Among the National Indian Head Start Directors Association, Southwest Consortium of Indian Head Start Programs, Inc. and Northwest Indian Head Start Coalition

PURPOSE

The purpose of this Memorandum of Partnership is to promote. coordinate and collaborate at the national, regional and community levels in order to:

  • Facilitate the oversight and review of laws, regulations, standards and policies affecting the delivery of Head Start services;
  • Protect the delivery of Head Start training and technical assistance and demand quality T/TA services;
  • Advocate for responsive, timely and accurate oversight from the federal Head Start Bureau - American Indian/Alaska Native Program Branch;
  • Advocate for Native American/Alaska Native children and families and comprehensive early childhood development services;
  • and from time-to-time enter Into formal agreements between and among each other for the planning and carrying out professional development, and leadership enhancement and training programs for Head Start, Early Head Start and Child Care programs.

BACKGROUND

There is a need for Improved and expanded early childhood services In "Indian Country." Head Start, Early Head Start and Child Care programs must continue to seek opportunities for quality Improvement of their service delivery and for the professions! development of all Head Start staff, parents and volunteers. The National Indian Head Start Directors Association, Southwest Consortium of Indian Head Start Programs, Inc. and Northwest Indian Head Start.Coalition are in a powerful position to coalesce into a substantial partnership. ft is imperative that this opportunity be seized for the purpose of articulating the need for resources to build quality programs and to expand services within Indian communities throughout the Nation.

The National Indian Head Start Directors Association, Southwest Consortium of Indian Head Start Programs, Inc. and Northwest Indian Head Start Coalition have been instrumental in providing quality-training opportunity since the early 1980s. The entities are the only three Indian Head Start organizations providing training, advocacy and leadership that are client based.

The National Indian Head Start Directors Association, Southwest.Consortium of Indian Head Start Programs, Inc. and Northwest Indian Head Start Coalition have been very active In advocating on behalf of Indian Head Start programs and young children and their families for two decades. The partners within this agreement all serve as the only large base groups for articulating the wants, needs, concerns and issues of Indian Head Start programs. The three entitles will continue collaborative efforts on behalf of young Indian children, their families, and staff.

COLLABORATIVE STRATEGIES

The parties to this Memorandum of Partnership will:

  1. Coordinate, schedule and support training events for front-line Head Start staff based upon the expressed needs of American Indian/Alaska Native Head Start programs.
  2. Routinely, Identify issues and concerns for delivering Head Start, Early Head Start and Child Care services, develop joint strategies for resolving the issues and concerns and establish joint legislative and regulatory advocacy agendas.
  3. The Board of Directors of each party to this Memorandum of Partnership will meet together al least 2 times per year at either the National Indian Head Start Directors Association's Management Conference, Southwest Consortium's Native American Child and Family Conference or the Northwest Indian Head Start Coalition Conference. The agenda development for these meetings will be the responsibility of the President and Chairperson of each entity, The purpose of the meetings will be to coordinate the yearly agendas or each group, schedule activities and events and to discuss issues and concerns common to all Indian Head Start grantees.
  4. No entity shall represent or speak on behalf of the other associations unless prior approval has been granted.

REVIEW AND DISSEMINATION

This Memorandum of Partnership will be reviewed periodically (no less than every two years, beginning July 2000) by representatives of The National Indian Head Start Directors Association, Southwest Consortium of Indian Head Start Programs, Inc. and Northwest Indian Head Start Coalition, with recommendations to, modifications to accommodate changing circumstances.

It will be the responsibility of the Board of Directors of each organization to disseminate this Memorandum of Partnership to their memberships.

AUTHORIZATION

The Memorandum or Partnership will be effective Immediately upon the signatures of the organizations' designated officer,

 

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