ELIGIBILITY, RECRUITMENT, SELECTION, ENROLLMENT, AND ATTENDANCE IN HEAD START INDEX 5-13

Transcription

1 ELIGIBILITY, RECRUITMENT, SELECTION, ENROLLMENT, AND ATTENDANCE IN HEAD START INDEX 5-13 Determining Community Needs Age of Children and Family Income Eligibility Income Guidelines...9 Definition of Income Verification of Income Recruitment of Children...13 Referrals from Other Agencies...14 Prospective Student Intake Recruitment Activities Form Recruitment Inkind...15 Application Process Determining number in family...16 Waiting List Selection Process...19 Selection of Children for 3-5 years old for Head Start... see chart Selection of Children for Early Head Start... see chart Enrollment Intake Visit Conducting Intake Visit throughout the year...25 Conducting Transfer Intake Visits throughout the year...25 EHS/HB Post-Partum Home Visit...26 Transfers...26 EHS & Child Care Classroom Transfer Plan HS & Child Care Classroom Transfer Plan Drops...28 Summer Time Drop...29 Re-Enrollment...29 Attendance...30 Absences and Irregular Attendance...30 Center Based Classroom Attendance Procedures Full Day Attendance...33 Home Based Attendance Procedures Support Offered Forms Fee Policy...36

2 PART ELIGIBILITY, RECRUITMENT, SELECTION, ENROLLMENT, AND ATTENDANCE IN HEAD START (a)(b)(c)(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) Executive Director Exec. Director Ongoing n/a DETERMINING COMMUNITY NEEDS (a) Each Early Head Start and Head Start grantee must identify its proposed service area in its Head Start grant application and define it by county, or sub-county area, such as a municipality, town, or census tract or a federally recognized Indian reservation. (b) The grantee s service area must be approved, in writing, by the responsible HHS official in order to assure that the service area is on reasonable size and does not overlap with that of other Head Start grantees. (c) Each Early Head Start and Head Start grantee and delegate agency must conduct a Community Assessment within its service area once every three years. The Community Assessment must include the collection and analysis of the following information about the grantees or delegate s Early Head Start or Head Start area: (1) The demographic make-up of Head Start eligible children and families, including their estimated number, geographic location, and racial and ethnic composition; (2) Other child development and child care programs that are serving Head Start eligible children, including publicly funded State and local preschool programs, and the approximate number of Head Start eligible children served by each; (3) The estimated number of children with disabilities four years old or younger, including types of disabilities and relevant services and resources provided to these children by community agencies; (4) Data regarding the education, health, nutrition, and social service needs of Head Start eligible children and their families; (5) The education, health, nutrition and social service needs of Head Start eligible children and their families as defined by families of Head Start eligible children and by institutions in the community that serve young children; (6) Resources in the community that could be used to address the needs of Head Start eligible children and their families, including assessments of their availability and accessibility. PACT for West Central Illinois has identified the following counties as its Head Start service area: rural Adams, Brown, Cass, Hancock, McDonough, Pike, Schuyler and Scott. These service areas are approved each program year upon receipt of the Financial Assistant Award from the Department of Health and Human Services. Head Start grant applications and the Financial Assistance Award are maintained in the offices of the Executive Director and Fiscal Officer. A full Community Assessment is completed every three years and is included in the Head Start Base Grant Application. Updates are done for each second and third year. The Executive Director is responsible for ensuring that the Community Assessment is complete and up-to-date. The Executive Director and/or his/her designee are also responsible for the 2

3 collection and analysis of information included in the Assessment. Collection of information is gathered from a variety of sources and includes: Head Start Staff; Head Start Parents; Community Leaders; U.S. Bureau of Census; Illinois Dept. of Human Service; Illinois Dept. of Public Health; Local School Districts and Special Education Cooperatives; Social Service Organizations; U.S. Dept. of Labor; and the Illinois Dept. of Children and Family Services, as well as a variety of other resources (d) (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) Executive Director Exec. Director Ongoing n/a (d) The Early Head Start and Head Start grantee and delegate agency must use information from the Community Assessment to: (1) Help determine the grantee s philosophy, and its long-range and short-range program objectives; (2) Determine the type of component services that are most needed and the program option or options that will be implemented; (3) Determine the recruitment area that will be served by the grantee, if limitations in the amount of resources make it impossible to serve the entire service area; (4) If there are delegate agencies, determine the recruitment area that will be served by the grantee and the recruitment area that will be served by each delegate agency; (5) Determine appropriate locations for centers and the areas to be served by home-based programs; and (6) Set criteria that define the types of children and families who will be given priority for recruitment and selection. Information regarding how the results of the Community Assessment are used to determine philosophy, long and short range objectives, program options and locations for centers. It is the responsibility of the Executive Director to ensure that the grantee board and policy council are involved in all applicable use of the community assessment. The Assistant Director will present selection criteria and recruitment procedures to the board in February of each year for approval (e) Exec. Director Exec. Director Ongoing n/a (e) In each of the two years following completion of the Community Assessment the grantee or delegate agency must conduct a review to determine whether there have been significant changes in the information described in paragraph (b) of this section. If so, the Community Assessment must be updated and the decisions described in paragraph (c) of this section must be reconsidered. 3

