The Pennsylvania Head Start Collaboration Office (HSSCO), which is housed in the Pennsylvania Key, is partnering with the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) to strengthen the transition process for children and parents from Head Start to public school kindergarten with each Head Start grantee across the Commonwealth.
HSSCO and OCDEL intended to hold a Governor’s Institute for nearly 20 Head Start and public-school teams in June 2020, but the event was canceled due to the pandemic.
Initially Pennsylvania was one of ten states selected by The Office of Head Start to begin collaboration between the Allentown School District and Community Services for Children Head Start Program.
However, HSSCO and OCDEL are now reviewing the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) between school districts and Head Start Programs to provide guidance and support in revising the MOUs to improve transition strategies.