 Who is Involved in Decision Making?  Governing Bodies Roles and Responsibilities  Specific Points for Success  Systems and Services  Policy Council Roles and Responsibilities  Typical Meeting & Important Activities  NDHSA Involvement  What can I expect?

Policy Council Grantee Board Staff

Grantee Board Policy Council Staff General Responsibility Must Approve or Disapprove Operating Responsibility Fiscal & Legal Responsibility A voice to ensure that programs meet the needs of the families they represent Responsible for providing the services

 Determine the purpose of the organization  Select and Supervise the Executive Director/ Program Director  Ensure effective organizational planning occurs and resources are available to implement planning goals and objectives.  Settle grievances from staff (when disputes cannot be resolved at lower levels of the organization) or resolve complaints from the community  Assess the performance of the governing body

 Monitor program services  Act as a liaison between the organization and the community  Safeguard the organization’s assets  Provide accountability to members – Checks and balances

 The Policy Council & Grantee meet the second Tuesday of the month. Both receive similar agendas and the same director’s report. The Policy Council reviews and approves items before they go to the Grantee.  The Policy Council may elect a Grantee Liaison to attend the Grantee meetings.  All program information, documentation and plans are available on the program website.

 Attend meetings regularly  Seek to understand the issues being discussed  Participate in discussion  Help in reaching group decisions  Try to understand and use the ideas of other members  Evaluate your own contributions  Follow the chain of command and make sure others do as well  Remember you have power as a group, not as individual

 Do not get bogged down in day-to-day operations of the program or agency  Deal with the program, not personalities  Make sure everyone has the right to be heard- to a point  Honor the rights of the minority and the rule of the majority  Take your responsibility seriously; take yourself lightly!  Always ask yourself, “Is this the best thing for kids and families?”  Have fun!

SystemsServices Program GovernancePrevention & Early Intervention PlanningIndividualization CommunicationDisabilities Services Record Keeping and ReportingCurriculum Ongoing MonitoringFamily Partnership Building Self AssessmentParent Involvement Human ResourcesCommunity Partnerships Fiscal ManagementERSEA Facilities, Materials and Equipment

A. A PPROVE OR D ISAPPROVE Funding Applications Procedures for Shared Decision Making Procedures for Program Planning Short and Long Term Goals Policy Council Composition Criteria for Defining Recruitment, Selection and Enrollment Priorities Self AssessmentPersonnel Policy Revisions Decision to hire or terminate staff

Directly perform the following:  Serve as a link to the board, the community and parent committees  Communicate with parent committees regarding rights, responsibilities and opportunities  Assist parent committees in planning activities for parents  Recruit volunteer services from parents and community organizations  Establish and maintain procedures for working with grantee staff to resolve community complaints

 Directors Report- Gives updates on activities going on in the program and state/federal updates impacting children and families  Fiscal Report- Monthly Budget Reports  Grantee Report- Updates from the Grantee  Site Reports- PC reps identify issues from parent groups to be addressed or success stories to be shared  Treasurer’s Report- The PC has a parent fund and uses it to sponsor different parent and child activities.  Secretary’s Report- Minutes from the last meeting  Training- Managers provide training on policies, program philosophies and utilize the PC as an advisory board  Policy Council official business

 Continuation Grant & other grant activities  Self Assessment  Community Assessment  Short and Long Term Goals (Program Priorities & Strategic Plan)  Review program options  Specific Program Initiatives- Literacy, Parent Involvement, Male Involvement  Parent Advocacy

 Monitoring of Fund Raising Activities  Participation on Advisory Boards  Review and approve/disapprove all revised program policies and plans  Discuss state and federal policies and issues impacting our program, children and families

 Comprised of a Director, Staff Representative and Parent Representative from each program  Focuses on systems instead of direct program services- “bigger picture”  Active in advocacy efforts on state and federal level  NDHSA meets four times per year at different programs throughout the state  Great for individuals who are interested in politics and are invested in increasing the quality of life for children and families in North Dakota.

Key Priority Areas:  State funded pre-kindergarten  Workforce development- partnerships with higher education  Financial and human resources  Develop and promote developmentally appropriate research based public policies  Strengthen united advocacy efforts  Develop a unified system/continuum of services for children and families- using our data to develop policies and programs for ND’s children

 Decision making at the local level- discover new opportunities for your community  Learn about issues impacting families on a local, state and federal level  Broaden understanding of Head Start  Breakfast, lunch, mileage and child care reimbursement  Develop leadership skills  Make new friends  We have fun!