4 The Community Assessment is updated in each of the two years following the completion of the comprehensive Community Assessment. The Executive Director has the primary responsibility for identifying significant changes and trends and relating this information to the Grantee Board and Policy Council (f) Exec. Director Exec. Director On Going n/a (f) The recruitment area must include the entire service area, unless the resources available to the Head Start grantee are inadequate to serve the entire service area. This regulation is not applicable. PACT s recruitment area includes the entire service area of the 8 counties as identified in (a) (g)(1)(2)(i)(ii) Exec. Director Exec. Director On Going n/a (g) In determining the recruitment area when it does not include the entire service area the grantee must: (1) Select an area or areas that are among those having the greatest need for Early Head Start or Head Start services as determined by the Community Assessment; and (2)Include as many Head Start eligible children as possible within the recruitment area, so that: (i) The greatest number of Head Start eligible children can be recruited and have an opportunity to be considered for selection and enrollment in the Head Start program, and (ii) The Head Start program can enroll the children and families with the greatest need for its services. PACT for West Central Illinois recruits, selects, and enrolls from the entire eight county service areas for 3-5 Head Start. PACT s service area for Early Head Start is the entire eight county area serving pregnant women and children up to 36 months old for the home-based program. In Pike, Hancock, McDonough and rural Adams counties, PACT offers full-day, full year center-based program for infants and toddlers of parents that work or are in training/school (at the Pittsfield, Carthage, Macomb, and Camp Point Centers). 4

5 (a) Asst. Director HB Teachers, Family Advocates On Going Enrollment Application, Change of Status AGE OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY INCOME ELIGIBILITY (a) To be eligible for Head Start services, a child must be at least three years old by the date used to determine eligibility for public school in the community in which the Head Start program is located, except in cases where the Head Start program s approved grant provides specific authority to serve younger children. Examples of such exceptions are programs serving children of migrant families and Early Head Start programs. To be eligible for PACT Head Start services, a child must be at least 3 years old on or before September 1 of that program year. However due to low enrollment and under the guidance and direction from Kay Willmoth of the Chicago Regional Office a child may be enrolled under the following criteria. In Home Based areas and Centers where all eligible children are enrolled and an intense recruitment effort has been completed, the following shall apply: Home Based Children who do not meet the September 1 school age cut-off date may be enrolled into HS Home Base Service if they meet all other eligibility criteria. They shall be enrolled on or after the day that they turn three years of age. Children referred by Early Intervention, Child & Family Connections, Prevention Initiative, and Early Childhood programs shall receive priority for enrollment in order to avoid a lapse of services and to enhance the transition process. Center Based Only children who turn three years of age prior to December l may be enrolled into HS Center Based if they meet all other eligibility criteria services. They shall be enrolled on or after the day that they turn three years of age. Children referred by Early Intervention, Child & Family Connections, Prevention Initiative, and Early Childhood programs shall receive priority for enrollment in order to avoid a lapse of service and to enhance the transition process. Early Head Start program means a program that provides low-income pregnant women and families with children from birth to age 3 with family-centered service that facilitate child development, support parental roles, and promote self-sufficiency. At the time of application, each child s birth date will be verified by a HBT or FA by seeing a birth certificate, medical card, immunization record, or passport/visa or other governmental document. A Change of Status form will be completed by the HBT or FA to change the enrolled or wait listed pregnant woman s application to the newborn. The Change of Status will be signed by Staff indicating documents seen to verify birth. A Head Start staff person must sign the application stating they have verified the child s birth date before the application will be processed by the Assistant Director. 5

6 For both Head Start and Early Head Start programs, PACT will define a pregnant teen or a teen parent as age 19 and below or enrolled in high school (b) Assist. Director Asst. Director On Going none (b) (1) At least 90 percent of the children who are enrolled in each Head Start program must be from low-income families. (b) (2) Except as provided in paragraph (b) (3) of this section, up to ten percent of the children who are enrolled may be children from families that exceed the low-income guidelines but who meet criteria the program has established for selecting such children who would benefit from Head Start services. The HS Act, 12/12/07, SEC. 14. PARTICIPATION IN HEAD START PROGRAMS. Section 645 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9840) is amended (1) in subsection (a) (A) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following: (a)(1)(a) The Secretary shall by regulation prescribe eligibility for the participation of persons in Head Start programs assisted under this subchapter. (B) Except as provided in paragraph (2), such regulation shall provide (i) that children from low-income families shall be eligible for participation in programs assisted under this subchapter if their families incomes are below the poverty line, or if their families are eligible or, in the absence of child care, would potentially be eligible for public assistance; (ii) that homeless children shall be deemed to be eligible for such participation; (iii) that programs assisted under this subchapter may include (I) to a reasonable extent (but not to exceed 10 percent of participants), participation of children in the area served who would benefit from such programs but who are not eligible under clause (i) or (ii); and (II) from the area served, an additional 35 percent of participants who are not eligible under clause (i) or (ii) and whose families have incomes below 130 percent of the poverty line, if (aa) the Head Start agency involved establishes and implements outreach and enrollment policies and procedures that ensure such agency is meeting the needs of children eligible under clause (i) or (ii) (or subclause (I) if the child involved has a disability) prior to meeting the needs of children eligible under this subclause; and (bb) in prioritizing the selection of children to be served, the Head Start agency establishes criteria that provide that the agency will serve children eligible under clause (i) or (ii) prior to serving the children eligible under this subclause; (iv) that any Head Start agency serving children eligible under clause (iii)(ii) shall report annually to the Secretary information on (I) how such agency is meeting the needs of children eligible under clause (i) or (ii), in the area served, including local demographic data on families of children eligible under clause (i) or (ii); (II) the outreach and enrollment policies and procedures established by the agency that ensure the agency is meeting the needs of children eligible under clause (i) or (ii) (or clause 6

7 (iii)(i) if the child involved has a disability) prior to meeting the needs of children eligible under clause (iii)(ii); (III) the efforts, including outreach efforts (that are appropriate to the community involved), of such agency to be fully enrolled with children eligible under clause (i) or (ii); (IV) the policies, procedures, and selection criteria such agency is implementing to serve eligible children, consistent with clause (iii)(ii); (V) the agency s enrollment level, and enrollment level over the fiscal year prior to the fiscal year in which the report is submitted; (VI) the number of children served by the agency, disaggregated by whether such children are eligible under clause (i), clause (ii), clause (iii)(i), or clause (iii)(ii); and (VII) the eligibility criteria category of the children on the agency s waiting list; (v) that a child who has been determined to meet the eligibility criteria described in this subparagraph and who is participating in a Head Start program in a program year shall be considered to continue to meet the eligibility criteria through the end of the succeeding program year. Per the HS Act, 12/12/07, and under guidelines in IM-HS-08-03, a majority of the children enrolled in the PACT Head Start or PACT Early Head Start program will be from low-income families. In areas where all low-income children that were placed on a waiting list are currently being served and an opening occurs, the Assistant Director will consider over-income families that have children with a disability before children from families that are between 100% and 130% of the poverty line for enrollment. Over-income families will be enrolled according to the established selection criteria in of this section. PACT may enroll up to 35% of children whose families are over 100% Poverty Guideline and below 130% of Poverty Guideline. See selection criteria, , in this section. An annual report will be complied, when requested, per HS Act 645 (a) (1) (B) (iv) (I-VII), to be submitted to the Secretary of the Office of Head Start. Subtitle B of title VII of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C et seq.), Section 725 specifies definition of homeless children: For purposes of this subtitle: (1) The terms enroll' and enrollment' include attending classes and participating fully in school activities. (2) The term homeless children and youths' (A) means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence (within the meaning of section 103(a)(1)); and (B) includes (i) children and youths who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; are abandoned in hospitals; or are awaiting foster care placement; (ii) children and youths who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings (within the meaning of section 103(a)(2)(C)); (iii) children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and (iv) migratory children (as such term is defined in section 1309 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965) who qualify as homeless for the purposes of this subtitle because the children are living in circumstances described in clauses (i) through (iii). (3) The terms local educational agency' and State educational agency' have the meanings given 7

8 such terms in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of (4) The term Secretary' means the Secretary of Education. (5) The term State' means each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. (6) The term unaccompanied youth' includes a youth not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian. (b) (3) (b) (3) (i) (b) (3) (ii) (b) (3) (iii) (b) (3) (iv) (b) (4) The above are not applicable to PACT for West Central Illinois as the agency is not operated by an Indian Tribe INCOME GUIDELINES 8

