1. Intro

2. Website Purposes  Provide templates and resources for developing early childhood interagency agreements and collaborative procedures among multiple community partners.  Assist local agencies in meeting their respective requirements related to early childhood community collaborations for ALL children ages birth through 5 years.  Be a resource for developing initial agreements and collaborative procedures or when revisions are warranted.

3. Addresses Legal Requirements  Division of Early Care and Education, Bureau for Children & Families, WV Department of Health and Human Resources  Office of Instruction and Student Services, WV Department of Education (Universal Pre-K)  Office of Special Education, WV Department of Education  WV Birth to Three, Office of Maternal, Child, and Family Health, Bureau for Public Health, WV Department of Health and Human Resources  Head Start as supported by the WV Head Start State Collaboration Office, Bureau for Children and Families, WV Department of Health and Human Resources

4. Definitions Interagency Agreement – The WHAT  What it is: Addresses the "what" of the interagency collaboration, stating overall policies and/or principles for the team's “collaboration areas”. It does NOT describe the specifics of " how " the team will actually implement the policies and principles in the agreement.  Topics Addressed: Collaboration Areas of - Public Awareness, Child Find and Screening - Quality Services for ALL - Transition and Continuity - Family Involvement and Support - Confidentiality - Resource Sharing - Personnel Standards and Professional Development - Data Collection and Sharing - Other as needed  Agencies Involved: This is a document to which the entire team agrees. Collaborative Procedures – The HOW  What it is: Describes the specifics of "how" the team will actually implement particular policies and principles in the agreement. - What needs to be done - Who will do it - Timelines - Any applicable forms or resources that the team will use in implementing the procedure.  Topics Addressed: Team determines which procedures it needs to address in order to comply with legal requirements and/or implement policies and principles outlined in the each of the Collaboration Areas of the agreement.  Agencies Involved: Team determines which agencies on the team need to be involved in given the nature of particular procedures. E.g., the team will need procedures for different kinds of transitions. Agencies involved with collaborative procedures for transition out of WV Birth to Three and into Preschool Special Education Services through the public schools will not necessarily be the same as those involved in procedures for the transition of children into and out of Universal Pre-K.

5. The Big Picture THE WHAT Public Awareness, Child Find & Screening THE WHAT Quality Services for ALL THE WHAT Transition & Continuity THE WHAT Family Involvement & Support THE WHAT Confidentiality THE WHAT Resource Sharing THE WHAT Personnel Standards & Professional Development THE WHAT Data Collection & Sharing THE HOW Collaborative Procedures  Public Awareness, e.g., Week of the Young Child  Community- Wide Screening, e.g., Kiddie Fair  Collaborative evaluation/ assessment  Interagency referrals  Service Directory THE HOW Collaborative Procedures  Collaborative services for children with & without special needs to reflect development levels & inclusion  Compatible high quality curricula to promote school readiness  Collaborative IFSPs/IEPs THE HOW Collaborative Procedures  Transition contacts for each agency  Transition out of WV Birth to 3 into Preschool Special Ed.  Transition out of WV Birth to 3 into Early Head Start/Head Start  Transition into/out of WV Pre-K  Transition into/out of Child Care  Sharing demographic data for planning THE HOW Collaborative Procedures  Linking families to community, advocacy & family leadership opportunities  Materials in various communication modes  Collaborative parent training  Ensuring family involvement in design, delivery & decisions regarding services  Protection of rights THE HOW Collaborative Procedures  Compatible policies & forms, e.g., use of a Collaborative Authorization for Release of Info  Collaborative training for staff & families on confidentiality THE HOW Collaborative Procedures  Braided/ collaborative services among 2 or more agencies  Sharing of resources for various local initiatives, e.g., community-wide screening, service delivery, training, etc. THE HOW Collaborative Procedures  Collaborative services staff meet personnel standards as required by employer  Collaborative staff training, e.g., via local resources, WV Early Childhood Training Connections & Resources  Cross program visitation/ networks  Sharing professional development resources THE HOW Collaborative Procedures  Compatible systems (policies, procedures, timelines) for collecting & reporting information for local service planning & collaborative planning & reporting to state or federal sources

6. Read Me First It all starts here. On this page you will find a brief description of the materials and products offered on the website. Read each thoroughly to ensure that you know which documents may aid you in your task.

7. Strategies For Team Use This webpage provides ideas for how teams can use this site and its resource materials to develop local early childhood interagency agreements and collaborative procedures. These strategies can be modified as appropriate to fit the individual circumstances of local early childhood interagency teams.

8. Templates This webpage provides templates, samples and instructions for developing local early childhood interagency agreements and collaborative procedures that can be adapted as desired to meet local needs. Instructions Click on the Template or sample on which the team wants to work. Follow the instructions that are embedded in this Template in the comment boxes that appear on the right side of the Template. You can adopt or adapt the wording on the Template to be appropriate to your team. While you can edit this wording, you should ensure that the concepts in the Template are included in your team's agreement or procedures.

9. Templates Listing  Template for Local Early Childhood Interagency Agreement  Template for Collaborative Procedures  Collaborative Procedures For Transitions into and out of the WV Pre-K System  Transition Procedures From Part C To Part B Under The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)  Transition Procedures From Part C To Early Head Start/Head Start  Template for Resource Sharing

10. Products Complete List of Resources & Products This webpage provides links to products developed by the WV Early Childhood Transition Steering Committee and agencies represented on this committee that support the adoption of local early childhood interagency policies, procedures and practice. These products are valuable resources that local teams can using in researching legal requirements and/or effective practice.

11. User Feedback Your feedback is important to us. Any information you provide us will remain confidential. Please be sure to submit your comments or suggestions. Feedback can be sent by clicking the feedback section at the bottom of the READ ME FIRST page.

12. Our Committee Who are we? We are a state level committee composed of state and local agencies and family representatives representing the Birth to Three System, Head Start, Department of Education/Schools, Child Care and other related entities. We believe that the WV Birth to Three System, Head Start, public schools, and child care programs all have important roles to play in transitioning young children ages birth to five years and their families from one program or service to another. What is our vision? Local communities in West Virginia will have effective transition policies and practices for all young children ages birth to five years that will: Maximize positive outcomes for children through effective early childhood programs that are compatible as the child moves from one program to another, foster positive ongoing relationships between families and professionals and among participating agencies, and result in a smooth transition process for children, families, and involved agencies.