Page 336

336 | P a g e FFY 2025–2027 CCDF State Plan

coordinates with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Coordinator to ensure that children receive coordinated supports and services in their child care setting. The Lead Agency is represented on the State Interagency Coordinating Council for Part C of IDEA, and a representative of Part C is also a member of the Georgia Children's Cabinet, along with the Commissioner of the Lead Agency. The Georgia Children's Cabinet meets every two months to ensure ongoing communication and information sharing. The Lead Agency coordinates services and supports with the IDEA Part B, Section 619 Coordinator at the Georgia Department of Education. Additionally, representatives from Part C for infants and toddlers and Part B, Section 619 for preschool collaborate with the Lead Agency as a part of the state's Cross Agency Child Data System (CACDS). These collaborative relationships facilitate and expand the seamless transition of children between programs and link children with comprehensive services. In addition, the Lead Agency has a inter-agency team that focuses on collaboration among child care professionals, early intervention providers, and families of children with disabilities. The program provides coaching and training for professionals and supports coordinating services for children with IFSPs and IEPs. The SEEDS Helpline refers families to Part C and Part B agencies, provides resources and information in their community, and coordinates referrals for classroom coaching and workforce training. d. State/Territory office/director for Head Start State collaboration. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Head Start State Collaboration Office in Georgia is physically housed at the Lead Agency, thereby enhancing cooperation, communication, coordination, and alignment among Head Start, the Lead Agency, and other CCDF-supported entities. Georgia’s Head Start State Collaboration Director (HSCO) also serves on the Georgia’s Children’s Cabinet (the SAC in Georgia). The coordination enhanced by the Head Start State Collaboration Director’s relationship with the Lead Agency and Georgia’s Children’s Cabinet benefits Head Start programs, children, and families by encouraging blended classrooms, funding streams, and wrap-around services making it possible to serve more children and families more effectively. Here are examples of the coordination between Head Start and the Lead Agency: · The Cross Agency Child Data System, CACDS, is Georgia’s integrated child data system. The system provides participation reports across the many child-serving programs in the state. The HSCO collected data sharing agreements from every Head Start & Early Head Start grant recipient in the state to enable the Lead Agency to partner with Child Plus and Easy Trac data systems for automated cross agency reporting. This benefits Head Start grant recipients when they must analyze their community data as part of the required needs assessment for the Office of Head Start. · The HSCO participates in quarterly GA Head Start Association meetings with their Board members. State initiatives, policy changes, and problem resolutions are collected and addressed by the HSCO with the Lead Agency to support their operation at the local level. An example of this coordinated effort would be addressing facility variances needed by older Head Start centers to comply with state licensing requirements. The HSCO often acts as the mediary for Head Start grant recipients who have encountered licensing challenges or issues and can also bring the federal Office of Head Start to the table to support the grant recipient with necessary facility repairs or changes. Prior to 2016, most of Georgia Head Start sites operated as an exemption and chose not to be a licensed facility. Currently, close to 95% of Georgia Head Start sites have become licensed facilities, which opens them up to additional state resources from DECAL including coaching from