9 Size of family unit 100% Poverty Guideline 1 $11,490 2 $15,510 3 $19,530 4 $23,550 5 $27,570 6 $31,590 7 $35,610 8 $39,630 For family units with more than 8 members, add $4,020 for each additional member. Time periods for past 12 month period for recruitment week will be: On or after April 1, March 31, 2013 All families who fall below the income guideline or who receive any financial assistance from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or applicants who are foster children or homeless children are considered eligible. EHS - A pregnant woman and her unborn child are considered a family of 2 calculating income on the application. EHS - A pregnant teen or a teen parent is considered a family of her/his own when calculating income. The teen s parents income is not counted even if the teen is living at home. HS - To be considered a four year old, birth dates must be after September 1, August 31, 2009 HS - To be considered a three year old, birth dates must be after September 1, August 31, 2010 EHS - To be considered a two year old, birth dates must be after September 1, August 31, Year Olds 2 Year Olds 3 Year Olds 4 Year Olds Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb March April May June July Aug

10 (c) Assist. Director HB Teachers, Family Advocates On-going Enrollment Application (c) The family income must be verified by the Head Start program before determining that a child is eligible to participate in the program. HS Act, 12/12/07, Section 645 (C) In determining, for purposes of this paragraph, whether a child who has applied for enrollment in a Head Start program meets the eligibility criteria, an entity may consider evidence of family income during the 12 months preceding the month in which the application is submitted, or during the calendar year preceding the calendar year in which the application is submitted, whichever more accurately reflects the needs of the family at the time of application; and (B) by adding at the end the following: (3)(A) In this paragraph: (i) The term dependent has the meaning given the term in paragraphs (2)(A) and (4)(A)(i) of section 401(a) of title 37, United States Code. (ii) The terms member and uniformed services have the meanings given the terms in paragraphs (23) and (3), respectively, of section 101 of title 37, United States Code. (B) The following amounts of pay and allowance of a member of the uniformed services shall not be considered to be income for purposes of determining the eligibility of a dependent of such member for programs funded under this subchapter: (i) The amount of any special pay payable under section 310 of title 37, United States Code, relating to duty subject to hostile fire or imminent danger. (ii) The amount of basic allowance payable under section 403 of such title, including any such amount that is provided on behalf of the member for housing that is acquired or constructed under the alternative authority for the acquisition and improvement of military housing under subchapter IV of chapter 169 of title 10, United States Code, or any other related provision of law. Calculate income for the time period which most accurately shows the family s current financial status. The two time periods that may be used are either the last calendar year or the last 12 months. The staff member, during discussion with the family, decides which time period should be used and marks the appropriate box on the 3rd page of the application. Review the entire income sheet of the application with the family to make sure no source of income will be missed. DEFINITION OF INCOME [Attachment for Information Memorandum] ACF-IM-HS R Income means total cash receipts before taxes from all sources, with the exceptions noted below. Income includes money wages or salary before deductions; net income from non-farm selfemployment; net income from farm self-employment; regular payments from Social Security or railroad retirement; payments from unemployment compensation, strike benefits from union funds, workers' compensation, veterans benefits (with the exception noted below), public assistance (including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Supplemental Security Income, Emergency Assistance money payments, and non-federally funded General Assistance or General Relief money payments); training stipends; alimony, child support, and military family allotments or other regular support from an absent family member or someone not living in the household; private pensions, government employee pensions (including military retirement pay), and regular 10

11 insurance or annuity payments; college or university scholarships, grants, fellowships, and assistantships; and dividends, interest, net rental income, net royalties, and periodic receipts from estates or trusts; and net gambling or lottery winnings. As defined here, income does not include capital gains; any assets drawn down as withdrawals from a bank, the sale of property, a house or a car; or tax refunds, gifts, loans, lump-sum inheritances, one-time insurance payments, or compensation for injury. Also excluded are noncash benefits, such as the employer-paid or union-paid portion of health insurance or other employee fringe benefits; food or housing received in lieu of wages; the value of food and fuel produced and consumed on farms; the imputed value of rent from owner-occupied non-farm or farm housing; and such Federal non-cash benefit programs as Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, school lunches, and housing assistance, and certain disability payments made to disabled children of Vietnam veterans as prescribed by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. The period of time to be considered for eligibility is the twelve months immediately preceding the month in which application or reapplication for enrollment of a child in a Head Start program is made, or for the calendar year immediately preceding the calendar year in which the application or reapplication is made, whichever more accurately reflects the family's current needs. Per ACF-IM-HS R: Section 645(a)(3)(A) of the new Head Start Act requires that certain types of pay and allowance to members of the uniformed services not be counted as income for purposes of determining Head Start eligibility. Specifically, the following two pay/allowances are to be excluded when determining Head Start eligibility: The amount of any special pay payable under section 310 of title 37, United States Code, relating to duty subject to hostile fire or imminent danger. The amount of basic allowance payable under section 403 of title 37, including any housing allowance. (Please see Section 645(a)(3)(ii) of the Head Start Act for the full statutory language.) In addition, under 37 U.S.C. 402 a (g), the child or spouse of a member of the armed forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard) receiving a "supplemental subsistence allowance" who, except on account of such allowance, would be eligible to receive a service provided under the Head Start Act, shall be considered eligible for such benefits notwithstanding the receipt of the allowance. The subsistence allowance would therefore not be counted in determining eligibility for programs authorized by the Head Start Act (d) Assist. Director HB Teachers, Asst. Director., Family Advocates 11 On-going Request for Income Verification form, Request for Income Verific. Letter, Unverifiable Income Form, Enrollment Application VERIFICATION OF INCOME (d) Verification must include examination of any of the following: Individual Income Tax Form 1040, W-2 forms, pay stubs, pay envelopes, written statements from employers, or documentation showing current status as recipients of public assistance. All income sources and amounts must be verified by a Head Start employee. Income may be verified by examining any of the following:

