Head Start Collaboration Office

The Rhode Island Head Start Collaboration Office is located in DHS. The federal Administration for Children & Families (ACF) oversees this office and its mission.

About Head Start Collaboration Offices

The creation of State and National Collaboration Offices is authorized by Section 642B(a)(2)(A) of the Head Start Act. The purpose of the Head Start Collaboration Offices (HSCOs), state and national offices, is to guide the work of all collaboration offices. Since 1990, ACF has awarded Head Start collaboration grants to support the development of multi-agency and public and private partnerships at the state and national levels.

HSCOs exist "to facilitate collaboration among Head Start agencies…and entities that carry out activities designed to benefit low-income children from birth to school entry, and their families." They provide a structure and a process for the Office of Head Start (OHS) to work and partner with state agencies and local entities. Together, these partners work to leverage their common interests around young children and their families to formulate, implement, and improve state and local policy and practices.

These partnerships are intended to:

Assist in building early childhood systems
Provide access to comprehensive services and support for all low-income children
Encourage widespread collaboration between Head Start and other appropriate programs, services, and initiatives
Augment Head Start's capacity to be a partner in state initiatives on behalf of children and their families
Facilitate the involvement of Head Start in state policies, plans, processes, and decisions affecting target populations and other low-income families

Methods of Coordination

The methods by which HSCOs coordinate and lead efforts for diverse entities to work together include:

Communication – Convene stakeholder groups for information sharing, planning, and partnering, and serve as a conduit of information between Regional Offices and state and local early childhood systems.
Access – Facilitate Head Start agencies' access to and utilization of appropriate entities so Head Start children and families can secure needed services and critical partnerships are formalized.
Systems – Support policy, planning, partnerships, and implementation of cross agency state systems for early childhood, including the State Advisory Council, that include and serve the Head Start community.

A close up of a little boy with big hair and a navy blue hoodie.

Scope of Work

OHS has prioritized the goals of the HSCO to guide their work. The six priorities include:

Partnering with state child care systems emphasizing the Early Head Start-Child Care (EHS-CC) Partnership Initiative
Working with state efforts to collect data regarding early childhood programs and child outcomes
Supporting the expansion and access of high-quality workforce and career development opportunities for staff
Collaborating with State Quality Rating Improvement Systems (QRIS)
Working with state school systems to ensure continuity between Head Start and Kindergarten Entrance Assessment (KEA)
Any additional regional priorities

Head Start State Supplemental

In addition to the federal funding that our state Head Start programs receive, Rhode Island invests general revenue money to support 130 state-funded Head Start slots. This funding is utilized to cover care, education and program expenses for slots that offer evidence-based, high-quality care and education to children ages 3-5 and their families to prepare them for success in kindergarten. This additional aid is called Head Start State Supplemental.