2.4 Lead Agency Outreach to Families Experiencing Homelessness, Families with Limited English Proficiency, and Persons with Disabilities

The Lead Agency must conduct outreach and provide services to families with limited English proficiency, families experiencing homelessness, and persons with disabilities. 2.4.1 Families with limited English proficiency and persons with disabilities: outreach and services a. Check the strategies the Lead Agency or partners utilize to conduct outreach and provide services to eligible families with limited English proficiency. Check all that apply. i. [x] Application in languages other than English (application and related documents, brochures, provider notices). ii. [x] Informational materials in languages other than English. iii. [x] Website in languages other than English. iv. [x] Lead Agency accepts applications at local community-based locations. v. [x] Bilingual caseworkers or translators available. vi. [x] Bilingual outreach workers. vii. [x] Partnerships with community-based organizations. viii. [x] Collaboration with Head Start, Early Head Start, or Migrant and Seasonal Head Start. ix. [x] Home visiting programs. x. [x] Other. Describe: The agency's workforce development contractor, Kansas Child Care Training Opportunities provides coursework in Spanish, taught by a bi-lingual instructor. The agency's Kansas Early Head Start - Child Care Partnership grantees have translation services available and most have bilingual staff available. The KEHS grantees work with the Lead Agency to identify families in their service area that qualify for assistance. b. Check the strategies the Lead Agency or partners utilize to conduct outreach and provide services to eligible families with a person(s) with a disability. Check all that apply. i. [x] Applications and public informational materials available in braille and other communication formats for access by individuals with disabilities. ii. [x] Websites that are accessible (e.g., Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act). iii. [x] Caseworkers with specialized training/experience in working with individuals with disabilities. iv. [x] Ensuring accessibility of environments and activities for all children. v. [x] Partnerships with State and local programs and associations focused on disability- related topics and issues. vi. [x] Partnerships with parent associations, support groups, and parent-to-parent support groups, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) federally funded Parent Training and Information Centers. vii. [x] Partnerships with State and local IDEA Part B, Section 619 and Part C providers and agencies. viii. [x] Availability and/or access to specialized services (e.g., mental health, behavioral specialists, therapists) to address the needs of all children. ix. [x] Other. Describe: The Lead Agency’s Kansas Early Head Start program works with the agency to identify and recruit families in their service areas that qualify for assistance. Kansas Early Head Start Makes 10% of their funded enrollment opportunities available for children with disabilities. 2.4.2 Families experiencing homelessness: Outreach and technical assistance efforts a. Check, where applicable, the procedures used to conduct outreach for children experiencing homelessness and their families. i. [x] Lead Agency accepts applications at local community-based locations. ii. [x] Partnerships with community-based organizations. iii. [x] Partnering with homeless service providers, McKinney-Vento liaisons, and others who work with families experiencing homelessness to provide referrals to child care. iv. [ ] Other. Describe: b. The Lead Agency must provide training and technical assistance (TA) to providers and appropriate Lead Agency (or designated entity) staff on identifying and serving children and families experiencing homelessness. i. Describe the Lead Agency’s training and TA efforts for providers in identifying and serving children and their families experiencing homelessness. Lead Agency identifies this topic as a CCDF priority course in the Child Care Workforce Professional Development agreement. At a minimum, the course must cover identifying, serving, and providing resources for families experiencing homelessness under the McKinney-Vento definition. The course, Recognizing and Supporting Families Experiencing Homelessness, is available through our Child Care Workforce Professional Development agreement. Another course, Trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences, incorporates homelessness into this course to assist providers in finding strategies to develop resiliency in young children. Infant-Toddler Specialist Network offers specialists who are available with the knowledge and skills to provide technical assistance on serving special populations that includes homelessness. ii. Describe the Lead Agency’s training and TA efforts for Lead Agency (or designated entity) staff in identifying and serving children and their families experiencing homelessness. Lead Agency staff throughout the state are involved in varying ways with targeted work with families experiencing homelessness and have been involved in a variety of training and technical assistance efforts to complete this work. In the East region, staff participate in the Topeka Impact Project, where Economic and Employment services staff members are present at the community center to work with individuals on their applications and updates to their cases every other Thursday. Employment Service staff help clients navigate to partners or talk about next steps in their employment preparations. The Wichita region has out- stationed staff at various homeless shelters and homes for victims of domestic violence one day a week. The Wichita region has staff located at Women’s Recovery Center five days a week. Staff members attend monthly homeless initiatives and board meetings, and report back what they are doing to help inform other case managers and provide updated information. They have provided technical assistance in daily meetings with eligibility staff about services provided. The Wichita region also has a Supervisor on the Child Start Policy Council to provide monthly updates regarding Department for Children and Families’ business and programs. Eligibility staff connect clients to Child Start staff with out-stationed workers to fulfill training and resource needs, and to answer policy questions. Child Start representatives spend intermittent days in the Wichita Service Center lobby connecting clients with services and recruiting for their program. The Kansas City region participate in the Impact Kansas City Kansas event where staff attend and participate. They also participate in Project Home with Shawnee Mission Schools and Impact Olathe with Olathe Schools. These events are outreach-connection events that provide holistic services and supports to those families identified by the McKinney-Vento school liaison. Families identified are then directed to specific staff for interview and overview of available services. Kansas City Community Affairs staff also attend many community agency meetings and provide contact for any needed services that is identified for any household or agency staff. Economic and Employment Services staff also provide direct training for programs, including child care, to community agency staff as requested. The training for the Kansas City staff is hands-on. Bridges Out of Poverty Training is a common training for new staff within Economic and Employment Services. Families needing child care assistance who are homeless would be prioritized over some other families if the state were to implement a wait list and training on the topic would be made available at the time of implementation.