12 Individual Income Tax Form 1040, W-2 forms, pay stubs, pay envelopes, written statements from employers, or documentation showing current status as recipients of public assistance. In cases where the family does not have verification of an income source available in their home, the staff member must complete a Request for Income Verification form for each unverified source and have the person who received the income sign the release. If the release is to verify Supplemental Social Security Income (SSI) Social Security Benefits or Unemployment benefits, the payee must also put their name and social security number of the person who is receiving the benefits on the release. A SS Form 3288 may be necessary to be completed by the SSI recipient if verification is needed by the SS office. Contact the Assistant Director if family cannot locate written statements. NOTE: Families receiving SSI or TANF at the time the application is taken are automatically considered income eligible. Foster children are also automatically considered income eligible. The time periods listed on the Request for Income Verification form must match the time period listed on the income page of the application. The Head Start staff member is responsible for making a copy of each completed Request for Income Verification form and attaching the copies to the back of the Application with a paper clip. The staff member then mails a Request for Income Verification Letter along with the original Request for Income Verification along with the letter and a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the income source. Staff then forwards the application to the central office. The Social Service Aide will hold the application until the completed Request for Income Verification is received. When the verification does come in, the aide will attach the verification to the application and forward it to the Assistant Director for approval. In a few instances, a parent may not have any verification of income source. For example, records were destroyed in a fire, an income source paid in cash and no records were kept, migrant or immigrant families may not have records, or an estranged spouse may be unable to be located or it may be dangerous for the family to have their location revealed to that person. In those cases, it is acceptable to have the parent complete an Unverifiable Income form for those sources. When parents have been married or living together and are now separated or divorced, or when a child s parent has married within the past year, income from both parents is counted for the period of time that both parents were in the home. From the date of separation, income from only the parent with whom the child is living is considered. For all self-employment incomes, make a copy of the family s complete tax forms, including all schedules and send in with the application for the Assistant Director to figure income. Income from self-employment is too time consuming to be figured in the home and there is a need to make sure the rules for figuring the income are uniformly applied. Do not send in the family s only copy of the tax forms. EHS: Calculating a pregnant teen s income or a teenage mother: HBT and FA will only count the teen s income, even if the teen is living at home with her parents. 12

13 (e) Assist. Director HB Teachers, Assist. Director., Family Advocates On-going Enrollment Application (e) A signed statement by an employee of the Head Start program, identifying which of these documents was examined and stating that the child is eligible to participate in the program, must be maintained to indicate that income verification has been made. After all sources of income have been verified or a release has been completed, the Head Start staff person checks off what has been looked at to verify income and birth date on the last page of the application and signs it. The Assistant Director is responsible for holding applications waiting on income verification to be returned from income sources. When the verification is received, the Assistant Director marks that income verification was received for that source on the income page of the application and initials it. The Assistant Director is responsible for reviewing the entire application to ensure everything is complete and verified, and then calculate the family s income percentage of the poverty guidelines by dividing the actual family income by the family income listed in the income guidelines for that size family. The Assistant Director completes the top section of the 1st page of the application and signs it, signifying the application is complete and the child is eligible to participate in the Head Start program (a) Assist. Director HB Teachers, Assist. Director, Family Advocates On-going Prospective Student Intake//Recruitment Activities, We ve Been Recruiting...Letter, PACT brochure, Recruitment Inkind Contribution ½ Sheet RECRUITMENT OF CHILDREN (a) In order to reach those most in need of Head Start services, each Head Start grantee and delegate agency must develop and implement a recruitment process that is designed to actively inform all families with Head Start eligible children within the recruitment area of the availability of services and encourage them to apply for admission to the program. This process may include canvassing the local community, use of news releases and advertising, and use of family referrals and referrals from other public and private agencies. The plan for recruitment of children is developed by staff with input and approval sought from parents annually. Recruitment begins in the spring and continues throughout the year. The Assistant Director contacts agencies in each county for referrals. Agencies include, but are not limited to: 13

