Montana Head Start 

              State Collaboration Office

UPCOMING EVENTS

MONTANA HEAD START ASSOCIATION LINK

Collaboration Office Target Areas

  Child Care

Head Start and all low-income families will have access to high quality services and programs for their children in the area of child care.

The Montana Head Start/State Collaboration Office recognizes the need to develop policies and practices that promote the collaboration and coordination that is essential to improving child care availability, quality, and affordability for children.  Information and training about partnerships can be provided, as well as offering the highest services necessary to support working families.  Quality child care is a critical element in a child’s early years.

Currently, the Collaboration Office is developing Child Care / Head Start Partnerships and is working with the Children as Scholars.

  Disability Services

Head Start and all low-income families will have access to high quality services and programs for their children with disabilities.

Many productive collaborations exist to coordinate services for children and families.  Head Start classrooms offer an ideal setting for the integration of preschool children with disabilities.   Partnerships that bring both entities together enhance and strengthen the services available to young children.  The Montana Head Start/State Collaboration Office can assist with collaborative agreements, strategies, and the publicizing and sharing of successes.

  Education

Head Start and all low-income families will have access to high quality services and programs for their children in the area of education. 

The Montana Head Start/State Collaboration Office to improve the education services offered to low-income children and families.  Information and support can be provided regarding transition agreements between these programs and schools.  When school and programs work together, families find success.

  Family Literacy

Head Start and all low-income families will have access to high quality family literacy programs and activities as they move toward self-sufficiency.

The Montana Head Start/State Collaboration Office recognizes the need to form community partnerships that assist and support families in the attainment of literacy.  Head Start programs offer a unique and hospitable environment for parents to pursue education in many forms.  The Collaboration Project will support programs as they seek to meet varying family needs

  Health / Mental Health

Head Start and all low-income families will have access to high quality services and programs for their children in the area of Health Care.

The Montana Head Start/State Collaboration Office will focus on assisting communities in their quest to develop a network of providers that will actively address the needs of children and families in the areas of medical, dental care, and nutrition information.  Many aspects of life are affected by health and well being.  Working together, the health care and Head Start communities can minimize many obstacles that prevent families from having a medical “home.”

  Volunteerism

Head Start and all low-income families will have sufficient and meaningful volunteer opportunities.

The Montana Head Start/State Collaboration Office is aware of the need to develop new and more creative ways to provide volunteer opportunities for families and programs to meet the needs of both.  The Collaboration Project now sponsors and AmeriCorps VISTA and is seeking funding for AmeriCorps volunteers to be placed at every Head Start program.  We are committed to working with national, state, and local programs to foster the values and practices of volunteerism.

  Welfare

Head Start and all low-income families will be appropriately supported as they move toward self-sufficiency.

The Montana Head Start/State Collaboration Office is committed to assisting families, programs, agencies, and organizations in the collaboration process as they build and strengthen the support services available for families participating in the welfare reform.  Making a lasting and meaningful change in the welfare system requires the teamwork and partnership of everyone in our communities and state.  The Project will help to identify barriers and advocate for minimizing those barriers created by policies that do not work in practice or implementation.

  Homelessness

Head Start and all low income families should have access to affordable and adequate housing.  Families who become homeless will be appropriately served by meaningful and relevant community partnerships.  The Collaboration Office works with the Montana Continuum of Care Network and encourages community partnerships and strategies to best serve families who are homeless.  

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Head Start Federal Initiatives

  Fatherhood

The fatherhood initiative strives to improve the lives of children by having a healthy father or father figure actively participating in the child’s life.  Fathers can benefit by having training, interaction with other fathers, coordinated events scheduled with their child, and other activities that Head Start and Early Head Start (HS&EHS) and CCR&Rs can sponsor.  Fathers and father figures are an important component to a child’s life and are beneficial to a child and a healthy family. 

  Healthy Marriage

Healthy marriages and positive relationships create a healthy environment for children to grow up in.  Healthy marriages have not only been shown to have a positive effect on children, but also the parents.  Programs can incorporate counseling services, parent education programs, and other skill building activities in order to have a family-centered site that focuses on the well-being of the child by promoting healthy marriages and relationships for the parents.  

  Faith-based/Community Initiatives

Faith-based organizations and other community services are valuable to non-profit programs such as HS&EHS and CCR&Rs.  Collaborations with these organizations create many different opportunities for all of the organizations involved, such as addressing some of the other federal initiatives.  Fundraising or marital classes are only some of the ways that faith-based and community organizations can be involved with early childhood programs.

  Positive Youth Development

Youth are a valuable resource in our communities.  Incorporating youth activities not only benefits the youth, but also the children involved in HS&EHS and CCR&Rs.  Programs can provide a safe environment for youth to develop positive relationships with children and adults.  Partnering with local youth organizations in the community, such as 4-H or youth groups, can expand the opportunities for youth in their community.

  Next Phase of Welfare Reform

The welfare reform act has overall shown improvements in the lives of welfare recipients.  Parents involved in the program have increased employment and education, reduced poverty, decreased abuse cases, and improved behavior and performance of their children.  As a result of the welfare reform act, many researchers have seen a correlation between the welfare reform programs and healthier marriages and relationships.  Programs can further the benefits of the welfare reform act by providing parent education programs, information and proper direction about assistance for families, opportunities for job skill learning and practice, and supporting the formation and maintenance of two-parent families.

  Enhancing Early Literacy of Children

A concerted effort is being pursued by HS & EHS and child care nationally to train staff and improve practices and outcomes.  By using literacy-based activities in the other initiatives and in most program activities, literacy skills improve and attitudes change for both the children and the parents.  Children who are exposed to literacy activities at an early age are less likely to have difficulty reading later on.  Programs have already collaborated with organizations such as Even Start and Literacy Volunteers, but there are many other opportunities for programs to fully incorporate the literacy component into their programs.

  Rural Initiative

Rural families and communities have very unique and different needs from other communities.  Montana has over 350,000 people who live in a rural area.  Transportation, poverty, health concerns, lack of employment opportunities, and lack of adequate housing are just some of the challenges that residents in these communities face.  Programs need to investigate these and other pertinent issues and how they can support families in rural areas.   

  Prevention

Prevention is a key component when trying to reduce the need for intervention services.  Both parents and children can be educated on the prevention of negative behaviors in order to live a healthier life.  Programs can promote child safety, healthy lifestyles that exclude the use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs, education, and the overall well-being of parents and children.  Collaborations with local community organizations provide opportunities for HS&EHS and CCR&R programs to incorporate this initiative into their program.     

AmeriCorps in Early Care & Education

The Collaboration Office applied for and received an AmeriCorps Planning Grant, AmeriCorps in Early Care & Education.  AmeriCorps members will be placed into Head Start and Early Head Start (HS&EHS) Programs and Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (CCR&R).  The Federal Government has determined that specific initiatives need to be addresses by programs such as HS&EHS and CCR&Rs.  They are encouraged to pay particular attention to the initiatives in addition to their daily responsibilities.  For the AmeriCorps project, AmeriCorps members will focus on one or more of the Federal Initiatives.  The AmeriCorps member would learn what needs to be done, what other programs are doing or trying, and then implement a focused activity in the program.  It would be expected that a needed activity be established and completed, that the AmeriCorps member will gain and practice necessary skills, and that the families will respond in ways that are inclusive to their needs.  This partnership provides an excellent opportunity for action to be taken on the Federal Initiatives, for community strengthening, thereby benefiting families.  

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