COLLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIP Special-needs and Head Start programs

The Youngstown City Schools Special Needs Preschool and MYCAP Head Start programs work together on a number of issues, such as the following.
Education needs: To establish consistency, teachers from both sites meet at least once a month to discuss individual pupils' needs and successes, and information is shared by both agencies.Home visits: MYCAP and school district teachers visit parents together to display how the agencies are working together.Transportation: Both agencies share transportation responsibilities for pupils with IEPs. If, for example, a child attends a school district program in the morning, the district will transport that child to Head Start for the afternoon portion; Head Start will take the child home.Medical issues: A plan is drawn up and shared for all pupils.Assessment: Head Start conducts a developmental screening for each pupil and assessment referrals to public schools are based on their results.Preschool and Head Start classrooms: MYCAP provides three classrooms for special-needs preschool classes; the school district houses one Head Start unit in a public school building. Other classrooms are at various sites in Youngstown and transportation is available for full-day servicing.Transition to kindergarten: In May 2002, MYCAP Head Start Director Lois Clark and Youngstown Superintendent Benjamin L. McGee organized the Preschool to Kindergarten Transition Committee. Head Start, kindergarten, preschool and other personnel, as well as parents and community members, serve on the committee. Goals include establishing continuity between preschool and school-age experience and defining expectations of skill levels for preschool and kindergarten pupils as stated in the Ohio Early Learning and Ohio Academic Content Standards.
Sources: MYCAP and the Youngstown City Schools