Kentucky Memorandum of Understanding


Memorandum of Understanding Among Kentucky Developmental Disabilities Council, the Office for Public Advocacy (Division of Protection and Advocacy), the Human Development Institute (University of Kentucky University Affiliated Program) forming the Kentucky Developmental Disabilities Network and Kentucky Head Start Association representing 33 Head Start Programs and The Head Start Disabilities Services Quality Improvement Center (DSQIC)

Introduction	The Kentucky Developmental Disabilities Network (Kentucky Developmental Disabilities Council, Kentucky Division of Protection and Advocacy, and the Human Development Institute) is responsible for planning and carrying out programs that promote the self-sufficiency and protect the rights of the nearly 110,000 Kentuckians with developmental disabilities. The main goal of the Developmental Disabilities Network is to work in partnership with State governments, local communities and the private sector to enhance the quality of life of individuals with developmental disabilities, of all ages so that they and their families can experience productive, independent and totally integrated lives into the fabric of society.
The Kentucky Head Start Association represents 33 Head Start and four Early Head Start Programs, which will provide comprehensive early childhood services to 1680 young (1380 Head Start and 300 Early Head Start) children and families through 33 grantees and 12 delegate agencies. Three Kentucky Early Head Start programs were transferred from Central Office to Region IV, and a fourth Early Head Start program is scheduled to be funded later this Fiscal Year. Each program is required to make at least 10 percent of its enrollment opportunities available to children with disabilities. To provide services to preschool children with disabilities, Head Start programs collaborate with other agencies to insure that these children receive services that meet their individual needs and promote their inclusion in the full Head Start program. The Head Start Disabilities Services Quality Improvement Center (DSQIC) is a regionally based system whose purpose is to provide training and technical assistance to local Head Start programs. The DSQICs will work with Head Start grantees to 1) enable them to provide effective early childhood education programs that model an inclusive and collaborative approach to disabilities services; 2) Enhance the quality of life and maximize the potential of Head Start-eligible children and their families; 3) Identify and effectively access a wide variety of resources available to support quality disabilities services; 4) Integrate all available component resources to enhance and reinforce a comprehensive approach to families and children; and 5) Establish and maintain linkages with the child care community to assure effective partnerships among providers of services to children with disabilities and their families. The DSQIC will coordinate activities through Head Start Training and Resource Specialists (HSTARS), funded to provide training and technical assistance to grantees in their clusters. The HSTARS are located in four programs throughout the State of Kentucky and are available to local programs as resources for assistance in the disabilities services area. The purpose of this agreement is to increase inclusion of children with significant disabilities in the Head Start program. The Head Start Performance Standards on Disability Services clearly state that children with disabilities cannot be denied placement in a Head Start program on the basis of the level or type of disability. For Head Start to be an effective partner in providing an educational placement for children with more significant disabilities, programs need information on planning and delivering appropriate services to meet the special needs of these children and their families. A partnership with the Kentucky Developmental Disabilities Network will provide Kentucky Head Start programs with access to current information, and training and technical assistance resources to meet this goal.
Background	The Head Start program has been serving children with disabilities in its comprehensive early childhood program since its inception. In 1973 the program began to require that at least 10 percent of its enrollment opportunities be made available to children with disabilities. In the 1995-96 program year over 13% of children enrolled in the Head Start program had a professionally diagnosed disability requiring special education and/or related services. Two-thirds of these children had their special education needs met through collaborative arrangements between Head Start and another community program, most often with the public school system.
To serve children with more significant disabilities in the Head Start program, and to ensure that these children's rights to free and appropriate public education (under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)) are protected, requires extensive collaboration with local Boards of Education and programs such as those sponsored by the Kentucky Developmental Disabilities Network. These programs can help Head Start grantees acquire the information, training and services that are often needed to meet the goals in a child's individualized educational program (IEP). Barriers that may prevent placement in the Head Start program for children with more significant disabilities must be identified and removed so that these children and their families can benefit from the comprehensive services Head Start can offer. Head Start is recognized as one of the primary opportunities for young children with disabilities to receive a stimulating education experience in the least restrictive environment. Special efforts are needed to assure that this opportunity also exists for children with more significant disabilities.
