Interagency Collaboration What work is currently underway in Utah for interagency coordination and collaboration? Utah Head Start-State Collaboration Office
Since 1997, the Utah Head Start-State Collaboration Office has assisted with linking early childhood programs serving pregnant women and children birth through age five into a statewide network of support services for families. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, through the Head Start Bureau, funds Head Start-State Collaboration Offices in all of the States. According to the Head Start Act, the purpose of these offices is to create a visible presence at the state level which can assist in the development of significant, multi-agency and public-private partnerships between Head Start and the States. These offices are mandated to: - Help build early childhood systems and access to comprehensive services for all low-income children;
- Encourage widespread collaboration between Head Start and other appropriate programs, services, and initiatives and augment Head Start’s capacity to be a partner in State initiatives on behalf of children and their families; and
- Facilitate the involvement of Head Start in the development of State policies, plans, processes, and decisions affecting the Head Start population and other low-income families.
The 2004-2005 accomplishments of the Utah Head Start-State Collaboration Office are outlined in the annual Utah Head Start-State Collaboration Office Outcomes Report. Utah Early Childhood Council
The Utah Early Childhood Council and Utah’s Early Childhood Blueprint for Progress addresses the current needs in building a coordinated early childhood system of supports for Utah families with young children. The four current needs for the Utah Early Childhood Council to address are: - improve the coordination of services for early childhood populations;
- strengthen and enhance Utah’s early childhood infrastructure at the state and local level;
- increase awareness regarding the importance of the early childhood years; and
- promote increased availability and accessibility of quality early childhood services.
Utah’s Early Childhood Blueprint for Progress outlines the recommendations established at the 2002 Early Childhood Summitt. Regional Early Childhood Coordinating Councils
The Utah Head Start-State Collaboration Office funds six regional early childhood coordinating councils throughout the state.
The goals of these grants include increasing partnerships and information sharing among early childhood professionals, improving coordination of early childhood services and resource allocation, and increasing the flow of communication and participation of local communities in state-level planning. To learn more about those early childhood councils see the Regional Early Childhood Councils Final Report. Utah Kids Link Project
The Utah Kids Link Project’s main goal is to provide leadership, at the state level, for the development of cross-system service integration partnerships in support of children, ages birth to eight years old, in order to enhance the ability of children to enter school healthy and ready to learn. System-building activities will address the five components of: - access to insurance and medical homes
- mental health and social-emotional development
- early care and education
- parent education, and 5)family support.
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