Head Start, Title I and McKinney-Vento Collaboration:

Bridging the Gaps

Presenters:Maria Green, Assistant Director of

State and Federal ProgramsRound Rock ISD

Gaby Cantu, PK Bilingual TeacherRound Rock ISD

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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

Identifying Limited English Proficient Students

• Home Language Survey• Woodcock-Muñoz Language

Survey• Language Proficiency

Assessment Committee (LPAC)• Parent Permission• Bilingual / ESL / Dual-Language

Programs

Dual Language Classrooms

• Gomez & Gomez Dual Language Model

• Bilingual, bicultural and biliterate students

• Language of the day• Literacy instruction is in

the native language

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)

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

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

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

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

Presentations1. Teaching Science in PK2. Effective PK Writing strategies3. Mathematics in PK4. 5 E Model

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

Support and Resources

• Home visits – attendance• Art Institute student volunteers• High school student volunteers• Private middle school volunteers• Community involvement

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

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

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

Research Says…

“For the most high-risk children, enrichpreschool environments and excellent primarygrade instruction can be a deciding factorbetween success or failure that will follow themall their lives. No time is more important, or asfleeting, as a child’s early years of life andschooling.”

Information from Eager to Learn: Educating Our Preschoolers

*TEA – Partnering for School Readiness Integration