • Handwriting without Tears • Dual Language Institute • Power of Two • Pearson - Opening the World of Learning (OWL) • ESC Region 13 Monica Gonzales Presentations • Teaching Science in PK • Effective PK Writing strategies • Mathematics in PK • 5 E Model

23. Family Involvement • Monthly activities and events • Books/Activity Packs sent home to assist parents in reinforcing pre-literacy and math concepts including: • Vocabulary development • Alphabet knowledge • Phonemic awareness • Counting • Shape recognition • Number recognition

24. Support and Resources • Home visits – attendance • Art Institute student volunteers • High school student volunteers • Private middle school volunteers • Community involvement

25. Future impact on School Readiness • Higher Math/Reading scores • Reduce achievement gaps • Retention and dropout potential decreased • Decreased need for special and/or remedial classes • Early intervention

26. Issues to Consider • RRISD/Head Start Teachers • Salaries – works both ways • ALL personnel part of TEAM • Badges, Staff handbook, inservice activities, etc. • Culture of both organizations • Day Care Licensing

27. Issues to Consider • Turf • Discipline practices • MOU – assistance from Education Service Center • RRISD Administration and Head Start Management Team • Principal and Director Team • Planning, Planning, Planning! • Embrace Compromise, Teamwork and Negotiation • Change-Process-Journey

28. Research Says… “For the most high-risk children, enrich preschool environments and excellent primary grade instruction can be a deciding factor between success or failure that will follow them all their lives. No time is more important, or as fleeting, as a child’s early years of life and schooling.” Information from Eager to Learn: Educating Our Preschoolers *TEA – Partnering for School Readiness Integration