14 - Department of Human Services - Public Health Departments - Department of Children & Family Services - General Assistance Offices - Two Rivers Regional Council of Public Officials - Mental Health Centers - Morgan-Cass-Scott Community Services - United Cerebral Palsy - Special Education Districts Programs - Western Illinois Regional Council PACT is part of the Joint Cooperative Agreement between Head Start and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to recruit, enroll, provide services cooperatively, and cooperate in trainings of staff and parents to prevent child abuse and neglect for children and families in the child welfare system. This includes foster children, children of wards, and children from DCFS intact families (families that have service plans with DCFS and children are with parent/guardians OR families that have been referred by DCFS). The Assistant Director will initiate PSIs for foster children, DCFS wards, children of wards, and intact families receiving DCFS services who are identified from DCFS. Family advocates and Home Based Teachers will complete applications ASAP on any foster child, DCFS ward, child of a ward, or child of intact family receiving DCFS services, identified through Central Office, walk-ins, or cold call visits. In addition to the agencies listed above the following agencies apply to EHS: Physicians, hospitals, early intervention programs, domestic violence agencies, and school officials. Newspaper, radio, and television spots are used to inform the public that applications are being taken for the fall program. Each Home Based Teacher, Family Advocate, and parent is asked for a list of potentially eligible children. The Home Based Teachers and Family Advocates are responsible for posting at least ten (10) fliers containing information about recruitment in their areas. Family Advocates and EHS Home Based Teachers check local newspapers weekly for births. HBT and FA complete PSI/Recruitment Activities and send the completed form to the central office. If staff knows a family is over income, staff will not complete a PSI/Recruitment Activities form for that family. Staff will refer over income families to the local school district. Following training, each Home Based Teacher and Family Advocate is assigned a geographical area and contacts all families within that area that have been referred to PACT. Prospective Student Intake/Recruitment Activities Form All staff is required to identify age and income eligible children. Staff document prospective children and families on a Prospective Student Intake/Recruitment Activities Form. After the top section (everything above Recruitment Activities ) of the form is completed, the form is forwarded to the Assistant Director. Each HBT and FA will be given folders sorted by town containing Prospective Student Intake/Recruitment Activities Forms that give basic information about referred families. Staff are expected to contact each family, explain the PACT program, and complete an application if the family so wishes. PSI/RA are followed up by the Home Based Teacher or Family Advocate within three weeks after they are received. HBT and FA must document all attempts (whether by phone, mail, or in person) to contact the family on the bottom section of the PSI/RA form. If the staff member has exhausted all resources and has still been unable to reach the family to complete an application, they will mail the family 14

15 a PACT brochure and a We ve been recruiting in your area letter. After the brochure and the letter have been mailed, and staff has documented the mailing on the PSI/RA form, staff will forward all information on the family to the Assistant Director. The Assistant Director will review all paperwork that did not result in an application to determine whether the follow-up is Complete, should be held for Future follow up, or may be returned to the staff member for more complete follow-up. Determination is written across the top of the PSI/RA and forwarded to Social Service Aide for filing in recruitment files, or returned to staff. If during the attempts to reach the family, the Home Based Teacher or Family Advocate discovers the family has moved out of the area she is recruiting, she writes the complete new address on the PSI/RA form and submits all information on the family to the Assistant Director. If the family is still within the 8-county service area, the Assistant Director will forward the family information to the Home Based Teacher or Family Advocate responsible for that area. Recruitment Inkind For recruitment, inkind is only counted for using the space (home) to take the Application. If the paperwork is filled out at the center, the parent s mileage can be counted as inkind. All recruitment inkind should be documented on the yellow, ½ sheet Inkind Contributions - Non- Federal Share form (b) Assist. Director HB Teachers, Family Advocates 15 Spring & Ongoing Prospective Student Intake/Recruitment Activities, PACT Head Start Enrollment Application, Disabilities Services Identification, Inkind Contrib- Non-Federal Share, Change of Status Form (b) During the recruitment process that occurs prior to the beginning of the enrollment year, a Head Start program must solicit applications from as many Head Start eligible families within the recruitment area as possible. If necessary, the program must assist families in filling out the application form in order to assure that all information needed for selection is completed. After a Home Based Teacher or Family Advocate has followed up on all names given to them for recruitment, the Home Based Teacher or Family Advocate needs to spend the rest of the working time cold calling. She asks at businesses, daycares, and other places within the community for names of children who may be eligible for Head Start services. Whenever a name is received, a Prospective Student Intake/Recruitment Activities form must be completed with family information. Staff then follows recruitment follow up procedures. Home Based Teachers and Family Advocates will also stop at homes where presence of a young child is noted, or in some instances, may go door-to-door, passing out program brochures and asking for referrals. Application Process When a contact with a family results in their interest in completing a PACT Head Start Enrollment Application, the Home Based Teacher or Family Advocate will fill out the application

