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 lead agency coordinates with the State Advisory Council. The mission of the Delaware Early Childhood Council is to promote the development of a comprehensive and coordinated early childhood system, birth to eight, which provides the highest quality services and environment for Delaware's children and their families. Members of the council include members of General Assembly, members of the business community, members of Head Start, higher education, Delaware Association for the Education of Young Children, etc. An overview of the CCDF Plan was presented to the state advisory council and the draft plan was circulated to the DECC listserv to elicit public comment. The goal of this coordination is to ensure that Delaware provides smooth transitions for children between programs or as they age into school; enhance and align the quality of services for infants and toddlers through school-age children; and link comprehensive services to children in childcare or school-age settings. 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: Delaware does not have any federally recognized tribes. [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: The Department of Health and Social Services, as the lead agency, oversees programs catering to children with special needs ages birth to three (Part C), while the Department of Education assumes responsibility for those ages three and above (Part B). Collaborative efforts between staff members from both departments were instrumental in crafting and refining the plan. The primary objective of this coordination is to adopt a holistic approach in meeting the needs of this demographic. This entails ensuring that parents are well-informed about their children's developmental milestones, equipped with knowledge of where to seek assistance if necessary, ensuring mandatory screenings are conducted, and facilitating timely and appropriate referrals for services. Ultimately, the aim is to guarantee that children requiring additional support receive it promptly and in alignment with their needs. The overarching aim is to empower parents with the information necessary to make informed decisions regarding the support required for the optimal development of their children. d. State/Territory office/director for Head Start State collaboration. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The lead agency has a Memorandum of Agreement with the Department of Education to ensure coordination of activities under the Child Care and Development Fund. The Department of Education Office of Early Learning houses the Head Start Collaboration Officer. The goal of collaboration is to establish linkages among Head Start, private child care, social welfare, health and state- funded early care and education programs in an effort to ensure smooth transitions between programs. Delaware Head Start programs provide high quality early childhood education, nutrition, health, mental health, disabilities and social services with a strong parental involvement, acting as a model to Delaware's state-funded early care and education programs. e. State/Territory agency responsible for public health, including the agency responsible for immunizations. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The lead agency, the Department of Health and Social Services is responsible for public health. The Division of Public Health which rests within DHSS includes a wide range of programs and services all aimed toward protecting and improving the health of the citizens of the state. Some of these services include health and wellness, emergency preparedness, screening and testing, etc. The goal of the division’s immunization program is to prevent vaccine- preventable diseases by ensuring that children and adults receive the vaccines they need. The program ensures that all citizens of Delaware have access to vaccines; healthcare providers are aware of immunization standards of practice; the latest recommendations on vaccines are available to providers; and providers and the public have access to up-to- date answers to vaccine questions. f. State/Territory agency responsible for employment services/workforce development. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The lead agency is responsible for employment services/workforce development. The lead agency collaborates with the Delaware Workforce Development Board, which ensures the citizens of Delaware are provided with occupational training and employment service opportunities to help them achieve employment with livable wages. The Board also collaborates with the business industry to provide the business industry with qualified workers to meet their employment needs. The goal of this collaboration is to ensure the enhancement and alignment of quality services and to ensure accessibility of employment services and work development for low-income families. The lead agency’s Community Partners Support Unit is also instrumental in engaging the community on many levels including the development of employment opportunities for low-income individuals. g. State/Territory agency responsible for public education, including pre-Kindergarten. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Department of Education is responsible for public education, including pre-kindergarten. The lead agency has a memorandum of understanding with DOE and the Associate Secretary at DOE serves as Co-Administrator of the CCDF program. The Department of Education is responsible for administering the quality portion of the CCDF program, including the Infant and Toddler set aside. The goals of this coordination are to ensure extended day or year of services for families eligible for POC; to ensure smooth transitions for children between programs or as they age into school; to enhance and align the quality of services for infants and toddlers through school-age children; to ensure linkage of comprehensive services to children in child care or school age settings; and to collaborate in developing the supply of quality care for vulnerable populations (as defined by the Lead Agency) in child care and out-of-school time settings. h. State/Territory agency responsible for child care licensing. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Department of Education is responsible for child care licensing. The lead agency has a memorandum of understanding with DOE and the Associate Secretary at DOE serves as Co-Administrator of the CCDF program. The agreement ensures the coordination of activities under the Child Care and Development Fund, specifically the monitoring and health and safety inspections for all licensed providers. The goal of this coordination is to ensure the overall coordination and implementation of quality child care services to children, providers and families by developing comprehensive health and safety standards and ensuring compliance with these standards. 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: The Department of Education is responsible for the Child and Adult Care Food Program. The lead agency has a memorandum of understanding with DOE and the Associate Secretary at DOE serves as Co-Administrator of the CCDF program. The CACFP provides nutritious snacks and meals to child and adult care institutions and family or group homes. The goal of this collaboration is to ensure the provision of nutritious foods that contribute to the wellness, healthy growth, and development of young children. 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: The Department of Education houses the McKinney-Vento State Coordinators for homeless education. The lead agency has a memorandum of understanding with DOE and the Associate Secretary at DOE serves as Co-Administrator of the CCDF program. The Department of Education also offers an online training for ￿Homeless Liaisons" in each local education agency to prepare them to train their school staff on identifying and serving homeless children and their families. The goal of this collaboration is to ensure alignment of quality services for children who are considered part of this vulnerable population. k. State/Territory agency responsible for the TANF program. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The lead agency administers the TANF program and does ensure that individuals are placed in employment that enables them to enter the workforce and maintain meaningful jobs with livable wages. Those that qualify for TANF automatically receive child care services so that they are able to work toward self- sufficiency. l. State/Territory agency responsible for Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The lead agency administers the Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program. Medicaid provides medical assistance to eligible families whose income is insufficient to meet the cost of necessary medical services. The Delaware Healthy Children Program is a low-cost health insurance program for Delaware's uninsured children. Children may qualify if they are uninsured, under the age of 19, meet income eligibility requirements. m. State/Territory agency responsible for mental health services. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The lead agency has an MOU with the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their families (DSCYF) to ensure coordination of activities under the Child Care and Development Fund. The Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families, Division of Prevention and Behavioral Health Services is the agency responsible for ensuring comprehensive and coordinated mental health services are accessible to early education programs. This agency is responsible for administering the Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation program. The goal of this collaboration is to ensure enhancement and alignment of quality services and linkages to comprehensive mental health services to children in child care settings. 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: The state currently holds a contract with Children and Families First, a private agency, that provide the state's child care resource and referral services and maintains the consumer education website. The goal of this collaboration is to provide information and education to parents regarding childcare types, quality childcare, and resources to support their child’s development. Parents can also access a 24-hour automated phone system and case management services for assistance in securing child care for children with special needs, for children who need care during non-traditional hours, etc. The Department of Education also contracts with the University of Delaware to provide training and professional development to all licensed and relative care providers. The result of this collaboration is enhanced and aligned quality of services for children who need child care and who may be a part of an underserved population. o. Statewide afterschool network or other coordinating entity for out-of-school time care (if applicable). Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The lead agency coordinates with Delaware Afterschool Network (DEAN) which serves to enhance out-of- school time opportunities for children and youth, particularly disadvantaged youth. The Director of DEAN was consulted in the development of the CCDF State Plan and did provide substantive feedback regarding ways to enhance services to school age youth. The result of this coordination is assurance that youth have access to high quality learning experiences before and after the school day. p. Agency responsible for emergency management and response. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The lead agency is responsible for public health emergency management and response. The Office of Preparedness takes the lead and collaborates with partners and the community to develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive program to prepare for, mitigate, respond to, and recover from public health threats and emergencies. The Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) is the state agency responsible for coordination of comprehensive emergency preparedness, training, response, recovery and mitigation services in order to save lives, protect Delaware's economic base and reduce the impact of emergencies. The lead agency has a designated liaison who coordinates with DEMA, the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families and other agencies to develop the state childcare disaster plan. The goal of this collaboration is to develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive program to prepare for, mitigate, respond to, and recover from public health threats and emergencies. The expectation is that the state's childcare program is able to continue to function efficiently during any emergency, that the emergency is managed in a coordinated manner and to ensure that there is no gap in services during any emergency. 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: The lead agency collaborates with the Department of Education who is an Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership grantee. The purpose of this collaboration is to ensure the provision of full day/full year services for families with children under the age of three, smooth transitions for children between programs or if they age into school at three, enhancement and alignment of quality services for infants and toddlers through the state, and linkage of comprehensive services to children in child care settings. ii. [x] State/Territory institutions for higher education, including community colleges. Describe: The lead agency collaborates with institutions of higher education including the University of Delaware who provides professional development for early childhood professionals. The Department of Education partners with the Early Childhood Innovation Center (ECIC) to offer scholarships and stipends to individuals as they complete degrees or their CDA. ECIC facilitates cohorts of scholars receiving a CDA statewide. Delaware Technical and Community College, Wilmington University, Delaware State University, and University of Delaware provide AA and BA programming. The goal of this collaboration is to ensure the improvement of the knowledge and skills of the early childhood professionals. iii. [x] Other federal, State, local, and/or private agencies providing early childhood and school-age/youth-serving developmental services. Describe: The lead agency collaborates with the Delaware Afterschool Network (DEAN) serves to enhance out-of-school time opportunities for children and youth, particularly disadvantage youth. The goal is to ensure youth have access to high quality learning experiences before and after the school day. The Delaware Afterschool Network (DEAN) endorses the goal that all school-age children be academically, socially, culturally, and physically healthy. DEAN, along with its public, private, and community partners, works to create a long-term policy voice for afterschool programs; advocate for policies that support high-quality programs; support the afterschool workforce; increase public awareness regarding afterschool programs; build bridges between schools and community-based organizations, and support family- centered practices, convenes quarterly stakeholders meetings for afterschool providers, partners, and champions. DEAN provided detailed feedback to ensure the CCDF FY25-FY27 plan included quality initiatives to improve the practice of school-age professionals. iv. [x] State/Territory agency responsible for implementing the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) programs grant. Describe: The lead agency is responsible for the Maternal and Child Home Visitation program. Through this program expecting and new mothers are visited by nurse or parent support specialist to provide tips on care, breast-feeding, child growth and development, etc. Mothers will also be connected to community resources and services. The visits continue as the child grows to mitigate the challenges of parenting and to help mothers learn to help their children learn, grow and thrive. v. [x] Agency responsible for Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment Program. Describe: The Department of Education is responsible for Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment Program. The lead agency has a memorandum of understanding with the DOE and the Associate Secretary of the DOE co-administers the CCDF program. The goal of this collaboration is to ensure enhancement and alignment of quality services and linkages to comprehensive services for children in early education settings. vi. [x] State/Territory agency responsible for child welfare. Describe: The lead agency has an MOU with the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families. The lead agency collaborates with the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families, which is the agency that provides and manages a range of services for children who have experienced abandonment, abuse, adjudication, mental illness, neglect, or substance abuse. The goal of this collaboration is to ensure that appropriate, timely, comprehensive, and coordinated services are accessible to all of Delaware's children. vii. [ ] Child care provider groups or associations. Describe: viii. [ ] Parent groups or organizations. Describe: ix. [ ] Title IV B 21st Century Community Learning Center Coordinators. Describe: x. [ ] Other. Describe: