8.1 Coordination with Partners to Expand Accessibility and Continuity of Care

Lead Agencies must coordinate child care services supported by CCDF with other federal, State/Territory, and local level programs. This includes programs for the benefit of Indian children, infants and toddlers, children with disabilities, children experiencing homelessness, and children in foster care. 8.1.1 Coordination with required and optional partners Describe how the Lead Agency coordinates and the results of this coordination of the provision of child care services with the organizations and agencies to expand accessibility and continuity of care and to assist children enrolled in early childhood programs in receiving full-day services that meet the needs of working families. The Lead Agency must coordinate with the following agencies: a. State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care or similar coordinating body (pursuant to 642B(b)(I)(A)(i) of the Head Start Act). Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Arkansas Early Childhood Commission meets on a quarterly basis and assists in establishing goals for OEC, including providing input on the CCDF Plan. OEC works in coordination with the early childhood sub-committee of the Arkansas State Board of Education. b. Indian Tribe(s) and/or Tribal organization(s), at the option of the Tribe or Tribal organization. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination, including which Tribe(s) was (were) involved: [x] Not applicable. Check here if there are no Indian Tribes and/or Tribal organizations in the State/Territory. c. State/Territory agency(ies) responsible for programs for children with disabilities, including early intervention programs authorized under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: ADE Special Education staff are a part of OEC’s weekly leadership meeting. Staff are given the opportunity to share updates and advise on the needs of special needs children. Children with special needs are considered a high priority for services and programs may receive higher reimbursement rates for children with disabilities. d. State/Territory office/director for Head Start State collaboration. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: OEC works with the Head Start Collaboration Office to develop shared goals and plans to meet the needs of children and families. A Head Start is also represented on Arkansas’s Early Childhood Commission. e. State/Territory agency responsible for public health, including the agency responsible for immunizations. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: OEC coordinate with providers and families directly to ensure children in childcare facilities are referred and provided Early Periodic Screening Diagnosis Treatment (EPSDT) and Preventive Health Screens. Health screenings are provided by the Department of Health or by the family's medical professional. Families receiving Arkansas Medicaid are required to complete the EPSDT Health screenings. Additionally, OEC has representation on the Natural Wonders Partnerships Council (NWPC)hosted by Arkansas Children's Hospital and the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH)which has specific measurable goals and processes to increase immunizations, EPSDT rates, and access to dental care for children. f. State/Territory agency responsible for employment services/workforce development. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: OEC works with the Department of Human Services to bring quality services to TANF families. g. State/Territory agency responsible for public education, including pre-Kindergarten. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: OEC is responsible for administering Arkansas’s public Pre-K program. h. State/Territory agency responsible for child care licensing. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: OEC is responsible for administering childcare licensing. The Child Care Licensing Unit and the CCDF Unit work in conjunction with one another daily. i. State/Territory agency responsible for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and other relevant nutrition programs. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: OEC is responsible for administering CACFP and working with the CCDF unit. We share a common commitment to providing families with high quality care and education for all children served in licensed care. Arkansas's Health and Nutrition unit serves as a resource to licensed childcare facilities to provide information and support so that children receive balanced and nutritious meals. j. McKinney-Vento State coordinators for homeless education and other agencies providing services for children experiencing homelessness and, to the extent practicable, local McKinney-Vento liaisons. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: OEC coordinates with childcare providers and local agencies to provide services for families experiencing homelessness. Additionally, OEC collaborates with the TANF funded initiative "100 Families" which assists families experiencing homelessness and other significant risk factors to ensure a successful transition into employment and/or educational programs. k. State/Territory agency responsible for the TANF program. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Department of Human Services is responsible for the Arkansas’s TANF program. OES partners with this program to assist with authorization of TANF child care assistance. l. State/Territory agency responsible for Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: OEC was previously housed with the Department of Humans Services, which provides Medicaid services in Arkansas. OEC is able to work with this department as needed to ensure the needs of Arkansans are met. m. State/Territory agency responsible for mental health services. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: OEC partners with University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) who conduct mental health consultation services for CCDF children. n. Child care resource and referral agencies, child care consumer education organizations, and providers of early childhood education training and professional development. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: OEC funds five Child Care Aware resource and referral organizations. They are located throughout the state to be easily accessible to families and providers statewide. In addition, OEC contracts with several universities in Arkansas to provide training and professional development. Each contractor has an area of expertise they focus on. The training is coordinated among contractors to avoid duplication of efforts. o. Statewide afterschool network or other coordinating entity for out-of-school time care (if applicable). Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: To promote the goals established by the Arkansas Early Childhood Commission, OEC partners with a variety of public and private organizations such as, but not limited to, the Arkansas Out of School Network (AOSN); which works to improve the quality of out-of-school time programming, alignment and engagement of cross-sector partners in support of quality out-of-school programming, and develops initiatives to expand programming to increase access to quality out of school time opportunities. The Arkansas Out of School Network (AOSN) works to promote an expansion of school-based and school linked afterschool programs serving children and youth. AOSN’s mission is to create safe, healthy and enriching experiences for Arkansas youth during out of school times. The Network serves as a vehicle to bring together key stakeholders and has an array of partners who have committed staff, resources, and technical assistance to support afterschool programs. p. Agency responsible for emergency management and response. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: Arkansas Code states that each state agency must have an appointed Emergency Management Liaison Officer (EMLO). The EMLO is Arkansas Department of Emergency Management's (ADEM) point of contact at that agency. q. The following are examples of optional partners a Lead Agency might coordinate with to provide services. Check which optional partners the Lead Agency coordinates with and describe the coordination and results of the coordination. i. [x] State/Territory/local agencies with Early Head Start – Child Care Partnership grants. Describe: OEC has a successful partnership with Early Head Start Child Care Partnership (EHS-CCP). OEC assists the partnerships by providing CCDF funding and eligibility training. Working with grantees and partners has increased our capacity to serve more infants and toddlers in high quantity settings. OEC is also an EHS-CCP grantee and has a team of employees to support this program. ii. [x] State/Territory institutions for higher education, including community colleges. Describe: OEC collaborates with institutions of higher education. Higher education leaders provide professional development services to the early education field and actively participate in OEC state-level work groups. OEC has a higher education cohort, a group comprised of representatives from two and four-year colleges that meets monthly to coordinate and align training and education opportunities for early childhood education in Arkansas. The cohort collaborates with T.E.A.C.H. as well. iii. [ ] Other federal, State, local, and/or private agencies providing early childhood and school-age/youth-serving developmental services. Describe: iv. [x] State/Territory agency responsible for implementing the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) programs grant. Describe: OEC partners with the Arkansas Department of Health, which receives federal grant funds to implement the Maternal Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program. v. [x] Agency responsible for Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment Program. Describe: OEC partners with the Arkansas Department of Health to ensure parents are provided with updated information regarding EPSDT’s vi. [x] State/Territory agency responsible for child welfare. Describe: OEC collaborates with the DHS-Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS)Program to ensure that children in foster care are placed in quality early learning environments. vii. [ ] Child care provider groups or associations. Describe: viii. [x] Parent groups or organizations. Describe: OEC contracts the TEACH Scholarship Program through the Arkansas Early Childhood Association (AECA). ix. [ ] Title IV B 21st Century Community Learning Center Coordinators. Describe: x. [ ] Other. Describe: