ERSEA Training 2014-15 Eligibility Recruitment Selection Enrollment Attendance

ERSEA Training 2014-15

Eligibility

Recruitment

Selection

Enrollment

Attendance

Eligibility

The only two requirements that must be met for a child to be eligible for Head Start is age and income.

• A parent must produce an immunization record or exemption because of state requirements

• You cannot require anything additional before enrolling the child or to keep the child enrolled.

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Age• To be age eligible for Head Start, a child

must be 3 or 4 years of age by October 1.• If a child will turn 3 after school begins

but on or before October 1, he is also age eligible and may be enrolled and begin in August even though he will only be 2 years old at that time.

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Age

If a child turns 3 after the October 1 deadline, he can still be age eligible for Head Start in the following two ways:• If the child has a disability, he can be

enrolled on or after his 3rd birthday.• If the program does not have other

children available to enroll, a child without a disability can be enrolled after his 3rd birthday. (Permission from Grantee Office must be granted)

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Verifying Age

What can be used to verify the age of a child?

• Birth Certificate• TANF List• Hospital Certificate• Letter from:

• Community Based Services• Health Department

• Immunization Certificate

Possibly Others

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Income

90% of the children that are enrolled in a program must have a total family income that is below the national poverty guideline.

Only 10% of the children enrolled can have family incomes above the poverty guideline.

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Family Income

Income means the total cash receipts before taxes from all sources from the Primary & Secondary Caregivers of the child’s family.

You would not count the income from any other family member other than the PC & SC

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Family Income

Income includes:

Employment wages

Cash earnings

Unemployment checks

Alimony payments

Child Support

Military pay

Income from rental property

Social Security payments

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Family IncomeIncome DOES NOT Include:

Food Stamps

Tax refunds

Compensation for injury

Sale of property

Gifts

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What is the definition of a “gift”?

Family IncomeWhat documentation can be used to determine the income

of a family member?

• Individual tax forms such as a 1040• W-2 forms• Pay stubs• Documentation from the court system (alimony, child

support, etc.)• Proof of public assistance (TANF, SSI)• Letter from employer

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The last resort for income documentation is a signed statement from the parent.

Family IncomeWhat documentation can be used to determine the income

of a family member?

It is not acceptable to use a letter or statement from another agency, such as Community Based Services, to verify income.

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Correctly using the “0” income form

When a parent is determined to have “0” income for the previous month and the 0 income form is used, any amount listed on the form should not count as income on the Eligibility Verification form or on COPA.

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Family Income

Do you know how to determine who would be listed in a child’s family and whose income should be counted?

If the staff person does not know how this is determined, they should not be doing the application.

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Eligibility

One of the most important things that the interviewer (staff) must

know is the Head Start definition of family:

Family means all persons living in the same household who are

supported by the income of the parent(s) or guardian(s) of the

child enrolling or participating in the program, and related to the

parent(s) or guardian(s) by blood, marriage or adoption.

Eligibility Scenarios

The following are some examples of possible scenarios an interviewer may

be faced with when trying to determine family income:


John & Cathy come to fill out an application for their son Nate. They tell the interviewer that

they have an older son that is married and does not live with them. How many would be

in the family?

3 - The older son would not count because he is not living in the household.


A mother comes to fill out an application for her son Donnie. She says that her and her

husband recently divorced and they decided to split up their twin boys, Donnie and

Ronnie. Ronnie now lives with her husband in an apartment just across the road from her house. How many should count in Donnie’s

family?2 – The mother and Donnie


A married couple comes to fill out an application for their son. The father states

that he worked as a coal miner until 2 months ago when he was fired for stealing. He says that he is currently drawing unemployment wages. The mother states that she works at the airport. Obviously, the mother’s income

should be counted. But what should the interviewer use to verify the father’s income

and how should it be calculated?Only the unemployment proof for 1 month. It should be multiplied by

the number of pay periods for one year. (i.e. Pay stub for 2 week period would be multiplied by 26)


Betty comes to fill out an application for her daughter Linda. She says that she is divorced from Linda’s father and got

married again last month to a doctor in Hazard. She also has another child that she adopted two years ago. How many are

in the family?

Should the interviewer calculate only a month of the husband’s income or the previous 12 months?

4 – Betty, Linda, the other child and the new husband

The previous 12 months

Eligibility ScenariosKellie arrives at the center and wants to fill

out an application for her two nephews. She provides documentation showing that she is

the Foster Parent for both boys. She says she works part time but does not have any check

stubs with her. How many would be in the family? Should the interviewer ask Kellie to

bring her check stubs back at another time or should she just write down the amount Kellie

tells her?Both children would be families of “1”. Since the children are

in Foster Care, no other income verification is needed.


Tina and Rocky live together but are not married. They have one child together, Pete.

But Rocky also has two other children that live with them that are from his first marriage. Tina comes to fill out an

application for their son Pete. How many are in the family?

5 – Even though Tina and Rocky are not married, he is still Pete’s biological parent. This means that his other

kids would also count in the family.


A foster parent named Wanda and her 17 year old foster child, Annie, arrive at the center.

The foster parent says that they have come to fill out an application for Annie’s child.

Wanda states that Annie and her child live with her (Wanda) and Annie does not work. Whose income should be counted and how

many are in the family?2 – Annie and the child. Since Annie does not work, her

income would be “0”.


A father comes to fill out an application for his son. When asked about his income, he

tells the interviewer that he has been working at Wal-Mart for the past 3 months. He also

says that he worked at Arby’s for the previous 5 years before taking the job at Wal-Mart.

How should his income be calculated?

It can either be last year’s tax forms or the interviewer can take his Wal-Mart income for 1 month and multiply by 12.


Jill comes to fill out an application for her daughter. She tells the interviewer that she doesn’t work and that her mother pays all of her bills including the rent for her apartment which totals $1,200 per month. Should Jill be asked to fill out a “0” income form? Should the family income be $1,200 or should it be

$0.00?Yes, the parent would need to fill out the “0” income form.

According to the scenario, she does not have any income because the money she receives is a “gift”.

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Child Income

For our purposes, a child only has income in one particular situation. What is it?

The only time a child will have income is when he is in Foster or Kinship Care. In this situation, the interviewer does not need to see any other income from the family other than the amount received for this child.

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Child Income

For our purposes, a child only has income in one particular situation. What is it?

If the parent or guardian tells the interviewer that the child is a Kinship Care child but she doesn’t receive money for him, then he cannot be considered a Foster Child and is not automatically eligible.

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This procedure no

longer applies

Child IncomeFor our purposes, a child only has income in

one particular situation. What is it?

• We will now consider a child as Kinship/Foster as long as the guardian can produce a statement from an agency showing this to be true, even if he/she does not receive money.

Here is an example of what the statement may look like:

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Determining Homelessness

• The McKinney-Vento defintion is what programs must use to deterimine homelessness.

Determining Homelessness

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McKinney – Vento Definition of Homeless The clarified definition of who is considered homeless is addressed. Section 725 (2) and (6) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act state: The term “homeless children and youths’-

Means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence…: and(B) Includes-

children and youths who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; are abandoned in hospitals; or are awaiting foster care placement; children and youths who have a primary night-time residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings… children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and migratory children who qualify as homeless for the purposes of this subtitle because the children are living in circumstances described in clauses (i) through (iii).

Indentifying Homeless Families

Scenarios• A mother and her daughter are living in a hotel while their house is

being built. The mother tells the interviewer that they sold their trailer and decided to stay in the hotel for the next 6 months until the house is finished. The manager of the hotel is a friend of the family and is giving them a discount on the room. Is the family homeless?

No. The family is staying in the hotel by choice and has not been forced there due to economic hardship.

Scenarios• A father and mother come in July to fill out an application for their

son. During the interview, the father mentions that he hopes the weather cools down soon because their air conditioner stopped working and their trailer gets very hot. He states that it gets so hot that they have to leave the windows open all night just to be able to sleep. Does this make the family homeless?

No. Though the air conditioner would definitely make life easier for the family, the fact that they do not have one would not make them homeless.

Scenarios• A mother and her child are living with her parents. She tells the

interviewer that she and her son lived in an apartment until three months ago when the rent became too expensive. So at that time, they moved back in with her parents and plan on moving into a low income apartment when one becomes available. Is this family homeless?

Maybe. It could be looked at as a “homeless” family because economic hardship forced the family to move in with relatives. But the family has been there for three months and if the interviewer feels that it is a stable situation, this may not be a homeless family.

ScenariosA husband, wife, and their two children are staying in a camper at a local camp ground. Are they homeless?

No. The family has a home and is making a choice to stay in the camper as a convenience.

They also tell the interviewer that they have a home in South Carolina but they stay in Kentucky during the week so the husband can work at a nearby construction job. The couple tells the interviewer that they cannot stand to be apart all week so the whole family travels with the father when he works construction jobs away from home. Now are they homeless?

Scenarios• A mother tells the interviewer that she and her daughter were living

alone in a house. But last month, her brother lost his job and so his family of 4 (2 adults, 2 kids) were forced to leave their apartment and the mother allowed them to move in with her and her daughter. Does this make the mother and daughter a homeless family?

