Kentucky Head Start Collaboration Office Director, Kelsey Turley
Since the inception of Head Start Collaboration Offices in 1990, the state-level offices have grown from a pilot of 12 states to include offices in every state in the country. Kentucky’s Head Start Collaboration Office has been housed within the state Governor’s Office of Early Childhood since 2011. The mission and goals of the Head Start Collaboration Office align with those of the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood.
The Head Start Collaboration Office supports communication, access and systems to promote the inclusion of Head Start programs in early childhood systems within each state, territory or region. They also serve as a conduit of information for the Regional Head Start Offices, the Office of Head Start, Administration for Children and Families, and state/territory and local early childhood systems. Head Start Collaboration Offices are funded through a renewable, non-competitive five-year federal grant from the Office of Head Start.
Head Start Timeline
Head Start Collaboration Offices Priorities
1. Collaborate with state systems to align early care and education services and supports for children and families prenatally to age 5.
Collaborate across systems to support:
- Health, mental health, and social and emotional well-being
- Home visiting
- Comprehensive service delivery
- Services and supports for children who are experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, children with disabilities, and children who are dual language learners
- Quality improvements
- School readiness initiatives
- State background check systems
- Child care
- Child welfare
- Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships
- Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Health Integration Prenatal-to-3 Programs
2. Work with state efforts to collect and use data on early childhood programs to guide decision-making and improve child and family outcomes.
Support appropriate access to and use of data to guide decision-making and to improve outcomes in areas such as coordinated eligibility and disparities in access to services.
3. Support the expansion of and access to high-quality workforce and career development opportunities for staff.
Work with state professional development systems, including workforce registries and career pathways, and with institutions of higher education to promote expansion and high-quality career development opportunities.
4. Coordinate with school systems to ensure continuity and alignment across programs, as appropriate.
Promote continuity of services, program alignment, and support for successful transitions, particularly with state preschool, kindergarten, and with Title I, McKinney-Vento, and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act programs.
The Head Start Collaboration Office works with key partners, including the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood, the Kentucky Head Start Association, the Division of Child Care, the Department for Public Health, and the Kentucky Department of Education to create and implement professional development opportunities across all sectors of early care and education services.
Head Start program data is integrated into larger data systems, promoting overall collaboration to ensure Head Start programs are always represented at the table for important discussions, they participate in quality improvement and rating systems, and make smooth and effective transitions between Head Start programs and kindergarten.
A Parent Testimonial "What Head Start Means to Me"
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