Los Angeles County Office of Educationprekkid.org/head-start/agency/GIM/2017-18 GIMs and LIMs based on... · Developing the ERSEA System ... LACOE ERSEA System Flowchart ... Enrollment

Los Angeles County Office of Education Head Start State Preschool Division

ERSEA MANUAL ELIGIBILITY, RECRUITMENT, SELECTION, ENROLLMENT, AND

ATTENDANCE

2017-18

Table of Contents Developing the ERSEA System.......................................................................................... 1

Key Points to Remember................................................................................................. 1

Selection Criteria ............................................................................................................. 2

Contract Exhibit N ....................................................................................................... 4

Tools for Setting Up the Program Year .......................................................................... 5

ERSEA Plan ................................................................................................................ 5

Schedule I (Agency Classroom and Slot Information) .............................................. 13

ChildPlus ................................................................................................................... 14

Program Schedule ...................................................................................................... 14

LACOE ERSEA System Flowchart .............................................................................. 15

The Enrollment Process .................................................................................................... 17

Recruitment ....................................................................................................................... 23

Definitions ..................................................................................................................... 23

Requirements ................................................................................................................. 25

Recruitment of Eligible Populations .......................................................................... 25

LACOE Support ........................................................................................................ 26

Building an Interest List ............................................................................................ 26

Delegate Agency’s Recruitment Area ....................................................................... 28

Recruitment Area Verification .................................................................................. 28

ChildPlus Record Keeping and Ongoing Monitoring ............................................... 31

Eligibility .......................................................................................................................... 33

Definitions ..................................................................................................................... 33

Requirements ................................................................................................................. 35

Eligibility Interview ................................................................................................... 35

Eligibility Requirements ............................................................................................ 35

Age Requirements ..................................................................................................... 35

Income Eligibility ...................................................................................................... 43

Income Guidelines ..................................................................................................... 46

130% Federal Poverty Guidelines Income Thresholds ............................................. 47

15% Thresholds over State Income Guidelines ......................................................... 47

Enrolling Children when Income Exceeds FPL ........................................................ 48

Verifying Eligibility .................................................................................................. 48

Records ...................................................................................................................... 51

Duration of Eligibility ............................................................................................... 54

Returning Children .................................................................................................... 54

Address Verification .................................................................................................. 55

Training on Eligibility ............................................................................................... 56


Selection ............................................................................................................................ 59

Definitions ..................................................................................................................... 59

Requirements ................................................................................................................. 59

Determining Priority .................................................................................................. 59

Assigning Points ........................................................................................................ 61

Selecting Applicants .................................................................................................. 61

Selecting Children when Income Exceeds FPL ........................................................ 62

Children with Disabilities .......................................................................................... 63


Enrollment......................................................................................................................... 67

Definitions ..................................................................................................................... 67

Requirements ................................................................................................................. 68

Funded Enrollment .................................................................................................... 68

Enrollment Date/Start Date/Entry Date ..................................................................... 69

Delay in Start Date .................................................................................................... 69

Reserved Slots ........................................................................................................... 70

Program Options ........................................................................................................ 70

Vacancy ..................................................................................................................... 74

Transfers .................................................................................................................... 76

Immunizations ........................................................................................................... 77

Voluntary Parent Participation .................................................................................. 77

Policy on Fee for Service ........................................................................................... 77

ERSEA Files for All Participants .............................................................................. 77


Attendance ........................................................................................................................ 83

Definitions ..................................................................................................................... 83

Requirements ................................................................................................................. 83

Absences .................................................................................................................... 83

Modified Attendance ................................................................................................. 87

Terminated Children .................................................................................................. 89

Average Daily Attendance ......................................................................................... 89

Home Visits ............................................................................................................... 90

Make-Up Days ........................................................................................................... 90

Suspension ................................................................................................................. 91


GIM Grantee Instructional Memo

Head Start-State Preschool Division

Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment, and Attendance (ERSEA)

GIM Number GIM-1302_(1)v6

Effective Date July 1, 2014 Revised: December 2, 2016

Primary Regulation Head Start Act Head Start Performance Standards 45 CFR Subpart A and B Head Start Contract LACOE Contract

Other Regulation(s)

Attachment(s) ERSEA Manual

Introduction The 2017-2018 program year is the third year of the Los Angeles County Office of Education’s (LACOE) five year grant with the Office of Head Start (OHS). LACOE contracts with private non-profit organizations and school districts for the delivery of Early Head Start, Head Start, California State Preschool Program (CSPP), and General Child Care and Development Center-Based Program (CCTR) services to children and families. Guided by four pillars of responsibility: 1) Planning; 2) Resource Development and Collaboration; 3) Ongoing Monitoring and Accountability; and 4) Training and Technical Assistance, LACOE in collaboration with its delegate agencies (DA) ensures every funded slot is filled with an eligible child and that all children and families receive quality services. LACOE monitors to ensure that services are consistent with the federal, state, and local regulations. LACOE’s Head Start-State Preschool Division is charged with the responsibility that all DAs receive the support needed to achieve full enrollment and to provide quality services to children and families in an efficient and effective manner.

Background

The Grantee created the Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment, and Attendance (ERSEA) Manual to provide instructions for implementing program requirements. The manual:

• Clarifies regulations, definitions, and provides LACOE’s mandates to improve

consistency and continuity for all its programs; and • Provides instructions for aligning ChildPlus with ERSEA in order to sustain an on-

going monitoring, and recordkeeping, and reporting systems.

Mandates and Implementation

DAs must adhere to all applicable state, federal, and local mandates, including the instructions provided in this GIM and its attachment.

Resources

See State Programs Manual if operating partnered or co-located state programs as well.

Los Angeles County Office of Education Page | 1 Head Start-State Preschool Division

Developing the ERSEA System

Key Points to Remember • The ERSEA system stems from information gathered in the community

assessment.

• The ERSEA system must be aligned with the following:

o Philosophy, Vision, and Mission

o Goals and Objectives

o Key findings from community assessment

• The implementation plans are described in each DA’s funding application:

o Schedule I – Classroom and Slot Information

o Schedule K – Program Operation Calendars

o GABI Program Schedule

• Each DA must determine priorities by allocating points aligned with local criteria identified by LACOE based on the information gathered in the community assessment.

• Policy Councils and Policy Committees must work in partnership with key management staff and the governing body to develop, review, and approve or disapprove the criteria for defining recruitment, selection, and enrollment priorities, in accordance with the requirements of 45 CFR 1302 Subpart A.

• Due to changing demographics and community needs, targeted populations may vary from year to year, depending on the dynamics of the community in which the program or site is located. As a result, recruitment activities and strategies must also change to ensure the DA continues to recruit families most in need of services.


Page | 2 Los Angeles County Office of Education Head Start-State Preschool Division

Selection Criteria Based on data from the community assessment, LACOE identifies selection criteria that prioritize services to families most in need. DAs must assign points to the selection criteria categories that are submitted and approved with the DAs’ funding application. The selection criteria are used to rank applicants in order to identify those with the greatest need for services. The list below is in alphabetical order, not by order of priority:

• Age: Children enrolled in the program shall meet standard age criteria for Early Head Start or Head Start.

o DAs experiencing challenges enrolling 4-year-olds because of programs like transitional kindergarten, or other preschool programs targeting 4 year-olds, must prioritize 3 year olds.

• Children in protective services: The program will actively seek out and recruit children in the county’s protective services caseload, including those remaining in the home under supervision and those placed in foster homes. Since stability of placement can be an issue, DAs will pay particular attention to retention in Head Start when a child moves from one form of placement to another in order to maintain continuity for the child. Outreach to the natural or foster parents is an important element of care for children in protective services and will include access to the full range of Head Start services for parents.

• Children transitioning from Early Head Start to Head Start: Program guidelines for transition will be observed for children moving from Early Head Start to Head Start to ensure that parents understand the new program and are prepared to support the child in the new learning environment.

• Children with a suspected disability: Children with suspected disabilities will be a priority in outreach so that the process can be started to assess their condition and needs and initiate the Individual Family Service Plan/Individualized Education Program (IFSP/IEP) process to ensure timely completion.

• Children with IFSP/IEP: Children with identified and documented disabilities of all types are a high priority for enrollment.

• Dual language learners: Children whose home language is other than English can benefit from Head Start as they begin to acquire English before entering the K-12 school system.



• Five year olds may be enrolled when kindergarten is not available, although this is not a common situation in Los Angeles County. Such children would need to be income eligible.

• Foster children: Children in protective service caseload have a mandatory priority for enrollment.

• Homeless families: Children in homeless families have a mandatory priority for enrollment.

• Incarcerated Parent: Parent that is incarcerated and the program is able to provide support services to the child and family.

• Income eligible children: Children in families below the poverty level have a mandatory priority for enrollment.

• Military families: Children in military families have a mandatory priority for enrollment.

• Mothers suffering from postpartum depression: Mothers who have given birth within six months and are suffering from postpartum depression.

• Parent(s) employed or in job training: Children in families with parent(s) who are employed or in job training can benefit from availability of child care in Head Start programs. Such children also need to be income-eligible.

• Parents with less than a high school diploma: Children in families with parent(s) who have less than a high school diploma can benefit from availability of child care in Head Start programs, allowing parents to continue their education. Such children also need to be income-eligible.

• Pregnant teens and parenting teens: Children with teenage parents have a mandatory priority for enrollment.

• Public assistance (Supplemental Security Income [SSI] and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families [ANF]): Children in families receiving public assistance have a mandatory priority for enrollment.

• Referred child from another agency: Children who were referred to the Head Start program by an outside agency (i.e., Department of Children and Family Services [DCFS], Department of Public Social Service [DPSS], Los Angeles Unified School District Transitional Kindergarten [LAUSD TK], LAUP).

• Returning child: Returning to the program allows children to build on initial experience and to strengthen school readiness, creating a priority for enrollment. Such children also need to be income eligible.



• Single parent: Children in families with only one parent who can benefit from Early Head Start and Head Start programs.

Note:

If there is a special circumstance that does not fit within the set of established eligibility criteria, adjustment points are added in the Adjustment field. Only adjustment points approved in Exhibit N of the contract may be used.

Contract Exhibit N

The Exhibit N (Selection Criteria), is included in the LACOE contract and identifies the approved selection criteria and points each agency uses to prioritize applications.

Note:

If changes are needed to the Selection Criteria during a given program year, the changes must be made through the Request for Advanced Approval/Budget Adjustment Request (RAA/BAR) process.



Tools for Setting Up the Program Year

ERSEA Plan

Every DA is required to develop a plan that outlines the staff responsibilities and procedures in implementing and maintaining compliance with the system of eligibility, recruitment, selection, enrollment, and attendance of children. This document ensures children are accepted and enrolled into the program according to the selection criteria that identify and determine which families have the greatest need for services. The ERSEA plan must include at a minimum all the following components:

Introduction/Overview

The introduction/overview section must:

1. Describe the agency, program options and program variations and identify the total number of slots.

2. Describe how the agency’s ERSEA procedures align with LACOE’s ERSEA Manual.

3. Provide a brief description of how the Policy Committee (PC) and Board are involved in the development and approval of the ERSEA Plan.

Recruitment

The recruitment section must:

1. Summarize briefly the results of the DA’s review and analysis of data from the community assessment, enrollment, outcomes of the prior year recruitment activities, and any other supplemental data the DA used to develop the recruitment strategies and target communities for the new program year. Include:

a. Challenges and successes faced in the last program year

b. New partnerships that can be sustained and/or developed to meet the community’s needs

c. The effectiveness of the recruitment strategies and tools

2. Identify the DA’s recruitment area and, if applicable, the specific areas the DA will target for recruitment (if the DA plans to recruit children from its entire service area, then target recruitment areas need not be identified). Include:

a. Major activities and timelines for conducting recruitment



b. The month the agency begins to build an interest list for the new program year

c. The date the current year waitlist will be rolled over in ChildPlus and incorporated into the new program year’s list

d. The process for requesting a new application for families that did not get enrolled in the current year and are interested in applying for the new program year

e. How the DA incorporates LACOE assistance/recruitment efforts to support its own efforts

f. How the DA ensures children are recruited in the assigned recruitment area (e.g., the use of Facility Site Locator)

g. Outreach strategies for recruiting: i. Categorically eligible families (foster care children and homeless

families) ii. Families receiving public assistance (TANF or SSI)

iii. Children with disabilities iv. Other eligible families

3. Describe the process for documenting and contacting families who have expressed interest in the program but have not yet applied.

4. Describe the process for developing and maintaining an interest list (e.g., a list of families who have expressed interest but not yet applied). Include:

a. the period (between January and March) when the DA begins to build the interest list

b. the process for contacting families c. staff responsible for following up d. ongoing recruitment efforts

5. Describe the roles and responsibilities of all staff members in recruitment and outreach activities.

6. Describe how the DA monitors and tracks recruitment activities.

7. Describe how the DA works with established and/or new community partners (e.g., community providers, other grantees, regional centers, and local education agencies [LEAs]) during recruitment.

8. Describe how the DA engages parents in recruitment activities.

9. Describe the policy and process for using ChildPlus to manage and document recruitment efforts.



10. Describe the process for communicating during the recruitment period with families who are eligible to return for another year of services and for ensuring the families complete page 1 of the “Application for Services” and both parent and staff sign on the bottom of page 2.

Eligibility

To address how the DA determines eligibility, the DA must:

1. Identify staff who will be responsible to determine eligibility for families who express interest in enrolling in the program.