Scope of the Agreement	The immediate objective of this agreement is for the Kentucky Head Start Association, the Kentucky Developmental Disabilities Network, (the Developmental Disabilities Council, the Protection and Advocacy System and the University Affiliated Program) and the Head Start Disabilities Quality Improvement Center (DSQIC) to discuss, and develop plans for joint objective initiatives that improve coordination and collaboration. The purpose will be to improve services to children with the most substantial disabilities, promote the integration of these children into the mainstream of society, and promote a better understanding of programs serving children with disabilities. The Kentucky Head Start programs, the Developmental Disabilities Network and the Disabilities Quality Improvement Center will convene a work group consisting of members of each body to identify strategies for increasing collaboration between Head Start programs and agencies working with children with developmental disabilities and their families.
Goal	To increase the inclusion of children with substantial disabilities in Head Start programs.
Contributions	Developmental Disability Council: provide information about successful Council projects, and provide details that will help incorporate components into programs to achieve inclusion assist in the development of a definition and understanding of "significant disabilities" as well as development of other policies and practices that will help Head Start in meeting its mandate of inclusion of children with significant disabilities invite Head Start staff to attend Council conferences about inclusion and related topics seek Head Start input into the development of Council priorities assist Head Start in evaluating current processes for providing information about programs and services to the community, in order to improve community based approaches to serve preschool children with disabilities advise Head Start and local school districts of any special initiatives developed by the Council to address inclusion of children with disabilities Protection and Advocacy System: Consistent with agency priorities, Protection and Agency: provide "rights" training to Head Start grantees onsite, at cluster technical assistance meetings and at state conferences provide materials on special education laws and rights as resources permit, accept cases related to inclusion and assistive technology provide information and referral to other legal resources monitor state laws that affect children with significant disabilities as resources permit provide training and technical assistance to Head Start parents University Affiliated Program: provide training to Head Start grantees onsite, at cluster technical assistance meetings and at state conferences assist Head Start programs in systemic and individual intervention services, including clinical health, educational, psychological and behavioral support, family and parent involvement and other services. adaptation/modification of curriculum to meet the needs of children with various levels of disabilities technical support including resource identification promote the independence, inclusion and integration of children with special needs and their families through information/product development and dissemination of new knowledge, relating to services, training and technical assistance. invite Head Start to attend conferences about inclusion and related topics Head Start Association/Programs: Ensure that training is provided to Head Start grantees at State, Cluster and local levels. Participate on planning committee to develop plans for joint initiatives. Assist the Kentucky Developmental Disabilities Network with dissemination of materials. Assist with the identification of children with substantial disabilities. Assist with the facilitation of training and/or technical assistance on the local level. Disability Services Quality Improvement Center (DSQIC) Provide training and technical assistance to Head Start grantees onsite, at cluster technical assistance meetings, and at state, regional and national conferences. Provide phone technical assistance and referral to other technical assistance providers. Provide resource materials Facilitate interagency collaboration between Head Start and agencies that serve children with substantial disabilities ages birth to five Participate in the development of State Interagency Agreements Conduct an annual needs assessment Assist specially funded Head Start programs
Resources	No transfer of funds is required under this Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
Period of Agreement	This MOU shall become effective upon the signatures of all parties and shall be reviewed annually.
Signatures	Mike Mathers Executive Director, Chapel Hill Training Outreach Project, Inc. Maureen Fitzgerald Executive Director, Division for Protection and Advocacy Robert Glass, Ph.D. Executive Director, Kentucky Developmental Disabilities Council Toby Miller Chairperson Kentucky Head Start Association Melton Martinson, Ph.D. Director Human Development Institute University of Kentucky Kurt Walker Coordinator Kentucky Head Start Collaboration The Region IV Office of the Administration for Children and Families fully supports and endorses this Memorandum of Understanding. Steven J. Golightly Regional Administrator/Hub Director