16 during an interview process with the family. The application should be completed in blue or black ink and all signatures must be in ink. Do not use white out. (See (b) (c) (d) (e) in this section regarding completion of the income page.) Determining the # in the family: When completing the number of family members on page two and three of the application, the following definition must be used: In order to be considered as a member of a family, a person has to live in the same household, be supported by the income of the parent(s) or guardian(s) of the child enrolling in the Head Start program and be related to the parent(s) or guardian(s) by blood, marriage, or adoption. A foster child is considered a family of one person. An unborn child (for an EHS application) is counted as a member of a family. In HS, the unborn child is not counted as a member of the family. There may be other persons residing in the household which you may wish to list on page 1 or 2 of the application which do not meet the definition of a family member. Once the application and all needed income releases are complete, the staff member should read aloud to parents the statement on the Special Needs Identification form emphasizing that answering this form is optional, voluntary, and confidential. Continue to complete this form, referring to instructions from the Disabilities/Mental Health Services Coordinator (b) in the Disabilities Plan. Next, give a Recruitment Health Memo to each family that completed an application. Explain the yellow Inkind Contributions - Non-Federal Share form and have parent sign. After all paperwork is complete, explain to parents that the Assistant Director will be processing all applications and selecting the most eligible families for enrollment. Families will receive a selection or waiting list letter sometime in June. There are no guarantees that a family will be enrolled. Families placed on the waiting list will be notified when there is an opening for their child. At the end of each day of recruitment, the staff member is responsible for making copies of and mailing all income releases. Each completed application and the accompanying paperwork should be assembled in the following order from top to bottom and paper clipped together before mailing to Central Office: - Inkind Sheet - Application -Income Worksheet - Income Releases - Unverifiable Income or Documentation of Zero Income - Prospective Student Intake/Recruitment Activities form - Health information - Special Needs Identification form and accompanying releases - Not all families will have completed these forms. 16

17 A Recruitment Training Manual is update yearly by the Assistant Director, Health and Disabilities/Mental Health Services Coordinators. HB Teachers, Family Advocates, and Site Supervisors receive the manual in the spring during recruitment training. If the application information changes after submission, Family Advocates and HB Teachers are to complete a Change of Status Form for any updates to the application: address changes, family member changes and status of employment (c) Assist. Director HB Teachers, Assist. Director, Family Advocates 17 Spring (c) Each program, except migrant programs, must obtain a number or applications during the recruitment process that occurs prior to the beginning of the enrollment year that is greater than the enrollment opportunities that are anticipated to be available over the course of the next enrollment year in order to select those with the greatest need for Head Start services. none Prior to beginning spring recruitment the Assistant Director determines how many applications must be obtained by using the following formula: Funded enrollment -- # of returning children total + # of drops (enrolled and selected but didn t enroll) = projected number of applications needed Each recruiter is assigned a target number of applications to complete during recruitment (a)(b)(c)(d) Assist. Director HB Teachers, Assist. Director, Family Advocates Ongoing WAITING LIST Selection Process. (a) Each Head Start program must have a formal process for establishing selection criteria and for selecting children and families that considers all eligible applicants for Head Start services. The selection criteria must be base on those contained in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section. (b) In selecting the children and families to be served, the Head Start program must consider the income of eligible families, the age of the child, the availability of kindergarten or first grade to the child, and the extent to which a child or family meets the criteria that each program is required to establish in (c)(6). Migrant programs must also give priority to children from families whose pursuit of agricultural work required them to relocate most frequently within the previous two year period. none

18 (c) At least 10 percent of the total number of enrollment opportunities in each grantee and each delegate agency during an enrollment year must be made available to children with disabilities who meet the definition for children with disabilities in (a). An exception to this requirement will be granted only if the responsible HHS official determines, based on such supporting evidence as he or she may require, that the grantee made a reasonable effort to comply with this requirement but was unable to do so because there was an insufficient number of children with disabilities in the recruitment area who wished to attend the program and for whom the program was an appropriate placement based on their Individual Education Plan (IEP), with services provided directly by Head Start or in conjunction with other providers. (d) Each Head Start program must develop at the beginning of each enrollment year and maintain during the year a waiting list that ranks children according to the program s selection criteria to assure that eligible children enter the program as vacancies occur. 18