2. Describe the eligibility interview process for all interested families. a. How will you conduct in-person interviews?

3. Specify the age eligibility requirements for the Head Start and Early Head Start program (as applicable).

4. Identify the documents the DA deems acceptable to verify age. a. Describe the process for accommodating categorically eligible families when age

documentation is not readily available, including providing resources and third-party verification.

5. Identify the documents the DA deems acceptable to verify income.

6. Describe how the DA ensures that income is calculated using the criteria stipulated in LACOE’s ERSEA Manual.

Note(s):

Families whose “current situation” may make them eligible for consideration services may include those whose financial situation—loss of employment or other changes in financial status--provided the DA establishes appropriate safeguards to adhere to requirements. It is up to each DA to decide if “current situation” will be used as a criterion to determine eligibility. Those proposing to use this criterion for eligibility must define “current situation” and the policy and process with:

a. The historical documentation that must be presented to consider a family’s eligibility.

b. The type and source of documentation required for families, including proof of prior 12 months of income.

c. The number of months that a family’s “current situation” must exist in order to be considered (e.g., a family whose circumstances changed within the last six months may be a more valid approach than one whose circumstances occurred within the last month). Include all applicable criteria used to rank



these families against other applicants and how the process will be implemented.

d. Proof that the process for moving families into the selection category has supervisory approval.

7. Describe the process for handling applications of participants whose family income exceeds the federal poverty guidelines:

a. How does staff explain eligibility determination to an over-income family, including the opportunity to remain on the waitlist with the understanding that children with the greatest need (points) will be offered a slot prior to an over-income applicant

b. How families who are not eligible for Head Start-Early Head Start are referred to other early childhood programs, such as LAUP, R&R agencies, and others

c. Who verifies the eligibility of over-income families and who is responsible for entering the “abandoned” date or “waitlist” date in ChildPlus, depending on parent choice

8. Identify the type of documentation the DA deems acceptable for recruitment area verification (e.g., proof of address), such as utility bills, rental agreement, and more.

9. Describe the DA’s process for ensuring proper approval is secured for interagency and/or grantee-to-grantee requests, prior to enrollment.

10. Identify the documents the DA deems acceptable to verify categorical eligibility.

11. Describe the process for accommodating categorically eligible families when categorically eligibility verification documentation is not readily available, including providing resources and third-party verification. Include:

a. How documents will be secured within a reasonable time frame, not to exceed 10 days

12. Identify the staff responsible for updating participants’ records in ChildPlus to include all the information from page 2 of the Application for Services.

13. Identify who is responsible for entering eligibility priority points in ChildPlus.

14. Describe the procedures to ensure that the Head Start Eligibility Verification (HSEV) form is printed from ChildPlus and signed, verifying that eligibility was determined on the date the face-to-face interview was conducted.

15. Identify the staff authorized to sign and date the HSEV form.

16. Describe the DA’s process for communicating with families on the waitlist.



For Returning Children:

1. Describe its policies and procedures for enrolling categorically and income-eligible returning children.

2. Describe how the DA will re-rank returning children in ChildPlus, with:

a. Timeline for roll-over process in ChildPlus

b. Documentation on the “application notes” area of the Year 2 application of any updates or changes

3. Describe the DA’s policies and procedures for over-income returning children with IEP/IFSP and without IEP/IFSP.

Ongoing Monitoring:

1. Describe the policy and process for monitoring eligibility.

2. Identify staff and responsibilities for monitoring eligibility.

3. Describe the process followed if the determination of eligibility is incorrect.

a. If eligibility was determined incorrectly, identify who is responsible to make corrections and update the information in ChildPlus

Training on Eligibility

1. Identify who will be responsible for training newly hired management and staff members who make eligibility determinations within 90 days of the hire date.

2. Identify who will be responsible for training all governing body and policy council members within 180 days of the beginning of the term of a new governing body or policy council

3. Describe how the delegate will ensure that the training materials are updated to reflect current policies and procedures on eligibility, including updating procedures that describe actions taken against staff, families, or participants who attempt to provide or intentionally provide false information.

Selection

To address how the DA assigns ranking points based on the LACOE-mandated selection criteria, the DA must:

4. Identify and define the DA’s additional selection criteria based on information from the DA’s refinement of community assessment data. Note: Failure to provide sufficient documentation prior to implementation will result in non-approval of the additional



criteria. If a program operates in a service area where Head start eligible children can enroll in high-quality publicly funded pre-kindergarten for a full school day, then the program must prioritize 3 year olds as part of the selection criteria.

5. Identify criteria for prioritizing children who are transitioning from Early Head Start to Head Start. Note: This is required even if the DA does not operate an Early Head Start program. All DAs are required to work with Early Head Start providers in their recruitment areas to coordinate transitions to Head Start.

6. Describe how the DA ensures that children with the highest ranking (i.e., greatest need for services) are identified and selected from the Waitlist and accepted first, including policies and process for:

a. Selecting families for a full-day program, if applicable

b. Ensuring that 10 percent of those selected are children with disabilities

c. Ensuring foster children and homeless families are given priority

d. Selecting between children who have the same number of ranking points

e. Selecting over-income children, including those who surpass state income guidelines, and the process to follow to secure LACOE approval for enrolling children

f. Selecting and enrolling children who are within the 100-130 percent income guidelines and process to be followed

g. Updating application status in ChildPlus

h. Assigning children to a caseload/classroom in ChildPlus, include the criteria and process used to determine classroom assignment (e.g., AM/PM sessions, site preference)

7. Identify the staff roles and responsibilities in the selection process.

8. Describe, if operating or contracted for a Family Child Care Option, how families are selected based on the need for child care services with extended hours of care beyond six hours a day and the monitoring of the family child care providers.

Enrollment

To address the DA’s enrollment policies and process, the DA must:

1. Describe who will enter the Enrolled Date in ChildPlus for all applicants who attend a class or who receive a home visit or direct service.



2. Describe how the agency incorporates ChildPlus throughout the enrollment process and uses the system to ensure:

a. The DA accepts all funded slots 30 days prior to start date(s).

b. Full enrollment is met on the start date.

c. Vacancies are filled within 30 calendar days.

d. Full enrollment is maintained throughout the program year.

3. Describe how the DA works to comply with the 10 percent disabilities mandate by January 31.

4. Identify staff roles and responsibilities in the enrollment process. Include:

a. Who will enter the enrolled date in ChildPlus for all children who attended class or who received a home visit or direct service?

b. Who will enter the abandoned date on the fourth (4th) day for children whose family has failed to respond to the DA’s attempts to communicate?

5. Indicate how often the status of enrollment report is provided to the PC and Board.

Attendance

The DA’s policies and processes for monitoring attendance must:

1. Describe who will enter attendance for all children, within one hour of the class start time in order to identify absences real time and conduct timely follow up.

2. Describe how attendance is tracked, monitored, and verified for accuracy. Include:

a. Staff responsible for conducting Tier I monitoring b. Staff who submit the analysis of absenteeism report to LACOE when Average

Daily Attendance falls below 85 percent c. How often Average Daily Attendance is reported to the PC and Board d. How the DA monitors that home visits are being conducted and ensures that

the DA is on track to provide the family with the required number of home visits and socializations

3. Describe how excused and unexcused absences are documented. Include:

a. Staff responsible for following up on a daily basis when a child is absent and staff responsible for entering follow-up notes in ChildPlus

b. Steps the DA takes when staff are not able to make contact with families (through home visits or emergency contacts) within three (3) days

c. Support services provided to families who have consecutive absences



d. Staff responsible for dropping a participant on the fourth (4th) day when the DA has been unsuccessful in making contact

e. The process followed when a drop is based on excessive unexcused absences

4. Describe how the agency identifies children who are on a modified attendance schedule

5. Describe how the DA incorporates ChildPlus throughout the attendance process.

6. Identify staff roles and responsibilities in the attendance process.

7. Describe the DA’s policy on:

a. Late pick-ups and late arrivals

b. Requests from families for extended leave/vacation

Policy on Fees

Describe the DA’s policy on fees, with a description of how the DA ensures families currently enrolled in Head Start and/or Early Head Start are not to be charged for services.

Suspension

Describe the DA’s policies on suspension and expulsions due to a child's behavior and include:

• Staff responsible to make approval of suspension and expulsion as no other reasonable option is appropriate and develop a written plan that is inclusive of home visits, and referrals to local agencies to document the action and supports needed

• Staff responsible ensure the child returns to full participation after a short term suspension, in all program activities as quickly as possible

• Staff responsible for following up with parents, and mental health consultant in order to keep the parents engaged in the process and ensure utilization of appropriate community resources such as behavior coaches, psychologists, other appropriate specialists, or other resources as needed,

Contingency Procedures

Contingency procedures are the steps to be taken if there is a delay in the start date or other unanticipated event for enrolled children. The procedures should specify staff responsible and communication efforts with LACOE, agency staff, and families affected. The procedures must include:



1. The DA’s plan for ensuring children and families receive Head Start and/or Early Head Start services in the event of a cancellation or unforeseen closure due to an emergency (e.g., medical, State Licensing mandating a closure, and more).

2. The DA’s strategies for providing ancillary services to children and families in the event of a delay in start date. Include:

a. What services will be provided to children and families during the delay b. Timelines for notifying the families and LACOE c. Processes for ensuring proper approvals of program changes are received prior

to the action d. How the DA will provide make-up classes when needed

3. The DA’s steps for securing the children and notifying parents in the event of an emergency.

Schedule I (Agency Classroom and Slot Information)

• This document is submitted to LACOE with the funding application. Once the form is reconciled with the GABI Program Schedule, the Schedule I is used to set up the classrooms and program options in ChildPlus. The Schedule I provides LACOE with the following information: Center name and class numbers at each center

• Start and end date for each class • Number of children allocated to each class • Program Options and Program Variation • Total number of funded slots for each funding stream

Note(s):

• DAs are required to make decisions that impact the number of classes, slots, and program options offered prior to enrollment.

• DAs must strategically plan location of centers, number of classes, staffing, etc., to ensure full enrollment.

• Any changes to program options and variations must have prior approval from LACOE.

• For more information, the BAR/RAA process is available on the website at: http://prekkid.org/agency/fiscal/

http://prekkid.org/agency/fiscal/



ChildPlus

LACOE Head Start-State Preschool has adopted the use of ChildPlus to ensure that the information collected about program operations is gathered, recorded, and reported in a standardized form for all DAs.

Program Schedule

The Program Schedule is completed in the OHS Enterprise System by each delegate. It is used in alignment with the Schedule I to verify that the DA has implemented the proposed program design in the approved Funding Application.



LACOE ERSEA System Flowchart

Yes

Community Assessment determines geographical

areas with greatest need and selection priorities

Funding Application outlines the plan the plan for

the program year

Approved Slot Allocation from funding application,

and/or new contract, including amendments

LACOE revises ERSEA Manual GIM

and trains DA’s

DA’s revise ERSEA Plan, train staff and

Collect data on ERSEA

Analyze Data

Reporting Weekly, monthly and/or quarterly

Is the DA on target for meeting 100% enrollment

and compliance in all ERSEA areas?

No

Ongoing Monitoring

ensure compliance

and determine follow up

Provide Technical Assistance as needed

Redistribute slots and/or

impose other

sanctions as applicable

Process restarts at collection of data if slots redistributed or other sanction imposed

Process restarts at collection of data if full enrollment and compliance achieved

Ongoing Monitoring and Training & Technical Assistance to sustain 100% enrollment and

compliance in all ERSEA areas

Los Angeles County Office of Education Page | 16 Head Start – State Preschool Division

The Enrollment Process



Yes

Recruitment

• Form interest list • Verify child is in DA’s assigned service area and secure appropriate approvals as necessary • Enter Application for Services, Page 1 in ChildPlus, identified as “New”

Work with the family to secure appropriate documentation: • provide resources • conduct third-party

verifications, if necessary

• follow up and document efforts

• use applicant statement as a last resort

Yes

No Enter “Abandoned Date” in ChildPlus for applicant Family interested?

Did the family have all the necessary documentation to determine eligibility?

No Remove

barriers to enrollment

Assign points in ChildPlus to reflect applicable selection criteria

Proceed to Eligibility

Staff must interview the family and secure eligibility documentation

Staff must interview the family to: • review the eligibility documentation • complete page 2 of the Application for Services • sign and date the Application for Services



Is the family eligible?

Yes

No Staff must: • Explain eligibility

determination to family

• Offer the opportunity to remain on Waitlist with the understanding that children with the greatest need (points) will be offered a slot prior to over-income applicants

• Refer ineligible children to other programs and/or resources

• Enter abandoned date or Waitlist date, depending on parent choice

Staff must: • Print, sign, and date

HSEV form from ChildPlus

• Secure supervisor’s approval and signature

Eligibility • Determine eligibility • If at any point, prior to entering the enrolled date in ChildPlus, a family notifies staff

they are no longer interested, enter an abandon date for the applicant

Supervisor agrees with the eligibility determination? No

Yes

Staff must: • Make corrections

and/or gather additional information as required by your supervisor

• Update applicable information in ChildPlus

• Determine eligibility, if applicable, based on new information Proceed to Selection I



Yes

Yes

No

No

Selection I • Next steps taken depend on the purpose and/or status of the DA

Is DA is trying to accept children 30 days prior to the first day of school?

• Rank applications and select those that have the greatest number of points

• Select a sufficient number of applications to fill available slots • Enter “Accepted Date” in ChildPlus • Assign applicant to a class or home-based group • Inform family of expected start date

Did applicant attend class or receive a home visit or direct service on the expected start date?

