Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

ESSA, Early Childhood providers & LEAs: Collaboration Resources


New Early Childhood Coordination Requirements in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA): A Toolkit for State and Local Educational Agencies, Head Start Programs, and the Early Childhood Field(Dec 2017)

This 100-page joint publication by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and National Head Start Association (NHSA) provides a comprehensive look at the ESSA requirements as they pertain to early childhood series. This new federal requirement represents an important opportunity for better coordination between Local educational agencies and Head Start and other community-based early childhood education programs to provide higher-quality learning experiences and a more seamless transition to kindergarten. LEAs may find these sections particularly helpful.

– Coordination requirements for LEAs and Head Start programs in ESSA and the Head Start Act (pp. 14-16)
– LEA Activities to Support Effective Coordination Agreements with Head Start and Other Early Childhood Programs (pp. 20-23) (See also Appendix F pp. 47-52)
– Samples MOUs – Appendix G (pp. 53-87)

Find Head Start Programs in California– Our new interactive map shows the location of every Head Start program in California.

The California Head Start State Collaboration Office
Because Head Start is a federal-to-local funding program, Collaboration Office grants were developed to create a visible presence for Head Start at the state level and to assist in the development of multiagency and public-private partnerships among Head Start and other interested stakeholders. The CHSSCO is housed in CDE’s Early Education Support Division.

CDE State Plan for ESSA (Jan 2018)
“To further support the meaningful alignment and coordination between early education and K–12 systems beyond content standards, California will provide guidance for the development of locally driven agreements between LEAs and Head Start and other entities carrying out early education development programs. This guidance will elevate best practices that support the:

– development and implementation of systematic data and records sharing
– establishment of channels of communication from K–12 school staff to early education partners,
– facilitation of meetings with parents, teachers, and early education staff to discuss developmental needs of individual children, including children with disabilities
– organization of joint transition-related training of school and early childhood staff
– linkage and coordination of LEAs with the services provided by early education and support programs, local Head Start agencies, and other programs administered by partner agencies, including California First 5. This guidance will be included in the Title I, Part A Guidance document.”

Children Now – Advocacy Toolkit: Engaging School Districts and leveraging the LCFF for Early Childhood
“Resources and materials to help you build awareness, engage decision-makers and create opportunities to strengthen early childhood.”

 

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