Author: Kassie Mulligan

MISSION STATEMENT
Enriching the Lives We Touch!

WELCOME TO OUR EARLY HEAD START PROGRAM
You may be the mother or father of a baby or a toddler in Early Head Start, or you may be the parents of a Head Start preschooler. Whatever the age of your child, helping him or her learn and grow is a big job. It is an exciting job. It is a hard job. Every mother and father, can use some support. You can get this support from the Early Head Start home-based/Child Care Program and your home visitor.
We hope you find this information helpful. We look forward to working with you.

Imagine your child two years from now, five years, ten years, as an adult. What do you want for your child? What do you want for your child to learn? What kind of person do you want your child to be?
The Early Head Start program option was created to help you help your child reach these goals - and others you may not have dreamed of yet. We believe in you! We are here to support you.

WHATS NEXT
Now that you have been accepted to Early Head Start, here are some of the next steps:
Home Based Program
Your new family consultant will be contacting you to set up a home visit. You will need to sign a Program Participation Agreement before you are officially enrolled
Your family Consultants will also talk to you about a time to schedule weekly home visits which will last 1.5 hours (90 min).
Child Care Program
Your new family support worker will be contacting you to set up a home visit. The FSW will complete your paperwork before you are officially enrolled.
Your family support worker will also talk to you about a time to schedule bi-monthly home visits which will last 1 hour (60 min), and bi-annual visits with you and the child care provider which will last 30-minutes.
Please call the Early Head Start building if you have any questions. We will try to find answers for you.
(785) 632-5399 877-688-5454

POLICIES
CONFIDENTIALITY:
As a participant in the Early Head Start program you have a right to privacy, and we have the responsibility to protect your privacy. All files are kept confidential and in a locked file cabinet. As stated in our confidentiality statement, only employees of Head Start/Early Head Start and our Federal Reviewers will have access to family and child files. Only at a parent’s request and with signed consent, will any information be shared with any other agency. If your child will be transitioning to Head Start we are one agency and information will be shared back and forth as per our participation agreement.
PARTICIPATION:
It is important that families keep their scheduled weekly/bi-monthly appointments. Regulations require that these weekly, 90-minute home visits and bi-monthly 60-minute home visits be made regularly throughout the year (12 months). It is important that you call your home visitor/family service worker to cancel or reschedule any visits due to illness or vacation.
CHILD/ABUSE NEGLECT:
Child abuse is mistreatment or neglect of a child by parent(s), guardians or other persons resulting in non-accidental injury or harm. Child abuse might be physical, emotional or sexual. Neglect includes the lack of prenatal care and control necessary for the child’s well being. The program and its entire staff are mandated reporters and must make reports to DCF. When it is appropriate, we will discuss our concerns with parent(s).

PARENT INVOLVEMENT Family Socialization and Parent Meetings
The program staff, in consideration of parent input and with the help of parents, will offer a variety of activities that meet parent requests and shared goals. Your home visitor/family support worker will share these opportunities with you and activities will be listed in each monthly newsletter. Educational topics covered include health and safety, child development and family support. Some regularly scheduled activities are:
Socialization Experience
Policy Council
Health Advisory Board
POLICY COUNCIL
Are you interested in helping determine how this program will run?
Would you like to help make those decisions which will affect your child?
Then Policy Council is for you!
(All your expenses for this activity, including mileage, are paid for by the agency.)
Policy Council is made of individuals who represent the parents’ interest. At the meetings, you have the opportunity to make suggestions and offer ideas for program improvements, assist in developing hiring policies and procedures, plan activities, and approve provisions that are put into each year’s grant.

The meetings are held on the third Tuesday of the month, 6:30 PM in Concordia, Clay Center or Miltonvale (to be centrally-located for the representatives who come from all five of counties we serve).
For more information, contact
Deb McNeil—EHS Director 785-632-5399
Deb Wallace - Parent Involvement Coordinator 785-632-2195

INCLEMENT WEATHER/PROGRAM CLOSING:
In cases of ice and sleet or other dangerous road conditions, home visits will be cancelled. Please call your home visitor/ family support worker to confirm your appointment if you are unsure.
Local radio stations are:
KCLY 100.9 KCKS 94.9
SOCIAL MEDIA
With a signed release, photos of you and your child may randomly be posted on our Early Head Start Facebook page and/or website. We like to keep our families updated on Early Head Start through the Early Head Start Families Facebook Group page. If you are not a member of the group, please ask your worker to invite you to the group.

TRANSPORTATION:
Transportation is available by program staff on a limited basis. Your home visitor/family support worker will link you to community services that provide transportation for medical appointments. Each family is responsible to exhaust all efforts to find transportation prior to calling the program. If you have done this and need to call the program, please call as much in advance as possible. Transportation will be based on availability.
LIBRARIES: Parent Resource Library
We have a variety of resources available to parents. Staff members will be glad to help you in checking them out for use. The library’s collection including books on disabilities, siblings, parents and other professional topics.
PROGRAM SAFETY:
For the safety of all enrolled families, children, staff, and child care partner, Policy Council has approved program safety plans. This means that if the program is made aware of any potentially dangerous situations, violent activity or threats made, all program services may be terminated. On a case-by-case basis, each situation will be reviewed to determine the best course of action. To receive a copy of a program policy, please ask your home visitor/family support worker or call our program director.