Proceed to Enrollment • Contact family on the first day • Document efforts to reach out to the family

After three days has the family responded to the DA’s attempts to communicate?

Enter “Abandoned Date” in ChildPlus on the fourth day

Yes

Proceed to Selection II


Does the family plan on bringing the applicant to the program?

Yes

• Follow up as needed and continue documenting • Family must attend within three days from the date contact is made

Did the applicant attend the program by the agreed-upon date?

No

No

Yes

Proceed to Enrollment

No Enter “Abandoned Date” in ChildPlus




No

Selection II DA has either: • Accepted all children to meet full enrollment or • Met full enrollment and is trying to build a Waitlist in order to be able to fill vacancies within 30 days

• Rank applications, select those that have the greatest number of points

• Select a sufficient number of applications to fill available slot(s) • Communicate with family(ies) regarding slot(s) • Assign applicant to a class or home-based group • Inform family of expected start date

• Select all applications that do not have an accepted date and have completed the process for

determining eligibility, including over-income applicants that would like to be on the Waitlist • Enter “Waitlisted Date” in ChildPlus for each applicant

Has a slot been identified that needs to be filled?

Yes

No • Applicant remains on the Waitlist until a vacant slot is identified

• Staff periodically communicate with families to keep them interested and ensure updated contact information

Yes

Did applicant attend class or receive a home visit or direct service on the expected start date?


No

After three days has the family responded to the DA’s attempts to communicate? Does the family plan on bringing the applicant to the program?

Yes No

Enter “Abandoned Date” in ChildPlus on the fourth day

Did the applicant attend the program by the agreed upon date?

Yes

Enter “Abandoned Date” in ChildPlus Restart

Selection II Process

• Contact family on the first day, and staff must document efforts to reach out to the family

• Follow up as needed and continue documenting • Family must attend within three days of operation from the date contact is

made




Attendance • Use ChildPlus to enter attendance within an hour of the class start time • Identify excused/unexcused absences according to DA’s policies • Maintain documentation of absences and drop as applicable • Monitor attendance and document communication with parents regarding absences • Verify accuracy of attendance reports in ChildPlus, print, sign, and submit to LACOE by third calendar

day

• The enrolled date is the same as the start date identified on the Schedule I and K

• This is also the date used to track compliance with the services timelines

Which date is used as the “Enrolled Date” in ChildPlus?

• The enrolled date and start date, for an applicant filling a vacant slot within 30 days as a result of a drop, is the date the family is expected to start

• This is also the date used to track compliance with the services timelines

Yes

Is it the beginning of the program year and delegate is filling a slot that has never been filled?

No

Enrollment Enter “Enrolled Date” in ChildPlus for all who attended class or received a home visit or direct service on or after the expected start date

In order to achieve and sustain full

enrollment

• Implement a system to track absences and follow up in a timely manner • Implement ongoing recruitment activities to maintain an adequate Waitlist • Communicate often with families on your Waitlist • Remove internal barriers, so that DA can call applicants on a Waitlist to start the very next day


Recruitment

Definitions Recruitment

Recruitment means the systematic ways in which a program identifies families whose children are eligible for Head Start services, informs them of the services available, and encourages them to apply to the program.

Recruitment area

The geographic locality within which a Head Start program seeks to enroll Head Start families. The recruitment area can be the same as the service area or it can be a smaller area or areas within the service area.

Participant

Regulation 1305.2: A participant means a pregnant woman or a child who is enrolled in and receives services from a Head Start, and Early Head Start program.

New (ChildPlus term)

This occurs when the family expresses interest in the program. At this time, basic information is gathered from the family (name, address, contact information). The DA provides the family with a list of documents needed to determine eligibility. The information is entered in ChildPlus with a status of “new.” This stage often happens during recruitment when a DA is building an interest list.

Interest List

The DA recruits families, gathers basic information on the Application for Service page 1, verifies the child is in the DA’s assigned service area, and secures appropriate approvals if necessary. The applications are used to build an interest list.

Service Area

Regulation 1305.2: Service area means the geographic area identified in the approved grant application. Grantees are designated a service area by OHS. LACOE then assigns a portion(s) of its area(s) to its DA(s) and child care provider(s) to support families with services.

Abandoned

The abandoned status in ChildPlus refers to applications in which staff has been unsuccessful in making contact with the family after numerous attempts and



parent(s)/guardian(s) are no longer interested in the program prior to enrollment. This status also is used when applicants do not attend class four consecutive days from the day the child was expected to start, and there is unsuccessful contact with the family.

Recruitment


Requirements

Recruitment of Eligible Populations

Delegates are required to recruit low income families, or families eligible for or in the absence of child care would be potentially eligible for public assistance, homeless children, and children in foster care. The following are strategies that support efforts to recruit eligible children in the community, including children with disabilities:

• Engage board members, parents, and Policy Committee members, community partners, and all DA staff in recruitment activities; ongoing recruitment is the responsibility of the entire organization.

• Conduct community outreach through local community newspapers, public service announcements, and participation in community events such as health fairs, job fairs, events held at the local elementary schools throughout the year (such as back-to-school night, open house, fairs, and other community-oriented events).

• Disseminate information to inform the community(ies) served and promote the DA programs and services by:

o Using LACOE’s fliers and brochures o Connecting with school district’s “Ed Message” (phone message system)

to inform families about Early Head Start, Head Start, and California State Preschool Programs

• Attend local school district meetings to inform and promote Head Start services. • Be prepared to assist families in completing an application during the recruitment

events. • Continue to foster partnerships and relationships that help the DA create a pool

for recruitment, such as: o Communicating, on an ongoing basis, with local shelters, community-

based organizations, and local churches that offer services to homeless families and other categorical populations

o Communicating, on an ongoing basis, with DA disability staff and with LACOE disability consultants to reach the desired outcomes

o Contacting and/or visiting the following organizations to reach eligible families and children: Regional Centers and Easter Seals Local preschools, public programs, and elementary schools Public resource and referral agencies Department of Public Social Services Department of Children and Family Services

Recruitment


Foster family agencies Homeless shelters Transitional housing facilities LEAs and Part C Partners for identification of children with

disabilities

LACOE Support

LACOE develops and implements countywide recruitment strategies that support the efforts of DAs and child care providers, including identifying and scheduling various community events throughout Los Angeles County. LACOE strongly supports and encourages the recruitment of children with disabilities, families who are homeless, and children in foster care. All community outreach efforts assist the program with maintaining full enrollment as required by the OHS.

Some of the strategies include:

• Producing public service announcements for radio, TV, cable, local newspapers, and the web

• Developing and distributing, during countywide events, informational materials such as:

o Bookmarks o Posters/Flyers o Videos and DVDs

• Maintaining a preschool hotline, 1-877-PRE-K-KID • Updating and maintaining a webpage (www.PreKKid.org) with information about

programs and services and the Head Start Agency Referral System (facility site locator)

• Building relationships and sharing information with key countywide agencies, such as LAUSD TK; Los Angeles Universal Preschool; Los Angeles County Office of Child Care; Women, Infants, Children (WIC); DCFS; DPSS; county libraries; homeless organizations; and more

• Distributing mass mailers to foster care agencies and CalWORKs' participants • Generating Letters of Partnership with key countywide organizations serving

children from birth to five and pregnant women

Building an Interest List

Each DA maintains an interest list, which must be continuously updated throughout the program year to ensure children are recruited within the communities it serves. The DA must maintain an active interest list at all times and is responsible for:

http://www.prekkid.org/

Recruitment


• Entering all children in ChildPlus to build an interest list. • Using ChildPlus to ensure the interest list is updated and maintained throughout

the program year. • Using ChildPlus reports to monitor the interest lists. • Developing strategies to connect with families remaining on the interest list • Using the Application for Services page 1 to gather basic information from

families in order to build an interest list.

Recruitment


Delegate Agency’s Recruitment Area

LACOE assigns portions of its service area to DAs based on the countywide community assessment. All DAs are assigned a recruitment area per LACOE contract and Exhibit C-1 for the current program year. DAs operating Early Head Start programs are assigned by ZIP codes and not communities. DAs must ensure that:

• Children recruited must reside within the DA’s assigned service area. • At no time may the DA recruit children who reside in another DA’s or grantee’s

service area. • Families residing outside the service area are referred to the appropriate agency or

grantee.

Recruitment Area Verification

The DA is required to verify that the family resides within the DA’s assigned recruitment area by using the Facility Site Locator (www.prekkid.org) and the DA’s current year Exhibit C-1. Applicants residing outside of the DA’s service area must be referred to the appropriate DA or grantee.

• A DA may only enroll children residing outside of its service area when prior approval has been obtained.

• In the event that the address entered is not in the DA’s recruitment area, ChildPlus will display either an “outside of service area” or a “service area verification unavailable” message.

Interagency Agreement

If a family resides outside the DA’s assigned recruitment area and requests to be enrolled in a neighboring community served by another DA, an Interagency Enrollment Agreement must be completed. Families may request services if one or more of the following criteria apply:

Working in another DA’s or child care provider’s area Proximity, family must reside within a one-mile radius of the facility Continuity of care In training/school Child care

LACOE encourages DAs to build collaborative relationships through a memorandum of understating process with one another or ensure that requests are processed within five business days.


Recruitment


In the event a determination is made that the family’s needs are best met outside of the DA’s designated service area, then the Interagency Agreement process must be followed. The DA or child care provider must:

• Assist parents in understanding the process, policies, procedures, and applicable regulations governing service areas

• Remove any barriers or burdens to the family, and not ask the family to make contact with the other agency to track their status, as this is the responsibility of the requesting agency

• Inform parents of the estimated time for processing their request and that approval from the home agency is not guaranteed

• Identify a person(s) authorized to process and approve or deny a request • Complete, if necessary, the Interagency Agreement and submit the request to the

home agency • Ensure all information on the form is legible and correct • Follow up with home agency to receive decision of approval or denial of

Interagency Agreement request and: o If the home agency denies request, the applicant may not be entered into

ChildPlus by the requesting agency. o If the home agency approves request, the signed Interagency Agreement

form is maintained in the child’s file.

Note(s):

• Interagency Agreements are approved or denied at the discretion of the home agency.

o Prior approval must be obtained before the child is enrolled. o If the agency has obtained approval in year one, another approval is not

required in the subsequent year. o Once the Interagency Agreement is approved, the requesting agency must

contact its assigned ERSEA monitor to request an override in ChildPlus. The override will be completed within five business days of the request.

o LACOE does not mandate DAs to approve Interagency Agreements.

Grantee to Grantee Requests

Grantee to Grantee Enrollment Agreement requests are used when a child resides outside the LACOE service area. LACOE will work to establish MOUs with the grantees where the greater number of requests are processed. A Grantee to Grantee request must be used only as a last resort. At no time may DAs enroll children that reside in another Grantee’s service area without prior approval from the home grantee, OHS, and LACOE. Families may request services if they meet the following approved criteria:

Recruitment


Working Proximity (1-mile radius) family must reside within a 1 mile radius of the facility Continuity of Care In training/School Child Care

Agency responsibility:

• All agencies must refer families to services in their home service area and assist families in finding the appropriate services.

• In the event a determination is made that the family’s needs are best met outside of their designated grantee service area, then the agency must initiate a Grantee to Grantee Enrollment Request.

o A grantee to grantee enrollment request is also required for families residing in unassigned service areas.

• The delegate agency must complete the Grantee to Grantee Enrollment Request and secure a written request from the parent explaining the reason why their needs are best met at your agency.

• The delegate agency must ensure all information on the form is legible and accurate. The request must be submitted to LACOE Program Development Assistant, Program Development Assistant of the Planning and Resources Development Unit at [email protected]. The request will be processed within 10 business days of receipt. LACOE cannot guarantee OHS approval or when the decision will be finalized.

• Assist the parents in understanding policies and procedures and applicable regulations.

Note(s):

• Approval from OHS and LACOE is required prior to entering the family into ChildPlus.

• A copy of OHS/ LACOE’s approval must be kept in the child’s file. • If the agency has obtained approval in year one, another approval is not required

in the subsequent year.

Grantee’s responsibilities:

• When a request is received, LACOE will initiate contact with the home grantee and OHS.

o This may include verifying programs and services that may be available to meet the needs of the family.

• LACOE will make a request if additional information is required.

Recruitment


• Once OHS makes a decision, the DA will be notified via email. • All overrides are authorized and processed internally by the assigned ERSEA

Monitors and Data and Records Management team.

ChildPlus Record Keeping and Ongoing Monitoring

Tier 1 Monitoring Reports

The DA is required to use ChildPlus for ongoing monitoring of the DA’s interest list to ensure the DA is recruiting as many eligible families as possible within its assigned recruitment area.

The DA is required to use the ChildPlus Enrollment Status Report #2115 to monitor the DA’s interest list.

• The report must be used to monitor the DA’s recruitment efforts. • The report must be filtered to identify children with the status of “New.” The last

page on the report provides the total number of children on the DA’s interest list, accepted, waitlisted, and enrolled.

Recruitment


The DA is required to use report ChildPlus Service Area Exception #2290 to monitor Interagency and Grantee to Grantee requests.

• Review the report for accuracy and verify the children identified as undetermined have been entered correctly in ChildPlus and that the address entered is valid

o Addresses appearing as undetermined must be corrected prior to enrolling the child in order for the report to correctly reflect the home DA or other grantee

o Support from LACOE is available at [email protected] • Use the report to track the number of Interagency/Grantee to Grantee Enrollment

Agreements being processed. • Ensure proper approvals are maintained in each child’s file identified on the

report.

mailto:[email protected]


Eligibility

Definitions Head Start Eligible

Head Start eligible is a child who meets the requirements for age and family income or categorical eligibility.

