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: EEC staff and family access administrators have access to telephonic and written translation services to better serve families whose first language is not English. EEC translates most materials in 14 languages. EEC has worked with the Massachusetts Office of Refugees and Immigrants to create the list of most common spoken languages for our subsidy families and, subject to available funding, EEC has dedicated resources for the translation of documents into these primary languages. Outreach is conducted in community-based locations across the state and home visiting programs share information with families. 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. [ ] Applications and public informational materials available in braille and other communication formats for access by individuals with disabilities. ii. [ ] Websites that are accessible (e.g., Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act). iii. [ ] 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. [ ] 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: EEC provides families with information through the Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, Mass211, and EEC's network of Coordinated Family and Community Engagement grantees across the Commonwealth. In addition to providing information about child care options, they may also provide information on comprehensive support such as adult basic education, local and state agencies responsible for subsidized housing, shelter programs, etc. Partners include all of the entities listed above as well as Early Intervention, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Department of Public Health, the Department of Mental Health, Department of Transitional Assistance, the Department of Children and Families, and the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Information may be provided in-person, via telephone, through online resources, or in print. Parents with disabilities are included in the Commonwealth's definition of "protective services" and may qualify for CCDF child care financial assistance without participating in an approved activity for up to two years upon approval by EEC. Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH) consultation programs provide consultation services to adults engaging with children and families to address and support the social emotional development and behavioral health of children in early education and care and out-of-school time settings. The early childhood mental health consultation services funded by the Department of Early Education and Care's (EEC) Mental Health Consultation Grant are available state-wide and may be accessed by the entire mixed delivery system, including children receiving CCDF. ECMH consultants also provide support and guidance to programs, educators, and families to address the developmental, emotional, and behavioral challenges of infants and young children to ensure healthy social-emotional development, reduce the suspension and expulsion rate in early education and care settings, and promote school success. EEC established a dedicated webpage for families, providers and the general public to obtain information on ECMH: www.mass.gov/eec/ecmh. This website describes the scope of ECMH services available, as well as a listing of the current ECMH grantees and resources. The consultation services offered through the FY2020 Mental Health Consultation Grant include mental health supports, strategies, and services that address the developmental, emotional, and behavioral challenges of infants and young children and their families to promote school success, ensure healthy social emotional development, and reduce the suspension and expulsion rate in early education and care settings. The child care licensing regulations establish requirements related to requests for reasonable accommodations for any child enrolled in an early education program subject to EEC licensure. For children receiving CCDF with disabilities, EEC has limited flexible funding available on a first come, first served, case-by-case basis to provide temporary financial support to programs to successfully transition and include a child with disabilities receiving child care financial assistance with disabilities. Appropriate fund use may include consultation to identify necessary support for the child, training for program staff, specialized equipment, or a temporary aide position to enhance staffing. This funding is temporary as programs are expected to integrate any funded accommodations into its regular practice and budget. Through funding from DESE and an Interagency Service Agreement from EEC to DPH's Regional Consultation Program (RCPs,) resources are available to families to facilitate transitions from Early Intervention to Early Education and Care Programs and to support children eligible for Special Education Services. In addition, the RCPs support children with disabilities and their families who participate in Early Education and Care programs in an ongoing way. 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. [x] Other. Describe: EEC accepts applications at six community-based locations across the Commonwealth and partners closely with scores of other family- serving organizations, many of whom work closely with unhoused families. EEC allows families experiencing homelessness to be granted a provisional authorization to access child care if the parent(s) is/are unable to submit complete income verification at the time of the initial assessment. EEC’s Coordinated Family and Community Engagement (CFCE) grantees work directly with homeless families in their community, shelters and hotels across the state. Lastly, EEC contracts directly with MA statewide 2-1-1 to provide early education and care information and referral services including priority status placement on our statewide waitlist for homeless families. Lastly, through the use of contracts, we are able to secure dedicated child care slots for families experiencing homelessness. 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. EEC has a Learning Management System called StrongStart were child care providers and educators access materials to help identify and serve families experiencing homelessness including Trauma Informed Care and the Pyramid Model. EEC is in the process of adding training from the Center for Child Well-being and Trauma to the LMS called Supporting Traumatized Children and Families Affected by Displacement, Trauma- Informed Care: The Ways You Support Matters, and Caring for Caregivers: Mitigating Traumatic Stress. These trainings were also offered and provided to EEC staff and grantees in our Coordinated Family and Community Engagement programs, Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative grantees, HeadStart grantees and CCRRs. EEC also has a program available to child care providers called the Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation which provides guidance to centers on a range of issues that may impact classroom behavior including 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. All staff working within EEC’s Family Access and Engagement unit are required to participate and engage in trainings in trauma informed care, Massachusetts Family Engagement Framework, and family and child engagement reflective practice in addition to all other trainings EEC requires Family Access administrators to attend. Additionally, EEC meets bi-monthly with the state’s housing agency, the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, to address any child care or agency coordination issues. EEC works in partnership with the Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate and the Center for Well- Being and Trauma to provide trauma informed training with a focus on families experiencing homelessness for all Family Access administrators (CCRRs and contracted providers) and EEC grantees (Coordinated Family and Community Engagement, Early Childhood Mental Health, Head Start). These trainings are offered in three sessions which include Supporting Traumatized Children and Families Affected by Displacement, Trauma-Informed Care: The Ways you Support Matters, and Caring for the Caregivers: Mitigating Traumatic Stress Traumatized. They are also required to take trainings on Massachusetts Family engagement Framework https://www.doe.mass.edu/sfs/family-engagement-framework.pdf and family and child engagement reflective practice. EEC is also involved in local and state level taskforces working to better serve the needs of families experiencing homelessness.