SMOKE FREE FACILITY:
All program staff, parents, volunteers and guests will serve as role models by not smoking in the presence of children at all program activities.
There will be no smoking in any program facility.
There will be no smoking in program vehicle.
There will be no smoking when children are present, including both indoor and outdoor activities of the program.
We ask for your child’s health, your health and the health of the program staff that you refrain from smoking during home visits. During months where homes are closed up or in homes with multiple smokers, we respectfully request that families refrain from smoking at least 1 hour prior to the home visit also.
Thank You!

MY RIGHTS AS AN EARLY HEAD START PARENT
To take part in the majority of policy decisions affecting the planning and operation of the program, as well as family socialization and parent meetings.
To receive respectful and supportive services from program staff that will benefit my child’s life and my life.
To receive quality child development information and activities that support me in my role as my child’s best, first teacher.
To receive routine developmental services for my child.
To always be treated with respect and dignity.
To be able to learn about the operation of the program, including the budget and the level of education and experiences needs by applicants to fill various staff positions.
To take part in planning and evaluation of all program activities.
To participate in activities, socialization and community programs designed to increase my skills in area of possible employment.
To be informed about all community resources concerned with health, child development and the improvement of family.
To receive assistance in the coordination of services with other community agencies.

MY RESPONSIBILITIES AS AN EARLY HEAD START PARENT
To learn as much as possible about the program and to take part in major policy decisions.
To accept Early Head Start as an opportunity through which I can improve my life and my child’s life.
To plan my visits with my home visitor/family support worker.
To welcome program staff into my home and to work together with them to best meet the needs of my child and family.
To work with the program staff and other parents in a cooperative, respectful way.
To provide parent leadership by participating in program planning and evaluation, and by being able to explain the program to other parents and to encourage their full
participation.
To guide my children in a loving and consistent manner.
To take advantage of activities, socializations, and community programs about child development, health, and safety, and my skills in areas of possible employment.
To become involved in community programs which help to improve health, education, and recreation for all.
To communicate with program coordinators to share successes or discuss concerns.

EARLY HEAD START PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
In an effort to provide high quality and fair services to all enrolled families, the following lists primary professional ethics that must be maintained for continued employment of all staff.
Staff may not share any information on any enrolled family or family member with anyone not employed by Early Head Start/Head Start without a written release of information by the family. Families may not ask a staff member to share any information on any friends, family or acquaintances they may think or know to be enrolled in program services.
Families may reach staff at their place of work, during work hours. Staff will return any message promptly.
Families and staff may not exchange money or gifts.
Staff may not purchase anything for families with their own money.
Staff may not offer legal or medical advice; staff will make referrals to appropriate legal agencies, nurse, doctors, dentists and mental health counselors. Staff will be required to make the appropriate referrals to families and obtain follow up information on those referrals.
Families and staff may not provide child care for one another.
At no time will a staff member be left to care for children (even for a few minutes) when on a home visit.

Staff and families will not socialize at each-others homes or for personal activities.
Staff and families may not purchase anything from each other (cookies, make-up, cookware, plastic-ware, etc.)
Staff may not impose their personal values on families (except where they may affirm research-based information or program outcomes).
Staff may not accept food or drink from families, except water.
Families will not use staff for references on job, housing or other application. The program can provide an actual summary of participation (history of keeping appointments, date enrollment began when requested by parents for their distribution to housing or other applicants.) A program coordinator will approve all such summaries.
Early Head Start staff may not attend birthday parties, graduations, weddings or other events of enrolled families. Staff are encouraged to spend time with their own families.
Staff may not receive personal e-mails from EHS families.
Early Head Start strives to maintain fairness and excellence in services to families.

Early Head Start Staff
Deb McNeil - Director - deb.mcneil@cckids.org
Kathy Crimmins - Child Care Coordinator - Kathy.crimmins@cckids.org
Connie Wieters - Enrollment - connie.wieters@cckids.org
Kassie Mulligan - Program Assistant
Teresa Spellman - PIR/Medical Tracking
Lisa Dyson - Mental Health lisa.dyson@cckids.org
Family Service Workers
Barbara Stewart Geri Bogart Tessa Osten
Alisha Goeckel Lauren Oehmke Cindy Patton
Kay Dyke Traci Hattesohl Charly Maichel

Day Care Providers
Early Head Start partners with the several child care providers to offer free child care when there is a slot available for the children enrolled in our Child Care Program. Here is a list of the current providers that we partner with:

Emily Welbourn	Wakefield
CCCC Children’s Center - College	Concordia
Jessica Palmer	Concordia
Crystal Gilkeson	Concordia
Grandma’s House Lori Nutsch	Linn
Amber Simmons	Clyde

Early Head Start
1021 4th Street
Clay Center, KS 67432
(785) 632-5399
www.claycountychildcare.com

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