Age

Head Start

To be eligible for Head Start services, a child must be at least three years old or turn three years old by the date used to determine eligibility for public school in the community in which the Head Start program is located and not be older than compulsory school age.

Early Head Start

To be eligible for Early Head Start services, except when the child is transitioning to Head Start, a child must be an infant or a toddler younger than three years old. A pregnant woman may be any age.

Income

Income means gross cash income and includes earned income, military income (including pay and allowances), except those described in Section 645 (a)(3)(B) of the Act), veterans’ benefits, Social Security benefits, unemployment compensation, and public assistance benefits. According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census Current Population Report, series P-60-185, “income” is defined as total cash receipts before taxes from all sources, with the exceptions noted below. Income includes money wages or salary before deductions; net income from non-farm self-employment; net income from farm self-employment; regular payments from Social Security or railroad retirement; payments from unemployment compensation, strike benefits from union funds, workers' compensation, veterans benefits (with the exception noted below), public assistance (including TANF, SSI, emergency assistance money payments, and non-federally funded general assistance or general relief money payments); training stipends; alimony, child support, and military family allotments or other regular support from an absent family member or someone not living in the household; private pensions, government employee pensions (including military retirement pay), and regular insurance or annuity payments; college or university scholarships, grants, fellowships, and assistantships; dividends, interest, net rental income, net royalties, and periodic receipts from estates or trusts; and net gambling or lottery winnings.

Eligibility


Income does not include capital gains; any assets drawn down as withdrawals from a bank, the sale of property, a house or a car; tax refunds, gifts, loans, lump-sum inheritances, one-time insurance payments, or compensation for injury. Also excluded are noncash benefits, such as the employer-paid or union-paid portion of health insurance or other employee fringe benefits; food or housing received in lieu of wages; the value of food and fuel produced and consumed on farms; the imputed value of rent from owner-occupied non-farm or farm housing; and such federal noncash benefit programs as Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, school lunches, and housing assistance, and certain disability payments made to disabled children of Vietnam veterans as prescribed by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Family

Family for a child means all persons living in the same household who are: (1) supported by the child’s parent(s)’ or guardian(s)’ income; and (2) related to the child’s parent(s) or guardian(s) by blood, marriage, or adoption; or the child’s authorized caregiver or legally responsible party. Family, for a pregnant woman, is all the individuals who financially support the pregnant woman. Consistent with the policy of maximizing the federal recognition of same-sex spouses/marriages, the term “family” as used to determine the eligibility of a child to participate in a Head Start or Early Head Start program shall include a same-sex spouse (ACF- IM- HS-14-03).

Pregnant Women

For the purposes of determining eligibility, the pregnant woman is counted as two members of the household. DAs must maintain documentation on the verification of pregnancy in the applicant’s file.

Unmarried Pregnant Teens

In the case of an unmarried teenage girl living with her parents, her own income determines her eligibility, not her parents’ income. DAs must maintain documentation on the verification of pregnancy in the applicant’s file.

Waitlist

Regulation 1302.14 (c) Each Head Start program must develop at the beginning of each enrollment year and maintain during the year a waiting list that ranks children according to the program’s selection criteria to ensure that eligible families enter the program as vacancies occur.

Eligibility


Requirements

Eligibility Interview

DAs will conduct an in-person or over the phone interview with interested families. DAs may conduct phone interviews in the event that an in-person interview is not possible or convenient for the family. If all necessary documents are secured needed to determine eligibility, page 2 of the Application for Services form is completed with the family and is signed and dated by both the parent and staff member.

Eligibility Requirements

A pregnant woman or a child is eligible if:

• The family’s income is equal to or below the poverty line; or,

• The family is eligible for or, in the absence of child care, would be potentially eligible for public assistance; including TANF child-only payments, or,

• The child is homeless; or,

• The child is in foster care. Note(s):

• If the family does not meet the above criterion, DA’s may enroll an over income child who would benefit from services, provided that these participants only make up to 10 percent of a program’s enrollment.

• DA’s may enroll an additional 35 percent of participants whose families do not meet a the above criterion and whose incomes are below 130 percent of the poverty line

Age Requirements

Head Start

In order to be age eligible for Head Start, a child must:

• Be at least 3 years old, or turn three years old by September 1st, the date used to determine eligibility for public schools in the communities DA’s programs are located and,

• Be no older than the age required to attend school

Early Head Start

In order to be age eligible for Early Head Start, a child must:

Eligibility


• Be an infant or a toddler younger than 3 years old

Note (s):

• For enrolled pregnant mothers, after delivery DA’s are required to provide a new born visit with each mother and baby to offer support and identify family needs

• DA’s must schedule the newborn visit within two weeks after the infant’s birth After the home visit is completed the DA must complete the page 1 of the Application for Services form to confirm that the child will continue participating in EHS program. The dropped in ChildPlus and the newborn is enrolled. Documentation to verify birth must be included in the family file.

Eligibility


Public Assistance

A family that receives, is eligible for, or in the absence of child care, would be potentially eligible for public assistance, including TANF child-only payments are eligible for Head Start services, regardless of family income.

TANF/CalWORKs and SSI are the only two programs that qualify as public assistance for determining eligibility.

Families receiving TANF/CalWORKs or SSI must be identified as Income Eligible on the Application for Services and on the HSEV form. The program does not need to verify the family’s income; however, the public assistance benefit amount must be calculated for 12 months on Section D4 of the Application for Services.

CalWORKs

CalWORKs is the State of California’s version of the federal assistance program known as TANF. The following assistance are not considered public assistance for the purpose of determining eligibility

• Families receiving only food stamp benefits • Episodic (one-time-only benefit based on emergency need) • Noncash benefits such as federal noncash benefit programs like Medicare,

Medicaid, and Medi-Cal as none of these meets the definition of public assistance for Head Start

Eligibility


Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

SSI is a federal income supplement program funded by general tax revenues (not Social Security taxes). Income from Social Security retirement benefits or Social Security disability benefits is not considered SSI.

SSI is designed to help aged, blind, and disabled people who have little or no income and provides cash to meet basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter.

• In order to be considered an SSI recipient, and, therefore, eligible for Head Start or Early Head Start, the SSI recipient must be the child enrolling in the program or must be a family member. Family members include the child, the child’s parent(s) or guardian(s), and any other person living in the child’s household who is supported by the income of the child’s parent(s) or guardians(s) and is related to the child by blood, marriage, or adoption.

• LACOE requires that the DA requests a letter of approval with a Social Security Administration header and includes the monthly benefit amount as verification that a family is receiving SSI benefits.

Eligibility


Homeless Families

Homeless children are eligible for Head Start. Families in a residential program (incarcerated programs) are not considered homeless. Head Start uses the definition in section 725(2) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act as described below:

Homeless are individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; this includes:

a. Children and youths who share the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; live in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to lack of alternative adequate accommodations; live in emergency or transitional shelters; are abandoned in hospitals; or are awaiting foster care placement.

b. Children and youths who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.

c. Children and youths who live in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings.

Eligibility


d. Migratory children who qualify as homeless because they live in circumstances described in a-c above.

Identifying Homeless Families

Due diligence must be applied to support the DA’s determination that a family is homeless. A family that is living with relatives may not automatically qualify as a homeless family. Following are questions to help staff identify homeless families:

• Sample questions for determining if residence is “Fixed”: a. Is this a permanent arrangement or just temporary? b. Are you looking for another place to live? c. Where did you live right before this place? Why did you leave? d. Where would you go if you couldn’t stay where you are? e. Are you sharing the home equally or are you more like guests in the

home? • Sample questions for determining if residence is “Regular”:

a. Do you stay at the same place every night? b. How often do you have to move or find a place to stay for the night? c. How long have you been at that place? How long do you plan to stay? d. How long did you live at your last place?

• Sample questions for determining if residence is “Adequate”:

a. How many people are living in the home? How many bedrooms/bathrooms does it have?

b. Are you and your children sharing a room? How many people are staying in one room?

c. Does the home have heat/electricity/running water? d. What condition is the home in? Do you feel safe?

Additional Considerations

• Is the family in the home as an urgent measure to avoid being on the street? • Does the family share housing with another family due to the loss of housing

stemming from financial hardship? • If the family is living in a trailer park, for example, ask questions about the

condition and size of the trailer, the number of people living there, etc. • If the family is living in a place not designated as an ordinary sleeping

accommodation for human beings (such as an office, a car, or an unfinished basement), then it can be determined substandard.

• Develop collaborations and partnerships with other agencies serving homeless children.

Eligibility


Transitioning Enrolled Homeless Families

The DA must prioritize the enrollment of homeless families moving from one service area to another. If a LACOE DA receives a referral from another agency or another grantee indicating the need to transition a homeless family, the receiving LACOE DA must give priority to the family identified in the referral. The receiving LACOE DA should collaborate with the former agency where the child is/was enrolled to transition records and facilitate placement to avoid disruption of services. The DA must prioritize the enrollment of the homeless family to fill the first vacancy once it occurs.

If a homeless family needs to move out of a particular agency’s service area, it is the responsibility of the agencies involved to ensure a seamless transition as described in each agency’s ERSEA plan.

• Inform the family about the benefits of allowing the release of documents to the new agency. If the family agrees, the DA must secure the family’s signature on the Authorization to Release information form.

• Contact the LACOE help desk at [email protected] for assistance in sending the documents electronically so that the family will not have to transport paperwork from one agency to the other.

• Be sensitive and ensure family’s confidentiality. • Contact the receiving agency.

Foster Care

Foster children are categorically eligible for Head Start and Early Head Start even if the family income exceeds the income guidelines. Foster care means 24-hour substitute care for children placed away from their parents or guardians and for whom the state agency has placement and care responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Placements in foster family homes, • Foster homes of relatives, • Group homes, • Emergency shelters, • Residential facilities, • Child-care institutions, and • Pre-adoptive homes.

A child is in foster care in accordance with this definition regardless of whether the foster care facility is licensed and payments are made by the state or local agency for the care of the child, whether adoption subsidy payments are being made prior to the finalization of an adoption, or whether there is federal matching of any payments that are made

mailto:[email protected]

Eligibility


Note(s):

• All referred DCFS children must have “DCFS Referred” as indicated on page 1 of the Application for Services form, section A.

• All referred DCFS children must have “DCFS Case” box checked off on page 2 of the Application for Services form, section E.

• All referred DCFS children must indicate Child Protective Service box in ChildPlus and enter DCFS in the referred by box in the Agency Specific section of the ChildPlus family application screen.

Caregiver Arrangement

This is an informal arrangement in which a person is designated by the natural parent to care for the child. This arrangement does not involve the court system and requires the Caregiver Affidavit form in the child’s file.

Some families may have a court order indicating that they have been granted the child’s legal guardian. This may or may not be considered a child in the foster care system; this information can be clarified by contacting the social worker assigned to the case.

Eligibility


Income Eligibility

The DA must determine a family’s income based on the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines. Documentation and calculations must be maintained in the file for all families determined to be income eligible.

Determining Income

The relevant time period to be considered for determining income eligibility is the 12 months preceding the month in which the application is submitted or during the calendar year preceding the calendar year in which the application is submitted, whichever more accurately reflects the needs of the family at the time of application.

• In the event Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax forms are used to determine income, DA staff must maintain copies of the signed tax forms in the child’s file.

o If the family filed electronically through a tax preparation agency, then a copy of the electronic submission verification page or electronic signature verification must be kept on file, and the signature page must contain a PTIN (Preparer Tax Identification Number) number.

o If the family electronically “Self-Prepared” the taxes, then the signature page must contain an “electronic signature” or a “Personal Identification Number” (PIN) demonstrating the documents were processed with the IRS.

o If the family “Self-Prepared” and mailed the forms, use the W-2s submitted to the IRS or request a tax return transcript or tax account transcript from the IRS.

o Families who have lost their copy of their tax return may request a tax return transcript or tax account transcript from the IRS by following the instructions on the IRS website at https://www.irs.gov/Individuals/Get-Transcript.

• Gross Income must be used when determining eligibility (refer to definition of Income in the Attachment Section of this manual).

• Income calculations must be captured on the Application for Services form or on the Application Attachment form. The total family income must be entered in the ChildPlus system (show your work).

• When determining eligibility for a child in full-day/wrap-around program, the family must be income eligible for both funding streams

o If an over-income child is interested in the full-day Head Start program partnered with the California State Preschool Program, the family’s income may not exceed 15 percent of the State Income Ceiling.

Eligibility


• When there is a negative income, for instance from a business loss, the gross income is zero.

• Self-employed families with self-employment tax deductions on their 1040 IRS documents must use the adjusted gross income (line 37). Note: The only applicable deduction for the adjusted gross income (line 27) is the self-employment tax.

• When calculating income all the cents must be included until the total income for the year has been established. Then using basic math principles, the total income may be rounded to the nearest dollar.

• All overtime and commissions must be included either for the 12 months immediately preceding the month in which the income was made or for the calendar year immediately preceding the calendar year in which the income was made, whichever more accurately reflects the family's need.

• If the family gives consent, DA staff may accept written statements from third parties about the family’s eligibility for the relevant time period as defined in 1305.2.

• Applicant statements may be used only as a last resort when a parent has exhausted all possible avenues to obtain income documentation. The DA must ensure that sufficient documentation is gathered to accurately capture the time period to be considered for eligibility, 12 months immediately preceding the month in which the application is made or the previous calendar year.

