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: All Lead Agency CCDF policies are presented to the Early Childhood Care and Education Advisory Council for input and feedback prior to rule-making. The minutes of the Council meetings are presented to the Lead Agency’s state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), which has the constitutional and statutory authority to make policy decisions that govern the public education system of the state. 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: The Lead Agency’s Office of Early Childhood Care and Education is ready and eager to participate in recurring meetings with the state’s Tribal organizations to coordinate the provision of child care services and ideas for best practices to meet the needs of children and families. [ ] 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 state's lead agency for IDEA Part C (the Louisiana Department of Health, or LDH) is involved in each of the CCDF Lead Agency’s local community networks, through LDH’s regional service coordinators, who are designated local network partners. Through this coordination, the LDH EarlySteps program provides services to families with infants and toddlers with special needs, aged birth to 36 months. The Louisiana Department of Education is the Lead Agency for Part B, Section 619 for preschool; the local education agency Section 619 coordinators are likewise mandatory local network partners. Additionally and more importantly, every classroom that includes a Part C or Part B, Section 619-funded child is part of the state's unified accountability system, thereby ensuring the same quality care and education is available for all children. The Lead Agency also collaborates with the state agency responsible for Part C on efforts involving an Early Childhood Developmental Screening Initiative. The goals of the Early Childhood Developmental Screening Initiative are to screen and identify children with special needs and/or disabilities early and accurately so that children receive timely, appropriate, and effective support opportunities and interventions. The Lead Agency further partners with the state agency responsible for Part C to provide professional development opportunities regarding early identification and intervention. d. State/Territory office/director for Head Start State collaboration. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The state Head Start Collaboration Office is housed under the Lead Agency. The Lead Agency and state Head Start Collaboration Office (HCSO) work to ensure full-year, full-time services for qualified children and their families. A member of the Lead Agency’s Child Care Assistance Program participates in the ￿friends￿ affiliate of the Louisiana Head Start Association and keeps those members and the Lead Agency aware of changes and needs in child care in Louisiana to expand accessibility and continuation of quality care. The Lead Agency and HCSO also work directly with Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership sites and ensure a smooth transition of services for children enrolled in these programs. Additionally, the Head Start Collaboration Office, under the Lead Agency, works with FINS (the Family in Need of Services program) to help families of incarcerated youth. 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 coordinates with the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) on verifying immunizations (where applicable) for children in the Child Care Assistance Program; with that access to immunization records, the Lead Agency can reduce the burden of families having to provide that documentation. The Lead Agency also coordinates with LDH regarding licensing, health, and safety issues, consulting on needed policy changes and communications to the field. This successful coordination was especially important during the pandemic and for sharing information about other public health priorities. f. State/Territory agency responsible for employment services/workforce development. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Lead Agency collaborates with the Louisiana Workforce Commission, which is the agency responsible for employment services/workforce development. The Lead Agency uses information provided by the Workforce Commission’s HiRE (Helping Individuals Reach Employment) accounts to certify families Actively Seeking Employment (ASE) and conducts collaborative meetings to discuss concerns. The Louisiana Workforce Commission has representation on both the Early Childhood Care and Education Advisory Council and Early Childhood Care and Education Commission. Also, the Lead Agency takes an active role in workforce development and support for both directors and teachers and is seeking to build increased collaboration with the Louisiana Workforce Commission in those efforts, to identify additional resources to support the development of an early childhood teacher pipeline. g. State/Territory agency responsible for public education, including pre-Kindergarten. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Lead Agency is the Louisiana Department of Education, which houses all public education entities including pre-K; therefore, coordination is continual regarding access and quality. The unification and coordination has resulted in consistent standards and increased quality across all early learning sites (child care, school-based pre-K, and Early Head Start/Head Start). h. State/Territory agency responsible for child care licensing. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Lead Agency houses the team that is responsible for child care licensing; therefore, coordination is continual regarding health and safety quality and access. The unification and coordination has resulted in collaborative efforts between early childhood teams to improve quality of early childhood classrooms from both a health and safety and education approach. 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 Lead Agency houses the Division of Nutrition Assistance, which is responsible for the Child and Adult Care Food Program; therefore, coordination is continual regarding nutrition access and quality. The unification and coordination has resulted in the CCDF and CACFP teams collaborating to encourage more providers to participate in both programs and supporting rollout of each unit’s new initiatives. 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 Lead Agency houses the State Homeless Coordinator; therefore, coordination is continual regarding access and quality. Also, local McKinny-Vento liaisons are integrated into the enrollment eligibility process by each local community network lead agency, with the goal of seamless eligibility that is not impaired because a family is homeless. This integration is required to be documented in the local community's coordinated enrollment plan. Because of the Lead Agency’s work with these internal and external partners and understanding how few eligible families may self-identify as homeless, the Lead Agency is updating the Child Care Assistance Program application to include a broader range of answers to better identify homeless families for services. k. State/Territory agency responsible for the TANF program. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Lead Agency coordinates with the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), which is the agency responsible for TANF, regarding access and quality for families receiving and eligible for TANF. This coordination allows a seamless process for families receiving these services and ensures a smooth transition as the families move from the Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program (FITAP, a TANF program under DCFS) to greater independence and regular CCAP certification for low income. In addition, families who apply for child care assistance who are Actively Seeking Employment but cannot currently be served due to the waitlist are referred to the STEP program, operated by the TANF program. 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 collaborates with the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), which is the agency responsible for Medicaid and the Louisiana Children's Health Insurance (LaCHIP). The Lead Agency also provides information about these programs on the Lead Agency website. m. State/Territory agency responsible for mental health services. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Lead Agency collaborates with the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), which is the agency responsible for most mental health services in the state. The Lead Agency also keeps LDH staff informed about the Mental Health Consultation program the Lead Agency funds in child care settings. As a result of the coordination the Lead Agency developed a resource, which the Lead Agency sends to those who request information about behavioral support resources, whether families whose children are being suspended or expelled from sites or providers who are working with families to address children's behavioral issues. 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 Lead Agency manages the Child Care Resource and Referral contracts, the online early learning site finder website, and the oversight of the community network lead agencies, all of which provide consumer education. The CCR&Rs also provide professional development as part of the Lead Agency’s contract with the CCR&Rs. CCR&Rs submit to the Lead Agency monthly reports of services provided, and the Lead Agency provides feedback, technical assistance, and collaboration opportunities. Consequently, coordination is continual regarding access to quality consumer education and early childhood education training and professional development. 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 meets at least annually with a coordinating entity for out-of-school time care to discuss and develop potential strategies to increase the quality of after-school programs. p. Agency responsible for emergency management and response. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Lead Agency coordinates emergency management planning and response with the Louisiana Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (GOHSEP) and other agencies such as DCFS and LDH, in an effort to maintain family access to child care and assist providers in maintaining their businesses. This coordination has resulted in the successful provision of respite child care services following natural disasters such as floods and hurricanes and additional child care services for emergency responders/essential workers during the pandemic. 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: All Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership sites are required program partners in their local early childhood community network. As such, they participate in the local community-wide coordinated enrollment system and the state's unified accountability system, which are designed to ensure access to quality. Additionally, the state has singled out Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships to receive specially-designed support in the form of expedited Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) assistance. ii. [x] State/Territory institutions for higher education, including community colleges. Describe: The Lead Agency collaborates with the Louisiana Board of Regents, which is the coordinating board for higher education, to develop strategies focused on addressing the needs of the early childhood workforce through teacher preparation via post-secondary education. This includes ongoing discussions about creation or expansion of stackable credentials. 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: The Lead Agency collaborates with the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), which is the agency responsible for the Maternal and Child Home Visitation program grant. The Lead Agency works to ensure LDH can inform parents in home visiting programs about access and other Department resources. v. [x] Agency responsible for Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment Program. Describe: The Lead Agency collaborates with the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), which is the agency responsible for Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment. The Lead Agency works with LDH on efforts that involve the improvement of developmental screening processes, including but not limited to data collection, outreach, and developmental screening feedback from the local community networks. vi. [x] State/Territory agency responsible for child welfare. Describe: The Lead Agency collaborates with the Louisiana Department Children and Family Services (DCFS), which is the agency responsible for child welfare. The Lead Agency works with DCFS to ensure access for foster care children. As a result of this coordination as well as other factors, the Lead Agency is working to expand Family Child Care providers participating in the subsidy system in areas where foster families do not currently have sufficient child care options. vii. [x] Child care provider groups or associations. Describe: The Lead Agency collaborates with provider groups such as the Child Care Association of Louisiana (CCAL), For Providers By Providers (4PxP), and the Louisiana Head Start Association (LHSA) on access and quality. These collaborations allow the Lead Agency to conduct more effective and wide-reaching outreach to providers; these collaborators also help the Lead Agency test new systems and processes for more effective implementation. viii. [x] Parent groups or organizations. Describe: The Lead Agency collaborates with parent/family/child advocates such as the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children on access and quality. ix. [ ] Title IV B 21st Century Community Learning Center Coordinators. Describe: x. [x] Other. Describe: The Lead Agency also coordinates with the Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal and the Louisiana Department of Health￿Sanitarian Services regarding licensing, health, and safety issues, consulting on needed policy changes and communications to the field. This successful coordination was especially important during the pandemic and for sharing information about other priorities.