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Collaborating With Community-Based Organizations

Delivery of prekindergarten programs in New York State is unique since it utilizes a mixed delivery system. Partnerships exist between Head Start programs, Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) and school districts to provide prekindergarten instruction to three- and four-year-old students.

To be successful, these partnerships require stakeholders to have a clear and shared understanding of:

  • high quality early childhood education and care;
  • community-wide benefits of the partnership;
  • how to implement comprehensive services;
  • differing policies and regulations that each partner operates under and how to coordinate these differences ; and
  • how to manage, monitor and coordinate the partnership and associated services

Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS)

The Office of Children and Family Services serves New York's public by promoting the safety, permanency and well-being of our children, families and communities. OCFS is dedicated to improving the integration of services for New York’s children, youth, families and vulnerable populations; to promoting their development; and to protecting them from violence, neglect, abuse and abandonment. The agency provides a system of family support, juvenile justice, child care and child welfare services that promote the safety and well-being of children and adults. 

Tip Sheet: Community-Based Organization/Head Start/ School District Prekindergarten Collaborations

This Tip Sheet is an outline of the areas that partners should consider before creating a formal partnership agreement. This document is intended to serve as a guide to aide in partnership formation and delegation of roles – it is for internal use and does not need to be turned in to the New York State Education Department. It can also be used for an annual self-assessment. 

Blending & Braiding Funds to Support Early Childhood Education Programs: Your "How to" Guide

Located on the NYS Council on Children and Families website, this guide is intended as a supplement to the Early Childhood Guide to Blending & Braiding in New York. The information is similar to the earlier guide; however, this one focuses more on braiding and blending action steps and scenarios related to all early childhood education program providers. This publication was developed as a practical tool to support the planning process that leads to a blended or braided fiscal model. It walks the reader through several scenarios of blending and braiding as a fiscal strategy and also contains detailed definitions on blending and braiding.

More resources are available at the website for the Council on Children and Families.

 

Pre-K CBO/Head Start Collaboration Process - Recorded Webinar

Recorded on July 26, 2022, this webinar provided information about how school districts can contract with eligible agencies to meet the 10% collaboration requirement for state-administered prekindergarten.