Military Personnel Income

There are numerous categories of pay and allowances. Some are counted as gross cash income and others are not. The following ARE included in gross cash income unless it is paid for service in a combat zone:

• Basic pay, which includes active duty, back wages, drills, reserve training, training duty;

• Bonuses – career status, enlistment, officer, overseas extension, reenlistment; • Incentive pay – submarine, flight, hazardous duty, high altitude/low altitude; • Other payments – accrued leave, high deployment per diem, personal money

allowances paid to high-ranking officers, specified student loan repayment programs.

The following ARE NOT included as gross cash income:

• New exemptions in certain military pay and allowances according to the “Improving Head Start For School Readiness Act of 2007”

o Duty subject to hostile fire or imminent danger o Basic allowance for housing

Eligibility


• Living allowances – Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH), Basic Allowance for Subsistence, housing and cost of living allowances abroad, Overseas Housing Allowances

• Moving Allowances – moving household and personal items, storage, moving trailers or mobile homes, temporary lodging, dislocation, military base realignment and closure benefit

• Travel Allowances – annual roundtrip for dependent students, leave between consecutive overseas tours, reassignment in a dependent restricted status, transportation during ship overhaul and inactivation, per diem

• Family Allowances – specified educational expenses for dependents, emergencies, evacuation to a place of safety, separation

• Death Allowances – burial services, death gratuity payments to eligible survivors, travel of dependents to burial site

• In Kind Benefits – dependent care assistance, legal assistance, medical/dental care, commissary/exchange discounts, space-available travel on government carriers

• Other payments – disability, group term life insurance, professional education, ROTC educational and subsistence allowances, uniform allowance, survivor and retirement protection plan premiums

Eligibility


Income Guidelines

For California State Preschool Programs and General Child Care and Development, Center-based Programs (CCTR) use State Income Guidelines at 70 percent state median income (SMI)

State Income Guidelines at 70% SMI Family Size Family Monthly Income Family Yearly Income

1 – 2 $3,283 $39,396 3 $3,518 $42,216 4 $3,908 $46,896 5 $4,534 $54,408 6 $5,159 $61,908 7 $5,276 $63,312 8 $5,394 $64,728 9 $5,511 $66,132 10 $5,628 $67,536 11 $5,745 $68,940 12 $5,863 $70,356

For HS/EHS use Federal Poverty Guidelines

2016 Federal Poverty Guidelines Persons

in Family 48 Contiguous States and D.C.

1 $11,880 2 $16,020 3 $20,160 4 $24,300 5 $28,440 6 $32,580 7 $36,730 8 $40,890

For each additional person, add $4,160


130% Federal Poverty Guidelines Income Thresholds

Family Size 130% Thresholds based on 2016 Federal Poverty Guidelines at 100% at 130%

1 $11,880 $15,444 2 $16,020 $20,826 3 $20,160 $26,208 4 $24,300 $31,590 5 $28,440 $36,972 6 $32,580 $42,354 7 $36,730 $47,749 8 $40,890 $53,157

Note: For families with more than 8 persons add: $4,160 $5,408 for each additional person

15% Thresholds over State Income Guidelines

State Income Guidelines 15% above 70% SMI Family Size Monthly Income Yearly Income at 15% above 70% SMI

1 – 2 $3,283 $39,396 $45,305 3 $3,518 $42,216 $48,548 4 $3,908 $46,896 $53,930 5 $4,534 $54,408 $62,569 6 $5,159 $61,908 $71,194 7 $5,276 $63,312 $72,809 8 $5,394 $64,728 $74,437 9 $5,511 $66,132 $76,052 10 $5,628 $67,536 $77,666 11 $5,745 $68,940 $79,281 12 $5,863 $70,356 $80,909

Income Guidelines for New Program Year

When new income guidelines are disseminated by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) through an Information Memorandum (IM), LACOE and its DAs will continue to use the existing Income Guidelines throughout the remainder of the program year for all applications seeking enrollment in the current program year. The new income guidelines will be applicable for all children/pregnant women seeking enrollment in the subsequent program year, unless otherwise directed by Grantee.

Selection


Enrolling Children when Income Exceeds FPL

Federal regulations allow children whose family income exceeds the federal poverty line (FPL) to be enrolled in HS or EHS only after demonstrating that all categorically and income eligible children have been enrolled and will not be displaced by an over-income child. When enrolling children whose incomes exceed 100 percent of the FPL, the DA must determine if a family will be enrolled as either an over-income child, not to exceed 10 percent of total funded slots, or a child whose income is up to 130 percent of the FPL, not to exceed 35 percent of total funded slots. Prior to enrolling children as over income or those whose income is up to 130 percent FPL, the DA must:

• Describe in the ERSEA plan how children in each of these categories will be selected for enrollment (selection criteria)

• Describe in the ERSEA plan and maintain evidence throughout the year of outreach strategies and activities to identify and recruit eligible families

• Establish policies and procedures for ongoing monitoring to ensure compliance with each of these categories

Over Income

Up to 10 percent of the funded enrollment slots may be children from families that exceed the low-income guidelines but who meet the criteria the DA established for selecting such children and who would benefit from HS services. For example, if the DA is funded for 100 slots, at no time can the number of over-income children enrolled exceed 10 (100 X .10 = 10).

Families income enrolled in this category, may not exceed 15 percent of the State Poverty Income Guidelines. If the family’s income exceeds 15 percent of the State Poverty Income Guidelines but is identified as a family that would benefit from HS/EHS services, the DA must request and receive approval from LACOE prior to enrolling the child.

130 Percent Federal Poverty Guidelines

According to the 2007 Head Start Act – Section 645, grantees may, subject to the specific requirements of Section 645(a)(1)(B)(iii)(II), serve up to 35 percent of their children from families with incomes of up to 130 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.

Verifying Eligibility

Verifying Age

Age verification records must be maintained in the child’s file. The birth date may be verified by using a birth certificate and a document issued by a government agency such


as DCFS or DPSS or by using a passport. The DA must ensure the ERSEA procedures identify what documents the DA deems acceptable. If a family is unable to provide staff with necessary documents, this should not be a barrier to enrolling the child. Families must be provided reasonable time to present these documents if they are not able to present them at the time of eligibility determination.

Verifying Public Assistance

LACOE requires that the DA obtain one of the following documents as verification that the family eligible for, or in the absence of child care, would be potentially eligible for public assistance:

• Notice of Action (NOA) from the Department of Public Social Services • Verification of Benefits from the Department of Public Social Services • An electronic verification of benefits from the Department of Public Social

Services is an acceptable form of documentation as long as the recipient can provide proof to verify the identification number.

• The documentation used as verification that the family is receiving public assistance should be dated within six months of determining eligibility.

• Agencies can secure documentation with the parent’s authorization from 1-877-328-9677.

Verifying Homelessness

To verify whether a family is homeless, the DA must obtain one of the following documents as verification that the family is homeless:

• Written statement from a homeless services provider, school personnel, or other service agency attesting that the child is homeless or;

• Other documentation that indicates homelessness, including documentation from a public or private agency;

• Information gathered on the residency questionnaire section of the LACOE Application for Services form, and notes from an interview with staff that were used to establish the child is homeless

If the family cannot provide one of the above documents, DA staff conduct or secure one of the following;

• Describe and document in ChildPlus, all efforts made to verify the accuracy of the information provided.

• DA staff may accept the family’s signed declaration to prove the child is homeless in a written statement, if, in a written statement, DA staff must describe the child’s living situation that meets the definition of homeless

Selection


Note (s):

• The DA must remove barriers that hinder the process and work with the family to gather the needed documentation or information. For example, for families that do not have a mailing address the DA may use the DA address to enter the child in ChildPlus.

Verifying Foster Care

DA’s must accept of the following documents to verify the child is in foster care

• Court order or other legal or government-issued document, • Written statement from a government child welfare official that demonstrates the

child is in foster care, or • Proof of a foster care payment.

Note(s):

• The DA must maintain documentation in the file demonstrating the child is in foster care as of the date eligibility is determined.

• Foster children are considered a family size of “one” and need to be documented as such in the Application for Services and ChildPlus.

Verifying Income

DA staff must use one of the following to verify eligibility based on income;

• Tax forms, • Pay stubs, or • Other proof of income to determine the family income

Income must be for the 12 months preceding the month in which the application is submitted or during the calendar year preceding the calendar year in which the application is submitted, whichever more accurately reflects the needs of the family at the time of application.

If the family reports no income for the relevant time period, a program may accept the family's signed declaration to that effect on the Applicant Statement form. In addition one of the following must occur:

• Program staff documents in ChildPlus efforts made to verify family’s income and must explain how the family's total income was calculated on page 2 of the Application for Services form


• If a family gives written consent by signing the Parental Release/Employer Verification form, program staff can contact the third party to verify the family's eligibility.

Records After all eligibility verification has been secured DA, staff must:

• Complete page 2 of the Application for Services form with the parent and secure the parent and staff signatures

• Enter eligibility information in ChildPlus. Enter the type of interview that was conducted in the Enrollment section of the applicants ChildPlus record

• Print the HSEV form and verify that the eligibility information aligns with the documentation in the file.

o The staff and parent signature dates on page 2 of the Application for Services form and the staff signature date on the Head Start Eligibility Verification (HSEV) form must all be the same.

• Assign the family ranking points in ChildPlus.

If the family was not able to provide the necessary documentation to determine eligibility, the DA must work with the family to secure appropriate documentation. Lack of appropriate documentation must not create barriers to enrollment.

Note(s):

• All applicants must complete the family residency questionnaire section of the Application for Services. Section D4 of the Application for Services for must be left blank for participants determined homeless or in foster care.

• The Head Start Eligibility Verification form must be printed from ChildPlus. • Eligibility documentation is to be maintained in the file. • Applicants who remained on the Waitlist for the current program year and were

never enrolled but wish to be considered for the new program year must have their eligibility re-determined. New documentation will be needed to re-determine eligibility and the family information will need to be updated as appropriate.

Selection



Selection


Duration of Eligibility

Head Start

Once a child has been determined to be eligible, the child remains income eligible for Head Start services through that enrollment year and the immediately succeeding enrollment year, provided the child is not dropped during the current program year. If the child is dropped and the family wants to return, the income must be re-verified.

The DA may choose not to re- enroll a returning child when there are compelling reasons for the child not to remain in Head Start, such as when there is a change in the child's family income and there is a child with a greater need for Head Start services.

Early Head Start

Children enrolled in Early Head Start remain eligible for the program until the child is three years old. If the child is going to be transitioned into Head Start, the family’s income must be re-verified.

Returning Children

Children who actively participated in the program during the enrollment year and are seeking to continue services in the following program year are referred to as returning children. This is inclusive of children determined eligible whose family’s income is over FPL and whose income is below 130%.

The DA must contact the family to determine if the child will be returning to the program for the succeeding program year. All families planning to have their children return must:

• Update new contact information if needed. • Maintain the documentation used to determine eligibility in year one in the child’s

file. • Rank all returning children to ensure that children with the greatest need for EHS

or HS services are prioritized for enrollment.

Full-Day Returning Children

In order to be eligible for a full-day program in year two, the family must meet the criteria for full-day programs for both years. DA staff must verify the family’s continued need for participation in a full-day program by completing a LACOE Full-Day Rationale form.


Third-Year Returning Children

If a Head Start child is returning for a third year, the DA must re-verify the family’s income to determine eligibility and document why kindergarten is unavailable.

Transitioning from EHS to HS

• DA staff should be familiar with both EHS and HS programs to better facilitate the transition process.

• Transitions should be individualized for maximum effect. • The DA must examine its classrooms and see if it can accommodate the younger

eligible children. • The DA must eliminate barriers and be prepared to enroll these children if

referred. • If the DA operates both an EHS and HS program, and the parents wish to enroll

their child who has been enrolled in the program’s EHS, the DA must ensure, whenever possible, the child receives HS services until enrolled in school, provided the child is eligible.

• The DA needs information on EHS programs in its area and develop relationships with those outside agencies who have EHS programs outside of LACOE.

• Home-based option should be considered if the parent does not feel comfortable in a center-based option.

• The DA must document the transition plan developed in collaboration with the child’s family to show the DA has been planning the transition for and with the child’s family (at least six months prior to the child’s third birthday and earlier if needed).

Please refer to the Family and Community Engagement Services GIM for further guidance.

Address Verification

The DA is required to secure documentation of residence (proof of address) for all families to ensure that they are residing within the DA’s service area. The documentation must be kept in the child’s file.

If a homeless family cannot provide address verification, it is permissible to use the address of the agency/center where the child will be enrolled.

The DA must include the acceptable documentation as proof of residence in its ERSEA Plan. It is up to each DA to determine what it deems acceptable proof (for example, utility bills, rental agreements, or other official documents).

Selection


Training on Eligibility DA’s must train management and staff members who make eligibility determinations within 90 days of hiring new staff who will determine eligibility on applicable federal regulations and program policies and procedures. In addition, all governing body and policy council members must be trained within 180 days of the beginning of the term of a new governing body or policy council. Training must include the following;

• Methods on how to collect complete and accurate eligibility information from families and third party sources;

• Strategies for treating families with dignity and respect and for dealing with possible issues of domestic violence, stigma, and privacy; and,

• Program policies and procedures that describe actions taken against staff, families, or participants who attempt to provide or intentionally provide false information.

At the conclusion of the training, the DA’s must complete the Certification of Eligibility Training and maintain in personnel file.