No. The mother has legal rights to the house she is living in and economic hardship has not forced her to seek other living arrangements. Though the living arrangement has changed and possibly became uncomfortable, it happened by the mother’s choice and she could evict her brother’s family at any time.

ScenariosDuring the recent ice storm, a tree fell on a family’s home and

damaged the roof. The father tells the interviewer that the damage is significant and the family is staying with relatives until the roof can be fixed. When asked by the interviewer about whether the roof is leaking, he said it is not leaking but his wife was so scared after what happened that she refuses to let the family return to the house until several other nearby trees are cut down to make sure this never happens again. Is this family homeless?

No. The house is still there and in livable condition. The reason they are staying with relatives is by choice.

Recruitment

Recruitment happens all year long. How do you find your kids?

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Group Activity: Alternative recruiting methods

Selection• Though only a few people in our program

actually make a decision on enrolling children, it is important for all of us to know what determines whether a child should be enrolled.

• Let’s look at a waiting list and decide which children should be enrolled based on different scenarios.

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Name Age PIR Age Disability Status Eligibility Points Income Status

Brittany Palmer 3y/6m/20d 3 Susp 178 Underincome 100%Allison Gardner 4y/9m/9d 4 No 170 Underincome 36.98%Uriah Faber 2y/6m/21d 2 IEP 154 Underincome 51.99% Wynonna Givens 3y/6m/9d 3 No 151 Underincome 69.00%Danny Castillo 4y/0m/9d 4 Susp 149 Underincome 24.56%Meisha Tate 2y/9m/0d 2 No 126 Underincome 29.23%Erin Andrews 2y/10m/16d 3 IEP 103 Underincome 14.02%Gina Carano 2y/9m/29d 2 IEP 103 Underincome 18.21%Skyler White 3y/4m/12d 3 No 100 Underincome 2.28%Jesse Pinkman 3y/1m/2d 3 No 100 Underincome 13.01%Michael Nunn 4y/9m/14d 4 Susp 95 Overincome 27.23%Tim Wilson 4y/9m/7d 4 IEP 48 Overincome 179.88%Rick James 4y/5m/21d 4 Susp 48 Overincome 48.28%Boyd Crowder 4y/0m/21d 4 No 46 Overincome 119.21%Tony Blanton 3y/11m/29d 4 No 45 Overincome 38.50%Eddie Snowden 3y/4m/11d 3 IEP 3 Overincome 31.09%Gio Bernard 3y/2m/17d 3 No 2 Overincome 52.02%

Waiting L ist (J uly 31)

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Waiting L ist (J uly 31)

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Waiting L ist (August 20)

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Waiting L ist (August 20)

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Waiting L ist (November 20)

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Waiting L ist (November 20)

Enrollment

Full enrollment must be maintained at all times. However, full classrooms do not.

Head Start does not enroll children on a first come, first serve basis.

Once you’re in, you’re in.

Once you're out, you’re out.

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Additional Questions

Q. How long can a child remain on the waiting list without needing reverification?

R. 12 months

note: When considering a child for enrollment or reenrollment, if it has been more than 12 months since income was verified, a new application and eligibility verification form must be completed.


Q. Where should the original child enrollment applications be kept?

R. In the office Enrollment Folder

note: The classroom folder should contain either a copy of the enrollment application or a printed COPA application.


Q. When a child is eligible for their 3rd year of Head Start, should a new application be completed?

R. Yes. A 3rd year child must have a new application and Eligibility Verification form completed. Income must be reverified.


Q. Should you print the COPA “points page” and put it in the child’s folder for a returning child?

R. No. The points page should only be printed and put in the child’s folder when the child is enrolled.

note: A new points page should be placed in the folder each time the child enrolls. For instance, if he withdraws and reenrolls, a new points page would be added to his folder. If a child is enrolled at the end of a school year and returns for the second year, you do not print another points page.


Q. If a mother tells the interviewer that she is separated from her husband, do we need to see court papers showing legal separation before excluding his income from the family?

R. No. We accept the current situation and if the parent says the father is not in the home, the interviewer will accept that as the truth.


Q. If a family receives certain public assistance, their age eligible child is automatically income eligible for Head Start. Name the public assistance programs.

R. TANF (K-Tap) or SSI


Q. If during the application process, a child is determined to be “homeless”, does the parent still need to produce income verification?

R. No.

Documents

ERSEA Training 2014-15 Eligibility Recruitment Selection Enrollment Attendance