Methods of Cooperation and Communication

Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) and Head Start (HS) representatives are members of the local Interagency Planning Team (99457) and thus share the mission of family focus, inclusion, communication, and cooperation among agencies in the community.

The Head Start Director also holds a director position in the Lincoln Public Schools, thus the procedures and policies governing schools are practiced in the HS program. Communication with the Special Education Director and ECSE supervisor is frequent.

The Special Services Coordinator for HS is included in ECSE Team Leader meetings and school district Special Education Coordinator meetings, and Child Study Team (multidisciplinary Assessment Team) meetings when it assesses Head Start children.

ECSE Supervisor sits on Head Start Disabilities and Health Advisory Committees.

ECSE Supervisor and selected staff and HS Special Services Coordinator and Education Coordinator also serve on District Early childhood Steering Committee.

Information on children enrolled in HS will be shared with ECSE, with parent permission. Records will be uniform, due to collaboration on forms. Confidentiality will be maintained by both programs.

To facilitate necessary communication, for collaborative and combined services and procedural updates and to respond to individual children and families' needs which may arise, the ECSE Supervisor and HS Special Services Coordinator will work together.

Areas of Cooperation
1. Recruitment, Screening, and Referral
ECSE refers families to Head Start and vice versa. Staff of both programs are informed about referral processes. Head Start provides a developmental and health screening for all enrollees. Community agencies such as University of Nebraska at Lincoln, the Health Department, or schools may provide resources for screening, as available. ECSE input regarding planning for screening is solicited. Planning occurs in these areas:

a. when and where screening will be held.
b. instruments and procedures to be used.
c. sharing of staff and facilities.
d. a system of referral from screening to further evaluation.

Head Start performance standards will be followed.

Referral may be made by ECSE to HS:

a. for least restrictive or most inclusive placement.
b. when in best interests of the child or family.
c. when a child does not meet criteria of eligibility for ECSE.

HS will refer to ECSE for evaluation through the Child Assistance Team (CHAT) Process, in the centers where the children are served. Parents of Head Start children are notified of concerns, prior to referral to assistance team. The team will develop a plan of assessment, with communication with Child Study Team and Special Services Coordinator.

2. Comprehensive Evaluation
As decided by the building team, the ECSE Child Study Team or the building MDT will conduct the evaluation, with the inclusion of the parent and the Head Start teacher who is called family educator (center based) or home visitor (home based). The plans and process for this area are detailed in the Lincoln Public Schools' Student Assistance Process and Special Education Procedures. Evaluation will include collection of information from the Head Start setting, if appropriate. Head Start Special Services Coordinator receives a record of the child's diagnosis. Timelines as stated in the HS Performance Standards and Special Education timelines must be met. When children do not meet eligibility criteria for special education services, the Child Study Team will provide recommendations for assisting the child.

3. Individual Educational Program Development
When a child has been determined to be eligible for special education through the multidisciplinary team evaluation, the school district is responsible for the development of an individual education program (IEP). The IEP is intended to provide a process for parents and service providers to jointly make decisions about the program for a child who has a disability and to provide a written record of the special education and related services needed by the child.

Head Start, school districts, and the appropriate agency staff are encouraged to coordinate the development and implementation of the IEP, including,

a. the participation of appropriate Head Start staff as a part of the IEP team.
b. the meeting of regulatory timelines for the completion of the IEP.
c. the facilitation of the active involvement of parents.

A copy of the child's IEP will be made available to the Head Start program.

4. Placement
Placement means the special education and related services specified in a child's current individual educational program (IEP) and the setting in which these services are provided. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires procedures to assure that, to the maximum extent possible, children with disabilities are served in natural environments with children who are not disabled. Special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from normal peer settings within the school and community should occur only when the nature or severity of the disability is such that full inclusion with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.

Head Start and ECSE will work cooperatively to provide special education and related services to identified children with disabilities.

a. Every effort will be made to maintain the child in the Head Start program, if it is determined to be an appropriate placement by the IEP team.

b. When it is determined by the IEP team, including the parent, that a transfer to ECSE is the most appropriate placement for the child, this transition will be facilitated by procedures outlined under transition.

c. ECSE may refer children with disabilities to the Head Start program as a placement option. Children who are referred and are age and income eligible for Head Start will be given every consideration for enrollment, within the Head Start program's capacity.

d. Special education and related services provided by the school district may be provided for the child in the Head Start setting. The delivery of services should be in keeping with developmentally appropriate practices.

e. To the maximum extent possible, early care and education services provided by any child should be consolidated in terms of locale and personnel.

f. Family needs and parent preferences will be considered most seriously.

5. Transition
Head Start programs and ECSE will continue ongoing communication to help children and their families make the transition from one program to another.

The activities which will be coordinated for transition include:

a. Staff can learn about each other's program and expectations for the child and family.

b. A process for sharing information can be developed.

c. Visits for children, parents, and staff can be made between programs.

d. When possible in shared sites, children can be transitioned gradually, by "visiting" or spending parts of the day in one center or another.

6. Training and Inservice
Head Start and ECSE are required to provide ongoing training for staff to increase their knowledge and ability to provide quality services to children with disabilities.

Head Start programs, ECSE, and community agencies, including health and social services are encouraged to coordinate training events through:

a. inviting ECSE staff to HS inservices, and vice versa when appropriate.

b. planning for and inviting staff from each agency to share training activities, including training available to the interagency planning region teams, through the Early Childhood Training Center.

c. planning joint training activities to increase awareness of, and respect for each program's philosophy and regulations.

d. participating in district wide activities in early childhood or special education.

e. joint development of appropriate practices through peer coaching, shared resources and planning, small study groups, etc.

f. inviting members from ECSE or HS to sit on committees, such as advisory committees or staff development committees.

g. joint planning of parent events and trainings.

h. HS may request, through the established Lincoln Public School procedures, consultative services to best support children and families. These might include:


1. observe in HS centers or provide recommendations to staff.
2. advise or provide possible strategies and interventions (for example, behavior specialists or vision teachers) or training in normal child development or "when to refer." They may provide checklists, observational techniques, or parent information.

The HS and ECSE agree to continue to develop collaboration/cooperation with other agencies who serve children and families. This is an ongoing process and new ways to share resources, eliminate duplication and barriers and contain costs will be continually addressed.