Tier 1 Monitoring

The DA is required to use ChildPlus for ongoing monitoring to:

• Ensure the DA is assigning priority points and placing the applicants on a ranked waitlist.

• Ensure that the DA determines eligibility of families recruited in the community in a timely manner.

The DA is required to use the ChildPlus Enrollment Priority List Report #2025 to monitor the DA’s priority list.

• The report must be used to monitor the DA’s Waitlist that is ranked to identify children with the highest priority points. The report must be filtered to identify children with the status of “New” prior to the start of the program year.

• The report must be filtered to identify children with the status of “Waitlist” when the program is seeking to fill a vacancy that occurred after the start date as a result of a drop.


• The report can be filtered to provide a total number of children with one of the following statuses: New, Waitlist, Accepted, and Enrolled.

Selection



Selection

Definitions Selection of Children

Formal process for establishing the selection criteria and for selecting children and families that considers all eligible applicants for services.

Selection List

This is the list of children who have been selected and “Accepted” to fill the vacant slot in the beginning of the program year or when a vacancy occurs.

Accepted

Such applicants who have been selected to fill an empty slot 30 days prior to the first day of school or who were selected to fill a vacancy within 30 days. Accepted applicants have met the eligibility requirements, completed the enrollment process, and are waiting to start the program on the expected start date.

Waitlist

Participants on the ranked list who were not accepted prior to the program start date and would like to be waitlisted are assigned a “waitlisted” date in ChildPlus.

Requirements

Determining Priority

LACOE conducts a countywide community assessment and uses the data to identify the selection criteria to be adopted for a given funding cycle. The DA assigns points to the established criteria in order to select families with the greatest need for services.

In selecting children and families to be served, the DA must also consider the eligibility, the age of the child, the availability of kindergarten, and the extent to which a child or family meets the criteria that each program requires.

• The DA must ensure sufficient priority points are allocated to families whose income is below federal poverty guidelines for its family size, families eligible for public assistance, homeless and foster children.

• If a program operates in a service area where Head start eligible children can enroll in high-quality publicly funded pre-kindergarten for a full school day, then the program must prioritize 3 year olds as part of the selection criteria.

Selection


• Children transitioning from EHS programs must also be given priority for enrollment to ensure continuation of services and seamless transitions even if the DA does not operate an EHS program.

• Every DA must use the selection criteria included in Exhibit N in the Delegate Agency or Child Care Provider LACOE Contract. These are the approved criteria used to set up selection in ChildPlus.

Note(s):

• All age-eligible children should be included in the ranking system as there may be reasons for selecting and enrolling a three-year-old before a four-year-old.

• Three-year-old children should have additional ranking points to ensure that they can be ranked and selected for enrollment. A three-year-old income or categorically eligible child who has an IEP/IFSP may rank higher than a four-year-old.

Selection


Assigning Points

After the child has been determined eligible for services and has met the local priorities, the family is assigned priority points as determined by the selection criteria.

• The DA must ensure that the selection process not only takes into account the specific requirements outlined in the regulation but also reflects the current needs of families in the service area.

o Selection of the families most in need of services does not occur without careful planning and attention to vital program and community data.

o The DA must select children for enrollment according to the highest ranked application. When children are selected to fill a slot the applicant status in

ChildPlus must be changed to “accepted” o If the family is offered a slot and refuses it, the family should be offered

the opportunity to remain on the Waitlist to have another opportunity to be selected to fill another slot in the DA. DA staff must change the status in ChildPlus for families

requesting to remain on the Waitlist from “Accepted” to “Waitlisted.”

o The eligibility of children remaining on the Waitlist at the end of the program year must be re-verified prior to ranking the applicants for the new program year.

• Children/families who have not been selected for enrollment but are eligible for the program must be maintained on the Waitlist for the opportunity to be selected in the event a vacancy occurs throughout the program year.

Selecting Applicants

The DA must fully accept all funded slots with children who meet the eligibility criteria and local priorities 30 days prior to the first day of class operation as required in LACOE Contract Enrollment Section.

In order for the DA to fully accept all children needed to meet full enrollment, the DA must have a selection procedure that identifies an incremental process based on the DA’s funded enrollment. The DA is required to:

• Identify the number of returning families eligible for the program year. • Identify the number of age-eligible siblings of returning families. • Analyze the DA’s ranked list/interest list to identify the number of children

needed to reach full enrollment.

Enrollment


• Select children from its ranked list/interest list at a minimum weekly prior to meeting full enrollment. After the DA has met full enrollment, the DA is required to select children at a minimum twice a month.

For example:

o “Big Stars” is scheduled to start on September 6, 2016, and is funded to serve 500 children. The DA has been building an interest list and has contacted families to determine if they will be returning for the new program year.

o The DA has identified that 100 families are interested in returning for the second year. “Big Stars” should recruit more than 400 families to ensure that it fully accepts all children 30 days prior to the start date.

o “Big Stars” began selecting children in May. It must select 50 children twice a month for the next four months (May through August) to fully accept all children needed to reach full enrollment.

The DA must maintain ongoing communication with families who have been recruited, determined eligible, and selected to ensure that the families understand the importance of the child attending on the expected start date.

Note(s):

• The DA is required to analyze previous year’s data to determine how many applicants the DA must maintain on its Waitlist to fill outstanding vacancies that normally occur within the year.

• Over-income families may have an opportunity to be selected for enrollment after children with the highest priority.

Selecting Children when Income Exceeds FPL

When selecting a child whose family’s income exceeds the FPL and has met categories in the DA’s selection criteria/criterion the following must be conducted;

• Print a copy of the ChildPlus Enrollment Priority Listing Report #2025 in order to demonstrate that no other eligible child on the list is being displaced. The copy of the report must be kept in the child’s file.

• Secure approval from the DA director or designee prior to enrolling the child in one of these categories.

• The DA must count the child as over income or 130 percent FPL in the subsequent year and ensure compliance with the limit regarding enrollments of such children (10 percent for over income and 35 percent for 130 percent FPL).

Enrollment


Children with Disabilities

Children with disabilities must also meet the eligibility criteria outlined for HS/EHS as applicable. At least 10 percent of the total number of enrollment slots allocated to each DA must be filled with children with disabilities. The DA disabilities coordinator must refer children to the LEA for evaluation as soon as the need is evident for children participating in the HS/EHS program. The sources of referral include parent concern, teacher observation, screening and assessment results, and collateral information from other service providers.

Clarifications

• The total percentage is calculated by the number of enrollments of HS/EHS children enrolled with an IFSP or IEP at the DA.

• To be counted in the 10 percent children enrolled in EHS must have an IFSP and children enrolled in HS must have an IEP.

• No child can receive special education services until an IEP/IFSP is in place. • Income-eligible three-year-old children with IEPs should be recruited and

enrolled prior to enrolling over-income four-year-old children. • If a DA enrolls a child under three with an IFSP, the DA needs to have the child

re-evaluated by the LEA to change the IFSP to an IEP as applicable. • The 10 percent requirement must be maintained throughout the program year.

o It is not a cumulative number. o The actual number of children enrolled in a program on any given day

determines compliance. • Funded enrollment is the basis for determining how many children with

disabilities must be enrolled in the program. o For example, a DA’s funded enrollment is 130 as per the LACOE

contract. The base number is 130, the funded enrollment number. Take 130, multiply this number by 10 percent, and the result is 13 (130 X .10 = 13). This means that the DA must enroll at least 13 children with an IEP/IFSP and maintain this number throughout the program year.

Note(s):

• If a child with a disability is dropped from a program, the DA has 30 days to fill the slot; failure to fill the slot within 30 days will impact the 10 percent requirement.

• Slots may not be shared. For example, if a child’s IEP/IFSP states that the child can attend the program only a few days per week, then the slot is considered occupied for the remaining days.

Enrollment


Midpoint

Each DA must meet the 10 percent requirement by January 31 (ACF-PI-HS-09-04).


Tier 1 Monitoring


o Ensure the DA is selecting children with the highest priority first. o Ensure that the DA’s eligibility points are in alignment with the DA’s

selection criteria.

The DA is required to use the ChildPlus Enrollment Priority List Report #2025 to monitor the selection of children with the highest priority.

• The report must be used to select children with the highest priority prior to the DA’s start date and when filling a vacancy that occurs during the program year.

• The report must be filtered to identify children with the status of “Accepted.” • For ongoing monitoring purposes, the report should be used to verify that children

with the highest priority points are selected first. This includes monitoring compliance with the over-income requirements.

The DA is required to use the ChildPlus Enrollment Priority List Report #2025 when selecting a child whose family’s income exceeds the FPL

• The report must be used to verify that over-income eligible children were not selected prior to income or categorically eligible children on the DA’s Waitlist.

• A copy of this report must be kept in the child’s file when selected for enrollment. The report must be filtered to identify children with the status of “Waitlist.”

Enrollment


Enrollment


Enrollment


Enrollment

Definitions Ancillary Services

Ancillary services are defined as supplementary services provided to enrolled children in the event that the start is delayed. If the DA’s start date is delayed due to licensing or facilities issues, the DA must have documentation of the service provided. Examples of ancillary services may include the following: parent orientation; first parent conference; home visits; sensory, developmental and behavior screenings (ASQ, vision, hearing, etc.); family assessment; family partnership agreements and follow-up; referrals and follow-up; health services follow-ups; nutrition and education assessments; parent education workshops; individual development plans (IDP) for the parent goals for the child.

Double Session

A part-day center-based program in which a single teacher is employed to work with one group of children in the morning and a different group in the afternoon in the same classroom.

Enrolled

Participant has been accepted and attended at least one class for center-based or family child care option or at least one home visit for the home-based option.

Enrollment year

The period of time, not to exceed twelve months, during which a Head Start program provides center or home-based services to a group of children and their families

Enrollment Date/Start Date/Entry Date

The enrollment date, start date, and entry date are interchangeable terms. The enrolled date is the date that the child attends class, receives a home visit, or a direct service on or after the expected start date.

Funded Enrollment

The number of participants that the HS Grantee is to serve, as indicated on the grant award. DAs are funded through LACOE to provide HS and/or EHS services as outlined in each DA’s contract.

Enrollment


Part Day

A center-based program providing services at least three and a half and no more than six hours per day.

Program Options

Options are HS services provided to children through center-based, home-based, or family child care settings.

Co-location

Co-location is an arrangement in which HS children and children funded by other sources are enrolled in the same classroom (not to exceed 20 children).

Empty Slot

An empty slot is one that has never been filled. If the program year begins and empty slots exist, then the DA is considered under-enrolled and LACOE will enforce the sanctions outlined in the Contract Section 9, Enforcement Sanctions.

Transfer

Transfer is when a child moves from one classroom or site to another classroom or site within the DA. The DA cannot transfer children between classes to avoid vacancy deadlines.

Requirements

Funded Enrollment

DA’s are required to maintain its funded enrollment level and fill any vacancies within 30 days. In order for LACOE to count a participant as enrolled, the following must occur;

• DA must assign the participant to a center, class • The participant must attend at least one class for center-based or family child care

option. For home-based option the child must have received at least one home visit.

After the participant attends at least one class for center-based or family child care option or at least one home visit for the home-based option the DA must enter the enrolled date in ChildPlus.

Enrollment


Enrollment Date/Start Date/Entry Date

The enrollment date, start date, and entry date are interchangeable terms. The enrolled date is the date that the child at tends class, receives a home visit or a direct service on or after the expected start date. Only children with an “enrolled” date in ChildPlus will be counted as part of the DA’s total enrollment. The enrollment date, for an applicant filling a vacant slot within 30 days as a result of a drop, is the date the family is expected to start.

• The enrollment date for home-based participants will remain the beginning of the home visit week as identified in the DA’s Schedule I and K.

• This is also the date used to track compliance with the service timelines.

Delay in Start Date

All classes must be operational by September 30 to ensure that the number of operational days is met as defined in 45 CFR Part 1302 Subpart B – Program Structure [LACOE Contract Section 12.5].If the start date is delayed, the DA must receive prior approval from LACOE and the following criteria must be met:

• Ancillary services must be provided to children who have been enrolled in the program.

• The maximum time a start date may be delayed and children count as enrolled is 30 days and may not go beyond October 31.

• Ancillary services must be documented and may include the following: o Parent orientation o First parent conference o Home visits o Sensory, developmental, and behaviors screening (ASQ, vision, hearing,

etc.) o Family assessment o Family partnership agreements and follow-up o Referrals and follow-up o Health services follow-ups o Nutrition assessments and education o Parent education workshops o Individual development plans (IDP), parent goals for the child o Pedestrian Safety

Enrollment


Reserved Slots DA’s may request to reserve one or more slots for pregnant women and children experiencing homelessness and children in foster care, when a vacancy occurs. No more than three percent (3%) of the DA’s funded enrollment slots may be reserved.

Note(s):

• If the reserved slot is not filled by a homeless child or pregnant mother or foster child within 30 days, then the slot becomes vacant. From the time the reserved slot becomes vacant, the delegate must fill the slot as soon as possible and not exceed 30 days.

• If the vacancy is an empty slot that has never been filled, the delegate may reserve a slot for no more than 30 days from the class start date.

Program Options

The program option(s) chosen must meet the needs of children and families based on the community assessment. DA’s may choose to implement one or more of the following program options:

• Center-based, • Home-based, • Family child care, or • Approved locally-designed program option variations.

Center-based Option

The center-based option delivers the full range of services delivered primarily in classroom settings.

Ratios and Group Size

Prior to the start of the program year, DA staff need to ensure that staff-child ratios and group size are determined by the age of the majority of children and the needs of the children present and may adjust this determination during the program year, if necessary.