19 Selection of Children for 3 to 5 Head Start After completion of recruitment the Social Service Coordinator selects children for enrollment based on selection criteria established by the Policy Council. Priority Selections are listed in order of priority. Families indicate on the top of the application which HS program option they want. Current criteria for selecting children are: Home Based Part-Day Single Session Part-Day Double Session Full-Day Session Extended Session Selection of Children for 3 to 5 Head Start X X X X X Returning children previously enrolled that do not have kindergarten available to them. X X X X X 10% Special needs a. returning children. b. Lowest income eligible (100% or below of Poverty Guideline) until 10% is filled. X X X X X Children previously enrolled in Early Head Start who meet income eligibility requirements (100% or below of Poverty Guideline). X X Any 3-5 year old children whose parent is enrolled in Western Illinois University who meet income eligibility requirements (100% or below of Poverty Guideline). (For the Macomb Center only) X X X X X Any child referred by Department of Children and Family Services or Special E. Co-Ops who meets age and income eligibility (100% or below of Poverty Guideline) requirements. X X X X X Any foster child or homeless child who meets age requirements. X X X X X Income eligible (100% or below of Pov. Guideline) 4 year-olds (lowest to highest income). X X X X X Income eligible (100% or below of Pov. Guideline) 5 year-olds (lowest to highest income). X X X X X Income eligible 3 year-olds (100% or below of Pov. Guideline) (lowest to highest income). X X X X X Over-income (over 100% of Pov. Guideline) previously enrolled in EHS children with special needs. X X X X X Over-income (over 100% of Pov. Guideline) children with special needs. For Between 101% - 130% of Poverty Guideline, these criteria apply until 35% of Funded Total Enrollment is met: X X X X X Children previously enrolled in Early Head Start who are between 101% - 130% of Poverty Guideline. X X Any 3-5 year old children whose parent is enrolled in Western Illinois University who are between 101% - 130% of Poverty Guideline (For the Macomb Center only) X X X X X Any child referred by Department of Children and Family Services or Special E. Co-Ops who meets age eligibility and is between 101% - 130% Poverty Guideline) requirements. 19

20 Home Based Part-Day Single Session Part-Day Double Session Full-Day Session Extended Session Selection of Children for 3 to 5 Head Start X X X X X Between 101% - 130% Poverty Guideline 4 year-olds (lowest to highest income). X X X X X Between 101% - 130% Poverty Guideline 5 year-olds (lowest to highest income). X X X X X Between 101% - 130% Poverty Guideline 3 year-olds (lowest to highest income). X X X X X Income eligible children age 3 after the Sept 1 cut off date that were referred by Early Intervention, Child & Family Connection, Prevention Initiative, and Early Childhood programs. X X X X X Income eligible children age 3 after the Sept 1 and prior to Dec 1. X Income eligible children age 3 anytime after Sept. 1. X X X X X Between 101% - 130% Poverty Guideline children age 3 after the Sept 1 cut off date that were referred by Early Intervention, Child & Family Connection, Prevention Initiative, and Early Childhood programs. X X X X X Between 101% - 130% Poverty Guideline children age 3 after the Sept 1 and prior to Dec 1. X Between 101% - 130% Poverty Guideline, children age 3 anytime after Sept. 1. X X X X X Over-income previously enrolled children in EHS. X X X X X Over-income children referred by DCFS, or Special Ed Co-Ops who meet age requirements. X X X X X Over-income 4 year old children. X X X X X Over-income 5 year old children. X X X X X Over-income 3 year old children 20

21 Selection of Children for Early Head Start After completion of recruitment the Assistant Director selects children for enrollment based on selection criteria established by the Policy Council. Priority Selections are listed in order of priority. Families indicate on the top of the application which EHS program they want. Current criteria for selecting children are: Home Based Part-Day Single Session Part-Day Double Session Full-Day Session Extended Session Selection of Children for Early Head Start X X Returning children previously enrolled that are under three years old as of Sept. 1. X X Sibling of an enrolled child who meets income eligibility (100% or below of Poverty Guideline) requirements. X X Pregnant woman with an enrolled child who meets income eligibility (100% or below of Poverty Guideline) requirements. Pregnant teen referred by the Health Department, Physician, School Official, Social Service or Domestic Violence agencies who meet income eligibility (100% or below of Poverty Guideline) requirements. X Pregnant teen who meets income eligibility (100% or below of Poverty Guideline) requirements. X X 10% special needs - Lowest income eligible until 10% is filled. (100% or below of Poverty Guideline) X Any 0-3 year old children whose parent is enrolled in Western Illinois University who meet income eligibility requirements (100% or below of Poverty Guideline). (For the Macomb Center only) X X Any child referred by Department of Children and Family Services or Early Intervention programs who meet income eligibility requirements (100% or below of Poverty Guideline). X X Any foster or homeless child who meets age requirements. X X Income eligible (100% or below of Poverty Guideline) 0-3 year-olds (lowest to highest income). X Income eligible (100% or below of Poverty Guideline) pregnant woman. X X Over-income (over 100% of Poverty Guideline) children with special needs. For Between 101% - 130% of Poverty Guideline, these criteria apply until 35% of Funded Total Enrollment is met: 21