Community Partnerships

Philosophy and Approach to Community Engagement

GHC Early Childhood Program honors and build upon the unique strengths and abilities of the communities it serves and demonstrates the capacity to adapt to meet emerging needs. We work to expand services by partnering with schools, family childcare, and community-based childcare to increase the availability of comprehensive services to children and their families. Our core belief is that no one program will be able to meet all of a child's and family's needs; we intend to become embedded in an integrated community system of service providers and strength-building organizations that support the creation and continuation of services, as well as the growth of effective citizens. Community Collaborations, Partnerships & Systems: We recognize that families must be served within the context of the communities where they live and work. There are many other agencies and groups which do, or can, support the parents we serve. The Early Childhood program actively promotes the coordination of work between community partners at all levels. At the state level, the Early Childhood Program Director coordinates with State Departments and other Head Start agencies to promote a unified approach to creating a quality and comprehensive early childhood system in Illinois. This is done through ongoing communication, participation in the State Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), and sharing of data with state groups as is possible and required in contracts (while maintaining all protection for child data as described in the Confidentiality Policy, Data Management Protocol, and Client File Access Procedure) and other ongoing efforts. The program works with individual families to ensure coordination between service providers. Additionally, the Early Childhood Program Director and the Leadership Team work with local social services and education agencies to avoid duplication of services and ensure the delivery of services for those most at risk. GHC strives to maintain strong relationships with mental health providers, Child Development Services, public school districts, nutritional service providers, educational and cultural institutions, state agencies, housing agencies, domestic violence prevention groups, health care providers, and providers of prenatal and postnatal support, to name a few. GHC Early Childhood Program has established collaborative efforts within the community and the GHC Agency to assist participating families in receiving necessary services. Information on informal and formal partnerships is tracked by the Early Childhood department and reported through the GHC Community Services department. Formal Memorandum Of UnderstandingsUnderstandingten established with partners through the Early Childhood Program Director. Formal contracts and MOUs are kept in the GHC Finance Department. Staff is encouraged to join local community groups such as coalitions, boards, workgroups, etc. The work done in meetings and committee forums is an effort to improve/influence the delivery of services. Each Leadership Team member keeps documentation of work completed in their component area related to community partnerships.

Advisory Committee

GHC sits and maintains an advisory committee that includes our parents, professionals, and other volunteers from the community. This committee targets Community Services as well as other components of service delivery as they arise. The Early Childhood Program Leadership Team, facilitates committee membership and assignments, and the Health and Safety Coordinator chairs all meetings. Meeting agendas are distributed ahead of time. Minutes are kept and distributed following each session. Community & Program Transition Services: GHC staff works with many community partners who deliver services needed by children and families to provide helpful support and guidance to the child and family in their transition into, within, or out of the program to other service systems. See the Transition/Transfer Process for more information.

The purpose of community partnerships is to ensure that early childhood programs collaborate with other community service providers to meet the needs of children and families and create a system of providers that has accountability to vulnerable children and families.

GHC supports Partner Network Sites by implementing written community partnership agreements with other agencies centrally as much as possible and supporting agencies where they have local community collaborative agreements for services that families need and/or that enhance program services.
GHC/DFSS/Chicago Commons requires HS/EHS/CCP/PI-funded programs to create written community partnership agreements with local agencies and organizations that provide services that support the families the agency serves. Agreements can include sharing of information, shared delivery of services, as appropriate, access and referrals to services, collaboration in the development of new services, etc.
As part of community partnership building, programs must i. Develop formal and informal networks with an extensive variety of community service providers including, but not limited to, the following:

1. TANF

2. Domestic Violence

3. Housing Support

4. Substance Abuse

5. Family Literacy

6. Adult Education

7. Work Force Development

8. Post-secondary education institutions

9. Libraries

10. Museums

11. Financial literacy

Program Staff must also maintain:

Protect families’ confidentiality.
Participate in community-wide councils or service efforts to make sure the program’s objectives and interests are represented in community planning.
Partner with agencies that provide services to children with disabilities.
Partner with family preservation and support systems, as well as child protective services.
Collaborate with cultural institutions, including libraries and museums.
Encourage parents and community representatives to volunteer in their programs.
Provide transition services to support successful transitions to preschool programs and kindergarten.
Collaborate with the LEA (CPS) and EI CFC.

Family Engagement: Father and Male Caregiver

GHC staff and Partners must maintain male-friendly environments within each setting. Programs will ensure:

Male engagement events are executed throughout the year, with locations, days, and times appropriate to accommodate potential participants.
Some events should be both male and female-directed and appropriate for the entire family.
Various advertising strategies are used for the recruitment of participants.
Strategies are executed to gauge areas of need and interest for the male engagement events.
Appropriate staff is involved in planning and facilitating male engagement events.
Methods are used to evaluate the event for future planning.
Staff training occurs on the importance of male engagement in children’s lives and development.
Emphasis on male involvement is sensitive to families who may not have a male role model in the home.

Family Engagement: Pregnant Women

GHC/DFFS/Chicago Commons requires that EHS and PI funded Home visiting programs that enroll pregnant women provide the following services:

Designated agency staff (home visitors or family service workers) will ensure that within 30 days of enrollment, pregnant women have an ongoing source of continuous, accessible health care and health insurance. If a pregnant woman doesn’t have either, staff facilitate and assist the woman in finding and accessing consistent, ongoing care that meets her needs, as soon as possible.
Designated agency staff (home visitors or family service workers) will facilitate enrolled pregnant women’s access to comprehensive services through referrals that include but are not limited to, nutritional counseling, food assistance, oral health care, mental health services, substance abuse prevention and treatment, and, in cases of domestic violence, emergency shelter or transitional housing.
Designated agency staff (home visitors or family service workers) will use the Parents as Teachers and/or Baby Talk curriculum to guide services for pregnant women and relevant family members.
Designated agency staff (home visitors or family service workers) will engage pregnant women and relevant family members in the Family Engagement & Partnership Building Process (FCE Section II.E) and FPA (FCE Section II.F). The FPA should include plans to transition the newborn infant into EHS or PI-funded CEL programs. This plan should be revisited and discussed at the two-week post-partum visit.
Programs must provide a newborn visit to the mother and baby scheduled within two weeks after the delivery of the infant by a health professional.

Agencies are required to offer families with pregnant women (including fathers, partners, or other relevant family members) referrals to education services that address, maternal child health including,

Fetal development.
The importance of nutrition.
The risks of drugs, alcohol, and smoking.
Labor and delivery.
Postpartum recovery.
Depression as a parent.
Safe sleep and care for infants.
Benefits of breast-feeding. ix. Reproductive health.

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