• The determination need not be changed during the program year, even if there are changes in the age composition of the children in the class. This class size is expected to be maintained throughout the program year.

• The DA can fill vacancies with either a three-year-old or a four-year-old, based on the selection criteria and the ranking on the Waitlist.

Enrollment


• DA’s must be well versed on state or local licensing requirements and in the event that they are more stringent than the teacher-child ratios and group sizes

Center-based group size 1302.21(b)

4 and 5 year olds

No more than 20 children enrolled in any class No more than 17 enrolled in any double session class

3 year olds No more than 17 enrolled in any class No more than 15 enrolled in any double session class

Under 3 year old

No more than 8 or 9 children enrolled in any class, depending on the number of teachers

Center-based Service Duration

The revised Performance Standards made significant changes to the requirements to service duration for children enrolled in Head Start center-based settings. Revisions included the timeline for implementation, process and requirements as specified below.

Early Head Start DA’s are required to provide 1,380 annual hours of planned class operations for all enrolled children by August 1, 2018.

DA’s who provide serves to young parents enrolled in high school, residential program serving teens, or other young parents enrolled in school settings may meet the service duration requirements if it operates a center-based program schedule during the school year aligned with its local education agency requirements and provides regular home-based services during the summer break.

Head Start DA’s operating Head Start are provided with greater flexibility to design schedules that meet the unique needs of their communities while maintaining high standards for the amount of instructional time children receive. The Performance Standards have set forth an incremental timeline and process that will allow DA’s to design programs that will provide at a minimum a full school day and a full year services to all children in center based settings.

Date Requirement August 1, 2019 DA’s must provide 1,020 annual hours of planned class

operations over the course of at least eight months per year for at least 50% of its Head Start center-based funded enrollment.

August 1, 2021 DA’s must provide 1,020 annual hours of planned class operations over the course of at least eight months per year for 100% of its Head Start center-based funded enrollment.

Enrollment


Until a program is operating all of its Head Start center-based funded enrollment at the standard, as described above, a program must provide, at a minimum the following;

• 3.5 hours per day for a minimum 160 days per year of planned class operations if it operates for five days per week, or

• 3.5 hours per day for a minimum 128 days per year if it operates four days per week

• 3.5 hours per day for a minimum of 128 days per year if it operates for four days per week in a double session variation

Note (s):

• DA’s providing fewer than 1,020 annual hours of planned class operations or fewer than eight months of service are considered to meet the requirements if its program schedule aligns with the annual hours required by its local education agency. Make every effort to schedule makeup days using existing resources if hours of planned class operations fall below the number required per year.

Home-based Option

The home-based program option delivers a full range of services provided to HS, EHS children, and pregnant mothers primarily in their home, and through group socialization opportunities in a Head Start classroom, community facility, or on field trips. Home visit schedules are developed with the child’s parent and work with them as the primary factor in the growth and development of the child.

Home-based Service Duration

The service delivery is central to the success of the home based model and therefore DA’s are required to meet the service duration as described below;

Early Head Start DA’s are required to provide the following;

• One home visit per week per family that lasts at least an hour and a half and provide a minimum of 46 visits per year by August 1, 2017; and,

• At a minimum, provide 22 group socialization activities distributed over the course of the program year by August 1, 2017

Head Start DA’s are required to provide the following;

http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/policy/45-cfr-chap-xiii/_link

Enrollment


• One home visit per week per family that lasts at least an hour and a half and provide a minimum of 32 visits per year; and,

• At a minimum, 16 group socialization activities distributed over the course of the program year

Note (s):

• DA’s must make up planned home visits or scheduled group socialization activities that were canceled by the program, and to the extent possible attempt to make up planned home visits canceled by the family, when this is necessary to meet the minimum number of required home visits and socialization activities

• The DA is required to establish its own procedures for assuring that home visits are being conducted on a regular basis. If families (or staff) are not participating in visits or socializations as intended, steps must be taken to determine why not and action must be taken to remedy the problem.

• If a family demonstrates a consistent pattern of cancelled or missed appointments (three home visits), the DA needs to determine if the home-based model is the appropriate choice for that family.

• The DA must identify and help remove the barriers that prevent the family from fully participating in the program or find another program option that better meets the family’s needs. The DA should follow up with the same protocols in assisting the families with chronic absenteeism as it does with center-based slots.

Family Child Care Option

Family child care option delivers the services delivered by a family child care provider in their home or other family-like setting, such as a space in a public housing complex which has been licensed by the state and set aside specifically for the provision of or purpose of providing family child care. If the DA offers services to be provided in a family child care setting they must ensure that the family child care homes can accommodate children and families with disabilities.

Ratios and group size

A program that operates the family child care option where Head Start children are enrolled must ensure group size does not exceed the limits specified below:

Family ratios and group size (1302.23)

Number of FCC provider Maximum group size Requirement

1 family child care provider

6 children no more than 2 of the 6 children may be under 24 months of age

Enrollment


1 family child care provider and one provider assistant

12 children No more than 4 of the 12 children may be under 24 months of age

1 family child care provider

4 children younger than 36 months

No more than 2 of the 4 children may be younger than 18 months of age

Note (s):

• If the family child care provider’s own children under the age of six are present, they must be included in the group size.

• DA’s maintain appropriate ratios during all hours of program operation

Family Child Care Service Duration

DA’s operating a family child care option must operate sufficient hours to meet the child care needs of families and not less than 1,380 hours per year.

Locally-designed Program Option

A locally-designed program options is a combination of programs options as an alternative approach for providing program services in order to better meet the unique needs of their communities

DA’s must submit a request to LACOE through the funding application process in order to operate a locally-designed program option, including a combination of programs. The request must include;

• Proposed plan and information on how the change to their program design is consistent with achieving program goals

• Supporting evidence that demonstrates the locally-designed variation effectively supports appropriate development and progress in children’s early learning outcomes.

Vacancy

A vacancy is an unfilled slot. The DA must fill vacancies immediately and not wait 30 days in order to maintain full enrollment.

• Slots that have been vacant for more than 30 days result in under-enrollment, and LACOE may impose sanctions as stated in the Contract Section 8, Enforcement Sanctions, and those described in the GIM, “Ongoing Monitoring System, Track C, and Enforcement.”

Enrollment


• Programs are expected to maintain the class size that was determined at the beginning of the year, regardless of changes in the age composition of the children in the class

• As a result, programs can fill vacancies with either a three-year-old or four-year-old according to the program’s selection criteria

• If a child has four consecutive unexcused absences, the DA must have proper procedures to determine if the slot is considered vacant

• In the event a drop occurs as a result of consecutive absences, appropriate family support must be documented to ensure special family circumstances were considered prior to the drop.

• Absences that exceed 10 days must show documented contact with the family with intention to return.

Example: How vacancies impact enrollment

• David was enrolled in the HS part-day program on July 7. • During the month of August, all enrolled families, 100 in number, including

David’s parent, attended a parent orientation, received a family needs assessment, and received information from the DA’s annual health fair.

• The HS program’s first day of program operation is September 9 and by August 7 the program had enrolled 100 children.

• On September 9 and 10, David failed to show for the first and second day of class. • LACOE must report the enrollment numbers to the OHS Regional Office each

Monday. Therefore, the HS program must report enrollment numbers each Friday. • On September 11, the HS program reports 100 children enrolled, and of the total

enrollment, 10 children are disabled. The HS program reports that the program is fully enrolled.

Explanation

Although David did not show for the first day of class, the HS program counted David in the total enrollment number based on the ancillary services that the family received prior to the first day of class. Before the next reporting period, the program should implement immediate follow-up to determine if David is still interested in participating in the program. If not, David’s slot should be considered as a vacancy and the DA’s procedures for filling a vacancy should be implemented. The DA has 30 calendar days to fill the vacancy. If the vacancy remains unfilled for more than 30 calendar days, the DA will be cited as non-compliant for being under-enrolled.

Enrollment


Transfers

A transfer does not fill a vacancy and does not change the fact that the DA has fewer children enrolled than it is funded to serve. Transfers just move the vacant slot to another location. Therefore, the date the vacancy originally occurred, regardless of classroom or home visitor where the slot was originally assigned, is the date the DA must use to ensure the vacancy is filled within 30 days.

Example: How do transfers impact a vacancy?

The DA is funded to serve 48 children at three centers (Center A, Center B, and Center C), with one classroom at each center. On September 1, 2016, agency was fully enrolled with a total of 48 children. For further explanation, please see the following example:

Date Action Impact

September 20 Two terminations: one child from Center B, one child from Center C

DA has 46 children enrolled and two vacancies.

DA has 30 days from September 20 to fill the slots before it is considered under enrolled

September 30

DA enrollment submitted to OHS

DA reports 48 children enrolled because the DA has not exceeded the 30 days allowed to fill a vacant slot

October 3 DA transfers a child from Center A to Center C

DA still has 46 children enrolled and two vacancies. Note: As of October 3, the DA has 16 days (30 days - 14 days since the vacancy occurred) left to fill the vacancies that occurred on September 20

Enrollment for this day is reported at 48 since the vacancies are still within the 30- calendar-days period

October 14 DA enrolls a child from the accepted list in ChildPlus, who will attend Center B

DA’s enrollment is now 47 and 1 vacancy.

Note: As of October 14, the DA has five days left to fill the vacancy that occurred on September 20

Enrollment


Date Action Impact

Enrollment for this day is reported at 48 since the remaining vacancy is still within the 30-calendar-days period.

October 24 DA enrolls a child who will attend Center A

DA has now reached full enrollment of 48,.ut because the slot was not filled by October 19 (the 30th calendar day from the original vacancy date) the DA has been under-enrolled from October 20 to October 23

Immunizations

Delegates must comply with the Grantee Health Services GIM to identify which state immunizations are required for enrollment and attendance in Head Start and Early Head Start Programs, including any exceptions made for homeless children.

Voluntary Parent Participation

Parent Participation in any program activity is voluntary, including consent for data sharing, and is not required as a condition of the child’s enrollment.

Policy on Fee for Service

Regulation 1305.9: A Head Start program must not prescribe any fee schedule or otherwise provide for the charging of any fees for participation in the program. If the family of a child determined to be eligible for participation by a Head Start program volunteers to pay part or all of the costs of the child’s participation, the Head Start program may accept the voluntary payments and record the payments as program income.

Under no circumstances shall a Head Start program solicit, encourage, or in any other way condition a child’s enrollment or participation in the program upon the payment of a fee.

ERSEA Files for All Participants

Separate files must be maintained for all participants enrolled in programs with multiple funding sources. The files must comply with the requirements of the specific program’s funding source.

Enrollment


In order to ensure compliance to HS Performance Standard 1304.51 (g) Record Keeping Systems, LACOE requires that all applicant files contain LACOE ERSEA-required documents in the following order:

Enrollment


2017-18 ERSEA File Contents (New Applicant)

• 2017-18 ERSEA File Content Checklist

• 2017-18 Application for Services Form

• Age Documentation (EHS-Pregnancy Verification, if applicable)

• 2017-18 Head Start Eligibility Verification Form (printed from ChildPlus)

• Eligibility Documentation

• Address Verifcation Documents

• Approved Interagency Enrollment Agreement (if applicable)

• Grantee to Grantee Approval Letter (if applicable)

• Over-Income Grantee approval letter (if applicable for families over 15% of state guidelines)

• Caregiver Affidavit (if applicable)

2017-18 ERSEA File Contents (Returning Students)



• Age Documentation (EHS-Pregnancy Verification if applicable)

• 2016-17 Head Start Eligibility Verification Form (ChildPlus form printed in year one when eligibility was determined)

• Address Verification Documents

• Approved Interagency Enrollment Agreement (if applicable)

• New Grantee to Grantee Approval Letter (if applicable)

• Original Grantee to Grantee Approval Letter (if applicable)

• Over-Income Grantee approval letter (if applicable)

• Caregiver Affidavit (if applicable)

Enrollment


A list of forms and instructions on completing the forms are found in the attachment section of this manual and may be downloaded from www.prekkid.org.

ERSEA File Contents (3rd Year Applicants)



• 2016-17 Application for Services


• Age Documentation (EHS-Pregnancy Verification if applicable)

• 2017-18 Head Start Eligibility Verification Form

• 2015-16 Head Start Eligibility Verification Form

• 2015-16 Original Eligibility Documentation

• 2017-18 Address Verifcation

• 2015-16 Original Address Verifcation Documents

• New Approved Interagency Enrollment Agreement (if applicable)

• 2017-18 Grantee to Grantee Approval Letter (if applicable)

• 2016-17 Original Over-Income Grantee approval letter for families over state guidelines (if applicable)

• New Caregiver Affidavit (if applicable)


Enrollment



Tier 1 Monitoring


• Ensure the DA is selecting children with the highest priority first. • Ensure that the DA’s eligibility points align with the DA’s selection criteria.

The DA is required to use the ChildPlus Program Enrollment Status Report #2115 to monitor the DA’s enrollment.

• The report must be used to monitor that the DA is fully enrolled at all times. • This report generates the enrollment status of participants in DA sites and

classrooms and can be used to monitor enrollment. • The report must be filtered to identify children with the status of “Enrolled” and

“Dropped.” • For ongoing monitoring purposes, the report should be cross-referenced with the

approved Schedule I.

Enrollment


The DA is required to use the ChildPlus Turnover Report #2009 to monitor the DA’s transfers.

