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. [ ] Other. Describe: 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. [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. [ ] 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: Through the Rhode Island Office of Rehabilitative Services (ORS), the lead agency administers The Vocational and Rehabilitation Program to assist individuals with disabilities to choose, prepare for, obtain, advance in, and maintain employment. Through ORS, the lead agency administers Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired (SBVI) providing services designed to help individuals of all ages achieve independence at home, in the community, and in the workplace. Through ORS, the lead agency provides the Adaptive Telephone Equipment Loan Program (ATEL) to provide landline and wireless devices on loan to individuals who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, have a speech disability, or have neuromuscular damage or disease that hinders them from using a standard telephone. The ATEL Program also offers a Hearing and Speech Lab that provides iPad/iPhone training with devices available for short term loans. Also through ORS, the lead agency participates in the Assistive Technology Access Partnership (ATAP), a statewide partnership of organizations, each with a targeted assistive technology focus, working together to improve access to and acquisition of assistive technology for individuals 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. [ ] 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. The lead agency funds several initiatives to support professional development and technical assistance to providers who work with homeless families and children including: The Center for Early Learning Professionals offers a three-session professional development series for educators on the topic of trauma and young children. Included in the series is a focus on the relationship between homelessness and toxic stress and the adverse effects of homelessness on young children's development. The community has access to several online resources on the topic of serving children and families experiencing homelessness through the Center- ELP website. These resources, produced by reputable national organizations such as the federal Administration for Children and Families, provide relevant information to the ECE community on the following topics: the McKinney-Vento Act, the federal definition of homelessness, understanding the impact of homelessness on children and families and strategies for supporting these children and families. 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 operations staff has access to eligibility training that covers processing benefits for families experiencing homelessness including how to identify and assist families experiencing homelessness and how to process the 90-day grace period for these families. Additionally, field staff at the lead agency are trained on identifying and supporting children and families experiencing homelessness through the eligibility intake process. These staff members connect children and families experiencing homelessness with appropriate community resources and referrals and are trained on the myriad of programs the lead agency administers which enables them to effectively identify and support children and families during initial eligibility or at recertification.