• The report must be used to monitor participants who transfer. • This report generates the names of participants that were transferred from class to

class. • For ongoing monitoring purposes, the report should be cross referenced with the

ChildPlus Program Enrollment Status #2115, to identify actual enrollment.


Attendance

Definitions Average Daily Attendance

When the monthly average daily attendance rate in a center-based EHS or HS program falls below 85 percent, a program must analyze the causes of absenteeism. The analysis must include a study of the pattern absences for each child, including the reasons for absences as well as the number of absences that occur on consecutive days

Absences

Absences are the days an enrolled child does not attend class.

Consecutive Absences

Absences that occur sequentially.

Chronic Absenteeism

Children in a center-based program who are absent four or more days in a given month.

Requirements

Absences

To promote regular attendance through education and support of families, the DA must, with in the first hour of class operation, document attendance and the follow-up conducted on absences in the ChildPlus Attendance Module. DA staff must provide supportive services as appropriate and conduct ongoing follow-up to assist the family in building good attendance habits for the child.

• If the DA is unable to contact the parent(s) or guardian(s) and the parent(s) or guardian(s) did not notify the DA about the child’s absence, then absence must be considered unexcused.

o For children who do not attend the first day of class or receive the first home visit:

DA staff must follow up immediately to determine reason for absence or missed home visit.

Attendance

Page | 84 Los Angeles County Office of Education Head Start – State Preschool Division

For center-based programs: After three consecutive unexcused absences and unsuccessful attempts to contact the family, the DA must abandon the child’s application on the fourth day.

For home-based programs: After three consecutive parent canceled home visits and/or unsuccessful attempts to contact the family, the DA must abandon the child’s application on the fourth day.

A child whose application is abandoned equals an empty slot, and the DA must fill the slot immediately. The 30-day rule does not apply in this situation because the child was never identified as

o For absent children identified as enrolled (attended the first day of class and/or received a home visit):

the DA must, with in the first hour of class operation, enter attendance in the ChildPlus Module

If the parent has not contacted the program within one hour of program start time, then program staff must attempt to contact the parent to ensure the child’s well-being.

Delegates must set up ChildPlus to send families text messages to contact them regarding a child’s is absence from the program.

Within the first 60 days of program operation, and on an ongoing basis thereafter, the program must use individual child attendance data to identify children with patterns of absence that put them at risk of missing ten percent of program days per year and develop appropriate strategies to improve individual attendance among identified children.

After three consecutive unexcused absences and unsuccessful attempts to contact the family, the DA must drop the child on the fourth day.

In the event that the child is dropped, the DA must fill the vacancy with the child ranked highest on the Waitlist.

o For children identified as homeless

A program must allow a child enrolled as homeless to attend for up to 90 days or as long as allowed under state licensing requirements, without immunization and other records, to give the family reasonable time to present these documents. A program must work with families to get children immunized as soon as possible in order to comply with state licensing requirements [1302.16(c)].

Enrollment


• Staff must make multiple attempts to contact and establish communication with the child’s parent(s) or guardian(s) through various means, including conducting home visits, and must document the attempts/communication in the ChildPlus Attendance Module.

• Notes in ChildPlus Attendance Module must include the date contact was attempted, who attempted the contact, the type of contact attempted, such as a home visit or phone call, and the result of the contact.

• If the DA is able to contact the family and confirm that the child will continue in the program, the DA must work with the family to identify a date when the staff can expect the child to return to the classroom.

o Contacts with family must emphasize the benefits of regular attendance, while at the same time remain sensitive to any special family circumstances influencing attendance patterns.

o Staff must follow up immediately with the family if the child does not attend class on the date identified to provide additional support to the family if needed or determine if the family has decided to drop the child from the program.

Attendance


Reasons for Absences

Absences must be classified as excused or unexcused, and the reason for the absence(s) must be documented. Determine and document, in the ChildPlus Attendance Module, if absence is due to one of the following excused absences, or if the family has decided to withdraw the child from the program:

• Sick

o Use Sick as a reason for the absence(s) when the child missed school due to the child being ill

o The family services staff must, as applicable, work with the family and determine the type of supportive services needed, given the type and duration of illness.

• Medical Exclusion

o The only time a child may be excluded from class is when a circumstance identified in the Health Services GIM allows such an exclusion.

o The DA family and health services staff must work collaboratively to provide the support needed to allow the child to begin class as soon as possible.

o If four or more absences have transpired due to a medical exclusion, DA must contact the designated LACOE Health Services Consultant to identify other strategies to resolve the exclusion.

• Best Interest

o Best interest days may not exceed 10 days in a program year and should be used when:

A child is absent in to order to attend court-ordered visitations with another parent or because of a mutual agreement between both parents.

• If the visitation or custody agreement follows a fixed schedule that requires the child to attend the program only certain days of the week, then a modified attendance should be set up for the child in ChildPlus indicating the “no class” days, instead of using the Best Interest days.

a child is absent in order to go on a family vacation

Attendance


• Other

o Use Other to classify an absence due to an illness of the child’s parent or guardian, death in the family, or family emergency.

Family emergency is defined as an unforeseeable circumstance and therefore prevents the parent(s) or guardian(s) from taking the child to the program. For example:

• The car won’t start and the family does not live within walking distance from the program

• One of the utilities (lights, gas, water, power) goes out in the house

• A child has to travel outside of the country with a parent, not for vacation purposes but to take care of other matters that could not wait until the child is on a break (summer, winter, or spring breaks)

Modified Attendance

Modified attendance is designed to accommodate a child with a disability in a program according to the instructions identified in his or her IFSP or IEP or children who are unable to attend the program on a daily basis due to custody arrangements. When implementing a modified attendance schedule for a child, the DA must demonstrate this type of schedule is appropriate for the child.

Children with Disabilities

The decision to modify attendance for a child with a disability is allowable only under the following circumstances:

• If the child with a disability (with an active IEP/IFSP) is enrolled in the HS/EHS program, and it is determined by the IEP/IFSP team, based on the unique needs and abilities of the child, that modified attendance would be beneficial to the child, it can be considered as an option by the IEP/IFSP team.

• Children with disabilities may receive special education services from the LEA as the offer of free and appropriate public education (FAPE); any modification to daily attendance without IEP/IFSP involvement is contrary to the requirements of the least restrictive environment (children with disabilities must have the opportunity to interact with, and be educated with, children who do not have disabilities).

Attendance


• The decision to modify attendance must be specific, in writing, and included in the IEP/IFSP.

Setting Up the Attendance for Children with Disabilities - Modified Schedule

If a child has an active IEP/IFSP that requires a modified attendance schedule, and the child can attend class only a specific number of days, absences related to disability services must be recorded as “no class” days. If a child is absent on a day not identified as a “no class” day, the reason for the absence must be documented in ChildPlus following the instructions identified under the Absences section of this manual.

Entering Attendance in ChildPlus for Children with Disabilities - Modified Schedule

If using entry express attendance, select the option labeled “no class” for the days identified in the IEP/IFSP as days the child will not be in class. Do not leave the option blank (--) because this will result in inaccurate ADA and a possible non-compliance. Please use the following settings when running attendance report #2305:

• Head Start: Select “P” only for the DA attendance code • State Programs: Select “P” and “E” for the DA attendance code

Children with Custody Arrangements

The DA must evaluate the circumstances facing each child with a custody arrangement that may require a modified attendance schedule prior to enrolling the child. In order to benefit from the EHS or HS program, the child must be present to receive the services.

However, in some circumstances, in order to comply with a custody arrangement, a child may need to not attend a program. Custody arrangements, whether formal or informal, must follow a fixed schedule in order for the DA to identify the “no class” days of the child and for staff to be prepared to serve the child when in attendance. When the custody arrangement requires the child to miss more than one or two days per month, the DA must evaluate if center-based services are the best option for the child or if the child would be better served in another program option or program.

Attendance


If the DA determines the child would be best served in an EHS or HS center-based program option, and the child will not attend class more than two days per month, then the DA must contact their designated ERSEA monitor at LACOE to request approval prior to enrolling the child. According to OHS-PC-1-074, “Programs should not enroll children who will miss half of the Head Start year unless the program can demonstrate that the child has such special needs that the program believes a ‘half time’ enrollment would still be an appropriate placement. Such a proposed placement should be discussed with your Regional Office and should be consistent with your program’s selection criteria.”

Terminated Children

When a child is terminated (dropped) from a program, the DA must follow its procedures to notify the family in writing at the last known address.

For reporting purposes, the child is included in the current enrollment numbers only until the vacancy is filled or for 30 calendar days, whichever comes first. If a vacancy remains unfilled for more than 30 days, the DA will be reported as under-enrolled.

• The slot is considered vacant the day a drop occurs. The dropped date entered in ChildPlus must align with the date documented in the attendance and the participant’s sign-in sheet.

• A participant may fill the vacant slot the day following the drop. The drop date must be entered into the ChildPlus system first and then the highest ranked participant from the Waitlist may fill the slot.

• If the vacancy is filled in the same month that the drop occurred, the days of attendance for the new enrollee should be counted and included in the monthly report.

Average Daily Attendance

Program must analyze attendance for children and the overall agency.

The DA must maintain an overall average daily attendance (ADA) of at least 85 percent in all center-based EHS and HS programs. An Analysis of Absenteeism must be submitted to LACOE by the 7th calendar day of the month and include:

• Within the first 60 days of program operation, and on an ongoing basis thereafter, the program must use individual child attendance data to identify children with patterns of absence that put them at risk of missing ten percent of program days per year and develop appropriate strategies to improve individual attendance among identified children.

Attendance


• A study of the pattern of absences for each child identifying:

o the reasons for the absences

o the number of absences that occur on consecutive days

o a plan of action addressing chronic absenteeism

• An analysis of the children’s absences per class and center, identifying trends and strategies delegate will implement to improve ADA

• Information regarding improvements the DA has identified from implementing a plan of action to improve ADA

• Information regarding how often the DA’s ADA has fallen below 85 percent

• The date the ADA and enrollment status was reported to the Policy Committee and Board

o The DA must, on a monthly basis, provide the Policy Committee and Board information on the status of ADA and enrollment

Home Visits

Home-Based Programs

There is no ADA requirement for home-based programs; however, home visits are tracked in ChildPlus.

• The DA must abandon a family in ChildPlus if the parent indicates the family is no longer interested in the home-based program before the first home visit.

• If DA staff has scheduled a home visit and the parent is not home at the time of the visit, the DA must determine if the parent intends to participate in the home-based program.

• If DA staff is unsuccessful in contacting the family, and no response is received by the next scheduled home visit or within a week, the applicant must be abandoned in ChildPlus.

• The slot must be filled with the next child on the Waitlist

Make-Up Days

When a DA has to close a center/classroom and send children home because of an unforeseen emergency, the school day does not have to be made up. The DA must have a plan in place for services to continue the following day; if not, the classes must be made up in order to meet the minimum contracted days of operation.

Attendance


The DA must notify LACOE when an emergency occurs. If an emergency occurs and children are not on site, then that day or days must be made up.

Suspension

DA’s must prohibit or severely limit the use of suspension due to a child's behavior. Such suspensions may only be temporary in nature. A temporary suspension must be used only as a last resort in extraordinary circumstances where there is a serious safety threat that cannot be reduced or eliminated by the provision of reasonable modifications. Before a program determines whether a temporary suspension is necessary, a program must engage with a mental health consultant, collaborate with the parents, and utilize appropriate community resources such as behavior coaches, psychologists, other appropriate specialists, or other resources as needed, to determine no other reasonable option is appropriate [1302.17(a)].

If a temporary suspension is deemed necessary, the DA must help the child return to full participation in all program activities as quickly as possible while ensuring child safety by:

• Continuing to engage with the parents and a mental health consultant, and continuing to utilize appropriate community resources;

• Developing a written plan to document the action and supports needed; • Providing services that include home visits; and, • Determining whether a referral to a local agency responsible for implementing

IDEA is appropriate.


Tier 1 Monitoring


• Ensure the DA is entering children’s attendance as described in its ERSEA plan. • Ensure the DA is monitoring the DA’s ADA and analyzing consecutive absences.

The DA is required to use the ChildPlus Monthly Attendance Report #2305 to monitor daily attendance.

• The report must be used to monitor that the attendance is entered as described in its ERSEA plan.

• The report must be filtered to identify children with the status of “Enrolled” and “Dropped.”

• For ongoing monitoring purposes, the report should be cross-referenced with the sign-in and -out sheets at the sites.

Attendance


At a minimum, the DA must monitor ADA on a monthly basis using the ChildPlus Average Daily Attendance Report #2301. The information in the report is used to:

• identify the ADA for each child, classroom, and center.

• determine if the DA’s plan improved its ability to meet or exceed the 85 percent target.

• identify if there was an improvement on the attendance of a specific child and/or group.

The report must be filtered to identify children with the status of “Enrolled” and “Dropped” and “Drop/Wait.”

Attendance


The DA must use the ChildPlus Consecutive Absences Report #2330 to identify how many children have been absent four or more days. The following are the requirements for monitoring consecutive absences:

• By setting the correct parameters for the ChildPlus Consecutive Absences Report #2330, the DA is able to identify children with consecutive absences for a given month, specific time period, program year, or year to date.

• At a minimum on a weekly basis, DA staff must print the ChildPlus Consecutive Absences Report #2330 to identify children who have been absent four or more days.

• DA staff must use the report to identify that follow-up is being conducted and that appropriate support is being provided to families with chronic absenteeism to ensure the child returns to the classroom.

• The report must be filtered to identify children with the status of “Enrolled.”

Attendance
